My First Quilt

Here's how I got started in quilting:
On my wedding day, as I was getting all put together for the ceremony, one of my aunts called from out-of-state to say she was sorry she couldn't make it to the wedding, but if we would come to visit her, she would make us a wedding quilt. A few months later, we got up to her house and picked out blocks for a story quilt. Time went by (my aunt was hand quilting then) and we hadn't heard anything about it, so BFJ decided I should just go ahead and make us a quilt. I think by that point, I had made a skirt, in Girl Scouts. In the fourth grade.

Actually, I was becoming intrigued with the idea of a quilt, myself, so off I went to Barnes and Noble. (Yes, that's right, the epicenter of quilting.) I searched around until I found a picture in a magazine that I liked (Lady of the Lake), went to Hobby Lobby, bought everything mentioned in the supplies list, took it home, got to work. I cut out 2,000+ triangles with my scissors. I stitched them all into pairs. I spent many, many days, weeks, months, pairing up those triangles. I finally had them all in squares. I sewed a strip of them together and the points didn't line up. I took them apart. I sewed them back together. I took them apart. I sewed them back together. Finally, I took the six blocks I had to my aunt and said, "What am I doing wrong?" She said, "If I were you, I would sew those six blocks together, put some batting and backing on there, quilt it. There you have your first quilt." I said, "What about the other pieces?" She said, "You cut them all out, didn't you. Beginners' mistake." Well, those pieces are still in a box. Someday, I will finish that quilt, after all the others.

I told BFJ I was going to have to start with something simpler. We went to the fabric store and picked out fabrics together. And shortly thereafter, I made a baby quilt. It was too puffy (thick batting - beginners' mistake.) Then another baby quilt, then another. I didn't even have babies. Finally he asked when I was going to get around to finishing his quilt. In 2006, after three quilts for my own babies, I finally finished his quilt. It wasn't my first quilt. It wasn't my first big quilt. It is his, though. I did use the wool backing that I bought for that first quilt in 1996.

Every time I go to a guild meeting, (or start a quilt blog,) BFJ asks if I'd like to show off his quilt. It's got a BIG pucker on the back, so I've never taken it to show-and-tell. But what does he care? It's football season, and he's got a quilt.

And by the way, I have yet to see the story quilt, but I think Aunt Gail gave me a much better gift than the quilt itself, and that is a love of quilting.

*** Edit ***

Stephanie suggested that others should post about their first quilts, so if you want to do that, I will put a link on here to your story!

Also, thank you Marcie for allowing me to link to your beautiful quilt, and if you would like to check out her blog, please do. She's quite a talented lady. Tell her I sent you!