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Part of me is thinking, "You're not really going to go through your quilt pictures and blog about them one at a time, are you?"  The answer is: I'm not sure.  Maybe?

What's this? Another log cabin quilt thanks to Eleanor Burns's Quilt in a Day book?  Guilty!  Why mess with a good thing?

This was made for a childhood friend of mine who was having her first baby - a girl.  And our school colors were purple and gold - did I really purposefully choose our school colors?  I honestly don't remember.  It's a good combo, nonetheless. 

Another thing I keep saying to myself: "Bless your heart, Jess".  I don't know if that translates well, but I'm so proud of my beginner self trying new techniques, even if they aren't executed that well.

Maybe you can see from the photo above, I both tied and machine quilted this baby quilt.  I had a little pucker in the machine quilting, but I wasn't too worried about it. :) I also see that I did a binding instead of turning it like a pillowcase.  Again: points for trying, young one.

I totally remember being thrilled with finding the most appropriate, fitting backing fabric.

Baby quilts are my favorite thing to make.  It's because of the size mostly.  Being able to try out a new idea on a smaller scale without the same time/resource investment as a full size quilt.  But still the act of giving a gift for a new life - it just doesn't get better in my opinion. 

Inspiration for quiltmaking

My paternal great-grandmother was a quilter.  I still have faint memories from my very early childhood of visiting her house and seeing a big, wooden quilt frame set up in her living room for hand quilting.

Great Grandma Estelle made my sister, brother and myself quilts from fabrics we definitely recognized - they were also used by my mom in making clothes for us.  Because of these warm memories, I've always had a fondness for quilts.  My Grandpa Bob made me a hanging quilt rack for my bedroom and I loved it - I probably asked for it in the first place. :)  I remember displaying my quilt that had come from Grandma Estelle and being proud of it.

Flash forward several years to when my husband and I were newly married.  My sister Emily  made a quilt for us.  She is a couple of years younger than me and I was 22 at the time.  Emily knew how to make a quilt because our small, rural high school had offered a class in quiltmaking.  It wasn't available when I was a student, but there was enough interest in Emily's class to have it be a home ec option.  I believe it was called Independent Quilting. Now that I look back on it, I think it's pretty incredible that our school offered that class!  It really changed the course of my life if I'm being honest, and I didn't even take the class.

Present-day quilt, wrinkles and all.  To say this quilt is loved is an understatement.  It's been loved to death - this is its best side.  I've had it folded  next to my couch for several months now with the hopes of restoring it - patching the rips and tears it's sustained over the last twelve years and then quilting it.

My sister gifting us this quilt introduced the possibility that I could also make quilts.  Emily helped me with shopping to get my initial quilting supplies and when I was ready to start my own quilt project we sewed blocks together, going through Eleanor Burns's Log Cabin Quilt in a Day book.  It was the same book she followed in making the quilt above for us.

Her gift opened a door for me that I've never cared to close.  It ignited this inspiration and passion that is still going strong ten years later.

Thank you, Emily!