Once upon a time...

There was a gal who owned a tole/decorative painting shop, had a very hectic travel teaching schedule and looming publication deadlines. But in her thoughts and dreams, there were always visions of quilts...colorful ones, with lots of pieces and made with love. One day she saw an advertisement for a beginner quilting class and she decided to sign up.

The class ran for eight weeks and taught several different blocks and techniques. Most of the cutting was done in class and there was lots of homework between lessons to complete the sewing of the blocks that were covered that particular week. Needless to say that because of her schedule and the fact that she had not used a sewing machine in over twenty years, the homework never got done. But faithfully she would return each week and diligently took notes.

The eight weeks went by quickly. Most of the gals in the class had either finished piecing their quilt tops or were pretty close to it...except for one. However, the gal who had not completed one block promised both the teacher and the others in the class that the top WOULD eventually get done.

As promised, six months later, the top was completed. The year was 1984 and the gal was me.

The completed quilt top was put away for 23 years...but was never forgotten.

The quilt dream never left me. During my career, I had the opportunity to travel alot and managed to amass a collection of 20+ antique quilts. When I retired in 2007, I became friends with a gal in the small town where we now live who is a quilter. She asked me to show her the quilt top that I had made and it was she who talked me into finishing it. That was in August of 2007. It took me about six weeks to complete the hand quilting and she showed me how to do the binding.

My taste in colors has changed significantly since then and you can see how the fabrics date the quilt.


But I'm happy that I did take the time to complete it. My only regret is not being able to show it to my teacher who has since passed on. I'm certain she thought back in 1984 that it would be just another student with another UFO.


Now my quilt is 25 years old and I keep it in my quilt cupboard along side my other antique and vintage quilts. The label says, "Pieced in 1984 and completed in 2007". What was once a dream had finally become a reality.