(TBT a finished quilt from pre-blogging days.)
This is one of my all time favourite quilt patterns right up there with any of the many patterns designed by Rosemary Makhan. I had first seen the pattern around 1994 and thought I would like to get it someday. My skill as a quilter was still in the beginner level and I started to dream of making this one day.
We were at a convention in Calgary in the spring of 1996 and a bunch of us
had gone to a huge craft warehouse where we found the last copy of the pattern for Biblical Blocks and I was (cringe) generous and let the other lady, who grabbed the book the same time as I did, have it, saying I could get another one at Reicharts in St Jacob's Ontario where I often shopped.
And I did find a copy there in Dec 2001 after it was reprinted. The very next day I discovered Jilly Beans a quilt shop in Oakville. As I was slowly walking down the narrow shop, gawking at all the marvelous quilts hanging along the 14 foot walls, I suddenly and quite unexpectedly, gazed upon the very quilt that was pictured on the front cover of the book I had bought the previous day a mere 2 hour drive away. To say I was happy is an understatement. I looked around first, before reaching over and touched it. Is that allowed?
I discovered that they were already 4 months into the class, but my disappointment turned joy when I was told another class would be starting in the fall of 2002, I immediately signed up. It was only 9 1/2 months away and I consoled myself by signing up for a machine quilting course to prepare to quilt all the wonderful quilts I was going to make in the future. I did not have any quilts near completion so did not get to practice much then. The course started out teaching how to get the tension right using monofilament thread. I still struggle with that.
The Biblical Blocks class met once a month and after 10 months I had it only half done. Sigh. There was too much time between classes to keep the momentum up and I was dealing with para-menopause, term papers and farm responsibilites since we had just taken over the family farm.
In the fall of 2003 I took the More Biblical Blocks course with Rosemary and learned how to draft a pattern from a picture. We met twice a month and drafted 4 blocks each time. I eagerly drove the hour home and made my four 12 inch blocks that very day. Then, I redrafted the patterns to 9" and completed the rest of the blocks for the Biblical Blocks. I was so excited about it that I bought fabric to make 3 more and they are all UFO's right now. I finally got up the courage to quilt the thing after buying a new Bernina and investing in lots of monofilament thread. I completed it Nov 2005 just hours before my niece and her husband moved to South Korea. Their wedding quilt took only 3 years to complete in time for their second anniversary.
Makes me want to pull out the other ones and see how much work is left to complete them. But not today.
Dear Jane is patiently waiting for me to notice her.
Blessings,
Chris
This is one of my all time favourite quilt patterns right up there with any of the many patterns designed by Rosemary Makhan. I had first seen the pattern around 1994 and thought I would like to get it someday. My skill as a quilter was still in the beginner level and I started to dream of making this one day.
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| Biblical Blocks |
And I did find a copy there in Dec 2001 after it was reprinted. The very next day I discovered Jilly Beans a quilt shop in Oakville. As I was slowly walking down the narrow shop, gawking at all the marvelous quilts hanging along the 14 foot walls, I suddenly and quite unexpectedly, gazed upon the very quilt that was pictured on the front cover of the book I had bought the previous day a mere 2 hour drive away. To say I was happy is an understatement. I looked around first, before reaching over and touched it. Is that allowed?
I discovered that they were already 4 months into the class, but my disappointment turned joy when I was told another class would be starting in the fall of 2002, I immediately signed up. It was only 9 1/2 months away and I consoled myself by signing up for a machine quilting course to prepare to quilt all the wonderful quilts I was going to make in the future. I did not have any quilts near completion so did not get to practice much then. The course started out teaching how to get the tension right using monofilament thread. I still struggle with that.
The Biblical Blocks class met once a month and after 10 months I had it only half done. Sigh. There was too much time between classes to keep the momentum up and I was dealing with para-menopause, term papers and farm responsibilites since we had just taken over the family farm.
In the fall of 2003 I took the More Biblical Blocks course with Rosemary and learned how to draft a pattern from a picture. We met twice a month and drafted 4 blocks each time. I eagerly drove the hour home and made my four 12 inch blocks that very day. Then, I redrafted the patterns to 9" and completed the rest of the blocks for the Biblical Blocks. I was so excited about it that I bought fabric to make 3 more and they are all UFO's right now. I finally got up the courage to quilt the thing after buying a new Bernina and investing in lots of monofilament thread. I completed it Nov 2005 just hours before my niece and her husband moved to South Korea. Their wedding quilt took only 3 years to complete in time for their second anniversary.
Makes me want to pull out the other ones and see how much work is left to complete them. But not today.
Dear Jane is patiently waiting for me to notice her.
Blessings,
Chris
Yes I love this design too, what a beautiful classic to make and have. Yours is stunning, thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteRosemary (Brown) Makhan was just featured in the Spring 2014 issue of The Canadian Quilter (CQA/ACC). It also noted her recent passing in Jan. Thank you for sharing your story and the gorgeous quilt, that went with it.
ReplyDeleteYes I read about it. I was very sad to hear. She meant a lot to me in my quilting journey and inspired me in many ways with her patterns and in the classes I took with her.
DeleteWhat a beautiful quilt. I have always liked the palm branch block; I think it was the beginning of my love of all things pointy! Oddly, though, I've never made the block! What a treasure you have in this quilt!
ReplyDeleteI love the story of this quilt. It really took many more years to make it since the idea bloomed we’ll before you started it. And the after all that waiting and the years of work, you have it away! What a wonderful gift! The quilt is beautiful—I really like the contrast between the pieces blocks and the applique and how everything pops from the blue background.
ReplyDeleteWow, WHAT a gorgeous quilt, with such a wonderful story to it!! I live only about 3.5 hours from Oakville, so I might have to check out Jilly Beans next time I'm up in the Toronto area! I have heard wonderful things about St. Jacobs, and that area, and keep asking myself why have I not gone since we moved back here from Alberta??! I love the Tree of Life block; I have a quilt with six or eight of them in the early stages of quilting...man, I need to get it out and finish it, but as you said, not today! Thank you so much for linking this up, and I hope to read about more of your pre-blogging quilts in future!
ReplyDelete