They say that if you want to avoid Alzheimers then you should teach yourself something new as you grow older. And so I have chosen to teach myself to quilt. When I started I wasn’t sure if I would like it, but I wanted quilts for my home and couldn’t think of any affordable way to get them other than to make them myself…
And so it is that I have discovered a new passion in life! Quilting! In my research I found the Missouri Star Quilting Company who offers lessons online. I have also discovered Sir’s Fabrics in Fayetteville, TN, where I can go and get plenty of fabric for practicing my new-found craft… This allows me to learn, and make mistakes, for very little money.
Also of interest is the site called Civil War Quilts. Here I can learn to quilt a block a week and I get a little history lesson via featured excerpts from diaries that were written by women of the period. I find it fascinating and fun.
The following is a bit of what I am currently working on and yes I am working on more than one project. (Weirdly, I often read more than one book at a time too. I suspect that it is a hangover from study habits in my college days.)
The Sock Monkey
One row of blocks…
This quilt is called a disappearing nine patch. You begin with the basic nine patch quilt block, cut it into fours, and rotate each piece. The end result is a more modern mosaic of color vs. the old-fashioned pieced blocks.
So why call it the Sock Monkey? It’s all about the colors…
Isn’t he adorable!
…and a lot about nostalgia! Everybody’s Granny made these for their grandkids when I was little. (Hmm… my Grannies missed out on this gene.)
Progress on the Sock Monkey?
Two rows of blocks sewn together and bout 1/4 done.
I had hoped to have this done for the guest room in October, that’s when some very good friends will be visiting, but it remains to be seen if I will get there. Fact is, I have recently found out that if I want it machine quilted it will cost me about 1 cent per inch… or about $100.00. (So much for economical quilts!) So, I may be doing it the old-fashioned way with needle and tread. That will take a while.
The Underground Railroad, from the Civil War Quilts site is my inspiration for a table runner I will be making.
Pattern: The Underground Railroad
I found the lovely fabric at a little quilt shop called A Time 2 Sew in Collinsville, AL. I just love the ladies there. They are so friendly and full of advice and information. Want to know a little secret about their shop? It is housed in what was, until the mid seventies, the Collinsville Jail! The cells are now used for storage and to display some of the antique quilts they have there!
I am dying to show you my nearly complete creation, but it is for a friend in Chicago and I don’t want to spoil the surprise! I will share when it is done. I promise!
Life on the Farmlet 
Your quilt and table runner are going to be lovely! The fabrics you choose are really, really pretty. Have you ever been to the “HSV Sew &Vac”? Sounds like an odd combination, but besides servicing and selling vacuum cleaners, they sell beautiful fabrics and hold quilting workshops.
Anke, Thank you for your compliment! I have not been to Huntsville Sew and Vac yet. I have been about everywhere else but not there. I get my Viking serviced at S&R Sewing and Vacuum Center. They do quilting there, but it is all fancy computer based machine quilting. Too rich for my blood! I think I will have to go check into the HS&V quilting workshops. Thanks for the tip!
Quilting sounds like a fascinating and very intriguing hobby. I am sure completing a quilt will be a wonderful reward. I love the sock monkey fabric, the colors are among my favorite!
When I bought the fabric I only had the tans and browns and thought they were drab when cut and laid out. I went back later to get the red to add some spark. It wasn’t until I began the piecing and sewing that the Sock Monkey thought came to mind, but even when it’s done, and been around for years, it will keep that name I think. 😉
Seems this one goes back a few months but I wanted to comment on your idea of quilting. I have also read that in order to preserve the mind, it is suggested that one learn a new skill or a foreign language. I’m not doing either one but I work cross word puzzles if I have the time and continue to comment on a number of blogs while ignoring my own blog. It makes me read and then I must think about what I’m writing. Not nearly as good as your quilting though. I have always wanted to quilt but at almost 81 years of age now, I doubt that will happen..
Yvonne, reading is good. You shouldn’t sell yourself short, any new skill you learn is worthwhile; even at 81! Start small. Improvise. Have fun!