My First & Second Quilts:
Melissa Edition
Here’s a loose, technical description of my very first quilt: a whole cloth affair that I machine-quilted myself (although I had no clue that that was what I was doing). It was the late ‘70s. I was in college, and was preparing to move into my first apartment after a year of dormitory living. I decided I needed a unique bedspread, so I bought a king-size sheet printed with a windowpane plaid on the diagonal. In shades of brown. (Neutral is good, I thought.)
I backed it with another king-sized sheet, this one a solid brown. And somehow there’s a batting layer, but I have no firm recollection of its exact origin. From all the pills that have worked their way up through the stitching, I think must have been polyester. The binding was bias tape, in—you guessed it—brown. (I would just like to say that I have long since abandoned my brown phase. The walls in my home have shades of brilliant coral, deep wine, spa blue and guacamole green, but there is no brown.)
Obviously I consulted no book on quilting and the Internet did not exist, so there was no YouTube video or blogger wisdom to come to my rescue.
I set up my mom’s portable sewing machine on the ping pong table in the basement so I could spread out my bulky project and quilt following the printed plaid design. Not only did this mean I could listen to the television while I worked, but it was my only sewing option. My mom’s Bernina was enshrined in her sewing room upstairs, not to be touched by anyone but her. (Now I understand this protectionist policy, and I approve.)
I had been sewing for ages, having learned in 4-H and produced many garments for fun and for competitions at the county fair. It was no big deal, I thought. I started at one edge and stitched across to the other edge, following the lines. (I know you machine-quilting experts are cringing.) And so it went, until I had stitched about a million lines, following that brown windowpane plaid, and thought I would never finish. I plowed on, though, and it graced the bed in my very first apartment and for several apartments to come.
After college and my young adult years, Old Faithful became the blanket we’d grab for picnics and park outings. Then it was relegated to the car trunk during winter months, as an emergency source of heat.
My second quilt, now, is more interesting.
By now, I was married with a three-year-old daughter and two fine stepchildren in their middle teens. This time, no mere whole cloth for me, no sir. For some reason, I had all these men’s handkerchiefs and thought they’d make a fine canvas for appliqué. I designed my own motifs, made templates, cut them out by hand and fused them to the middle of the handkerchiefs with midweight fusible, so they’d stick good and tight. Of course they were way heavier than the handkerchiefs, but again, I had consulted no one for wisdom on this project. (Do you see a pattern here?)
I added sashing and borders and then backed the whole thing, this time, with actual quilting fabric. I remember crawling around on the floor, pin basting the thing, with my daughter Delia trying to get in on the action.
I don’t remember, however, the quilting phase. There was no ping pong table to spread out on, and the sewing machine was a garage-sale Necchi up in the master bedroom. I was working full-time as the editor of a commercial embroidery magazine, traveling for business and running a demanding household. Maybe I quilted it in my sleep.
The appliqué quilt was used and loved, and exists in partially shredded form now, parts of the handkerchiefs having long given up the fiber ghost.
When I joined the staff of Quilter’s Home in 2007 as a freelance editor, I did not consider myself a quilter, and actually had a secret bit of pride that I was not like the fanatics written about in these stories I was editing. (Geez! Get a life, I thought.) But fabric’s siren song was ringing loudly in my ears and I began making a third quilt. And I realized that Old Faithful and Delia’s Quilt were true fruits of my quilty labor and evidence that I had a predisposition to become a q-fanatic, too.
That third quilt? Oh, a Cathedral Window. In denim.
But that’s another story.
COMMENT #1
Love to see a photo of what’s left of Delia’s quilt. My first quilt used patches of my kids homemade clothes and fabric from Cloth World. It had a sheet on the back that I folded over to the front, and poly batting. My 41 year old son will NOT let me get rid of it, and now I understand. So it stays folded up with sheets and extra blankets. A wonderful memory, thanks to you and Megan.
COMMENT #
Marcy, I tore apart the house last night, trying to find that darn thing, and came up empty-handed. Otherwise, I would definitely included it. She’s due back from a trip, so maybe she can help me find it, and if I do, I will definitely add it. Glad you enjoyed it!
COMMENT #2
You must love a challenge!
COMMENT #
Well, maybe. Or maybe I’m just crazy. I often have little fear when it comes to trying things (once ate crickets and worms at a business dinner in Mexico City) but when it comes to snakes or talking to celebrities? Forget it!
COMMENT #3
I am chuckling! You have given me a lot to think about!!
I never really considered that the bedspread I made was a quilt in college (approx 16 years ago). I always considered it a bedspread. During one spring break, I didn’t want to go home and had recently been given a sewing machine (Xmas present!) and I unstitched all of the stitching with seam ripper and reused the batting for an all white whole cloth (quilt now that I think of it!!!). And my binding was a lacey edging I had bought. I am sad now because I realize I tossed it last year, and it was really and truly my first quilt! It was my college quilt, our guest room quilt, and the inside of a few duvets for my boys!
Now I need to consider my “first quilt” as my second now. But it was my first pieced quilt ;)!
COMMENT #4
Thanks for the smiles and warm fuzzies… 🙂
COMMENT #5
Your post brought back so many memories! My first quilt, made in1980, was also those very fashionable “earth tones” – aka browns. Yes, it was squares of broadcloth in browns, rust and beiges and for contrast 🙂 I added a brown and white gingham! What I didn’t know at the time was that I was making a “round the world” pattern. I thought I was being original!
COMMENT #6
A great story! I started my first quilt, a table runner, just this past January as a new years resolution to try quilting. My wife of 36 years is a lifelong quilter. I am now in the middle of my second quilt, a jelly roll quilt, only it’s made from fabric scraps cut into 2-1/2 inch strips. I’m actually enjoying doing this, contrary to what I always thought for years.