LEARNING A LESSON

When I first started quilting and I say that loosely, I didn't have a clue what I was doing except trying to sew 1/4" seams, and keep the blocks "fairly" straight. I also never did a sample block until, of course being me, I had cut out a thousand or so little squares. Keep in mind that I had a rotary cutter, and a small cutting mat about 12 X 14, and a small 12" ruler. So you know how long it took me to cut my first quilt.

I still have some of the orange and white squares from that original quilts and some of the squares in various orange shades from the second and some reds and so on.

So, today, I decided to copy the old quilt design and make it up. I decided on the colours of the small squares, the side squares and then did two for my sweetie to see which he liked the best as he has a good colour sense.

He picked the blue because of the blue in the side squares. He thought that even though the colours in the dots were right, the total effect just didn't work and when I produced the blue, he really like it.

Of course I didn't tell him that I had already cut out all the 4 1/2" centre squares of dots, but no matter they will find a home.

I also have been calling the strips between the rows of squares "sashing" and in fact they are called strips. Thanks to all my friends for not telling me the proper term. Since this is a day of learning, I found it out by reading a book on quilting this morning with coffee. I think this pattern is called prairie queen as best I can tell. An old pattern too and one that of course my grandmother would have made.

I did talk to an aunt yesterday who has had a quilt repaired that my grandmother made in indeed she sometimes made the stitches almost between 1/4 and 1/8 inches in her sewing and therefore you know it's pretty hard to do the repairs on 1/8" squares.

We are having above freezing temperatures today for I think the first time since December. There were many people out this morning walking in the sunshine feeling the warmth.

Quote of the day..."I never hated a man enough to give him back his diamonds!" Zaza Gabor.

Me neither I think!