A Quilting Tale

The end of my story.

Today I want to tell you about my last quilt. Not my most recent quilt, my last one. I will always think of this quilt as my last quilt ever, because that’s what it was supposed to be. Funny, huh?

So, we’ve seen my first and most fun, my second and scariest, my third and most perfect. So here is the story of my very last quilt:

In the fall of 2010 it dawned upon me that my parents’ 25^th anniversary was fast approaching in December. After some serious brooding about memorable gifts, Heather and I settled on making a memory quilt. That idea was the motivation for me to start my first quilt – as practice. My second and third came because I really needed a lot of practice.

I designed the pattern myself, based off the large blocks on Terry Atkinson’s “All About Me.” Heather and I did some serious stalking and assembled a list of people to send blocks to. I pieced the blocks, mailed them out, and patiently waited for their return. While we waited, I had a large center block screen printed with their wedding picture and embroidered with words of congratulations. I bordered it with my aunt’s silk maid-of-honor dress.

When the blocks returned, I assembled, pinned, quilted, bound and ultimately presented my parents with their anniversary gift. They were touched. My mom cried. And that was it for me. I relinquished all of my quilting supplies – safety pins, my mom’s mid-arm, left over batting – to my mom and called it quits. I remember her saying to me “You’re not going to quilt again?” And I thought, why? Haven’t I done it all?

I made four quilts in four months. That’s pretty remarkable for a new quilter. I made four quilts for four people who meant the world to me. I felt like I had accomplished something. And I felt there was really no reason to go on. So that was my last quilt.

To be continued …