I received a surprise e-mail the other day from someone the son of my college roommate (whom I did get to spend time with a couple of years ago). He sent me a few pictures of his daughter... on a quilt! Or is that a mat?
The "whatever" was a quilt I had made for my former roommate when I had first started quilting, though I suppose it can't really be considered quilting. I was newly married, no children yet, and I had time on my hands. I must have found a pattern in some Japanese sewing book that I still couldn't read... and attempted to make a quilt looking at the diagrams and the measurements all in centimeters. Although this wasn't a "quilted" quilt, around the same time I was trying to hand quilt things and instead of using batting (which I had never heard about) I pulled apart cushion stuffing and tried to lay it flat! You can imagine some of the disasters that I made!
This "quilt" was made in parts I'm pretty sure and I stuffed each part from the back. However having no one to teach me, and not really understanding the instructions I was wading through, and probably with the same cushion stuffing that I'd already been using as batting, I STUFFED and STUFFED and STUFFED until I had... a mattress? Certainly no baby would ever be put to bed UNDER that quilt as I recall it weighed quite a bit... A good place to fall though. Someone could have dropped an egg from the roof onto it with no harm done.
So... not my greatest "quilt". But look!!! The mattress is going through a second generation! Hey, that is really good wear! It must be 31~32 years old by now... You can't believe how tickled I am to see what I thought was a flop being put to good use again!
Great story! I made my first machine sewn quilt without knowing how to at all!
ReplyDeleteThe list of things I did not know to do is so long! It is crooked, has mismatched seams.
It's quite hideous. My husband insists on keeping it.
He uses it for a cushion on his chair at his desk (at home).
I'm glad yours is so well made and loved!
that looks like a quilt they used to call a biscuit quilt - I'm not sure how they were made but I remember seeing photos of them. My niece recently showed me a baby quilt I made for her 25 years ago that her little boy is now using - cross stitch embroidery and what used to pass for my hand quilting - I'm much better now!
ReplyDeletePerfectly good, after all those years, and perfect in its use now.Love the puffiness, just right for on the floor. Cheers, Jean
ReplyDeleteThat's fantastic that it was loved enough to be saved and used again. Most people don't appreciate things enough to hang on to them long enough. I remember those puffy quilts and they are now making a comeback. It looks good and we are often our own worst critics.
ReplyDeleteGreat picture and memories! It's called a puff quilt. I've seen instructions somewhere on how to do it but I don't find it very practical (only for in Winter when it's really cold :-).
ReplyDeleteLittle did you know that you were making a perfect playmat for your friend's future grandchild!
ReplyDeleteBest regards from Gail in Wa State
It shows that something you made is still special to the person you gave it to, and that that person passed on an appreciation of that quilt. I find patterns (in English) for that type of quilt, every once in a while, but, I've never tried one.
ReplyDeleteHey, I made seat cushions for my dining room chairs using that method. How nice to see yours still in use.
ReplyDeleteAnd I made a 'puff quilt' cushion for a friend 33 years ago. She still has it on her sofa.
ReplyDeleteI have a biscuit quilt that is in progress...as a UFO. I should get it out and finish it. Could be a retro hit!
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