Quilt Fabric

My stash is outgrowing my cunningly designed storage system! I've moved the relevant bits to my portable sewing machine table for the duration of the current project.

Amando Alentejo asked me how many quilts I thought I'd made in my life, and she unwittingly gave me an idea which will now give her more information than she ever wanted! I started thinking about how I got into making quilts and wondering why I am so obsessed by it. 

When we lived in Berkeley I met with a group of women for coffee most mornings after we swam, or took Pilates or whatever else we did at the Claremont Health Club. Helen, one of the women, lost her house in the Berkeley Hills fire in 1991. Many months later she brought a fire themed quilt she had designed and made to help her work through the experience. I thought it was stunning and I didn't even know until then that she was a quilter. I have never been much of a sewer, mainly because the clothes I made didn't fit and never suited me, but her fire quilt piqued my interest. Over time, and many cups of coffee and several classes, she taught me everything I know.

I started making baby quilts for each of my six grandchildren, then graduated to bed covers for several family members and friends. There were six or seven fabric stores dedicated to quilting within a half hour drive and each one had its own personality. I loved the selection of colors and designs. I had my own dedicated sewing room at home where I could hole up for hours. I never made a quilt for us because, truth be told, most traditional quilt patterns aren't really my style, but I enjoyed the process. After several years my pool of recipients dried up and I stopped making quilts and turned my sewing room into an extra guest room, and place for me to sleep when snoring man drove me out. So I suppose it was still a bit of a refuge.

I kept my stash of fabrics because I didn't really know what to do with them, but years later when we were moving and I hadn't done anything with any of it for years,  I thought I'd give the fabrics to my granddaughter. But somebody, I can't remember who anymore, suggested that I take them with me. It might give me something to do after we moved.

I found a place for everything in our shared office/craft room/exercise studio, but had no interest in sewing until the Covid lockdown when everybody was making masks. At last, the perfect use for all that fabric. I made dozens and dozens of masks, which were later declared totally ineffective and we all traded them in for N95 masks from Amazon. 

This is getting too long and probably too boring so I will save the finale for tomorrow because i have to check in with my friend the historian to continue to peruse our family history.

So consider yourself forewarned if you've had enough....