"Buttons and patches and the cold wind blowing,
The days pass quickly when I am sewing"
~Author Unknown

Monday, September 28, 2009

Loving charms!

Can it really be that I have neglected this blog for a day short of two weeks? It has not been that I am being lazy here at home though. I have been working away at a couple of projects.

Click photos to enlarge.


Now if you followed both this and my previous blog, you will know that the theme for my quilt group this year is charm quilts. What is a charm quilt you may ask? It is often confused with a scrap quilt. A scrap quilt uses any scraps of fabrics you wish as often or little in the quilt as you like and using any quilt pattern. A charm quilt is a quilt where you use a one patch block ~ postage stamp, triangle, hexagon, kite, apple core, etc. ~ and each block is from a different fabric. It is a quilt that to me speaks of olden days of the past. It is the spirit of 'Little House on the Prairie' for me, a show I grew up watching. Charm quilts are great fun to make with a group as you can help each other with collecting fabrics to use in your quilt.


A quilting friend and I had decided to start cutting postage stamps for each other a couple of years ago as we did other quilt projects. This was long before the group decided to use this as a theme. Postage stamps are squares of fabric measuring 2 inches or less. This is about the size of a postage stamp which is how this quilt got its name. In August, I was working on my organization of my quilt studio and came across our postage stamps once again. I still had them here as this friend and I had planned to sew them together. We used to get together often and sew. Life has taken some tragic turns for her and we don't get together any longer as she no longer has time to quilt. I felt sad thinking this quilt was still not made and decided to give her the little box of fabrics I had cut for her when I saw her next and get started on my own quilt. It felt right to finish this quilt during this year's theme.


While I was sewing them together, I started thinking of names for the quilt. I always give my quilts a name even if I am giving them as gifts. It came to me while I was machine quilting this that life has been so good to me and each blessing seems sewn into this quilt. I have a wonderful husband and we love life together. I am very close to my mother. I immigrated to Holland 23 years ago and have been enriched by having two countries and cultures which I treasure. In the course of the years, I have built up a life with many wonderful friends who come share creativity in my home. I feel so blessed with my online friendships and have even been fortunate enough to meet a number of these people all of whom are really amazing people whom I may not have had the chance to meet otherwise. This year has been a trial for Jos and I. I got sick exactly a year ago and am still on the road to becoming better but still I can reflect on how blessed I feel! So for each of you out there who I call (blogging) friend, thank you! You are a blessing to me.


My charm quilt fever is still going strong and I am working on another one which is using the tumblers block. In the meantime, I am really excited to be able to share this finish with you. It is a 36 inch square quilt. It is going to be perfect to drape over the couch or lay on a table with decorations.

21 comments:

Nancy said...

That is so cute, but looks like way too much work for me. All those tiny squares, Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
I love the label you made and the fabric on the back is really nice too. Where is it now, on a table?
Love you, Mom
PS: Hope your cold is better today.

Siobhán said...

What beautiful quilts, Heidi! I love charm quilts and being thrifty by using up scraps for them.

Elizabethd said...

A lovely quilt, Heidi, but I would find 2 inch squares very fiddly. I'm doing four inch ones at the moment.

Rhonda said...

Good afternoon Heidi - how fun that you were working on a postage stamp quilt at the same time I am working on one. Did you tell me? I am so scatter-brained right now so maybe I forgot.

Yours is beautiful!

DonnaTN said...

What a lovely project! Your work is so nice, even the label is done so well.

Ginny said...

What a great little quilt! You do such a wonderful job with all your quilts.

mainely stitching said...

You're just amazing, Heidi. One might say, inspirational.

Big hugs to you, you wonderful woman!!

Annemarie said...

Well, I've been away too, Heidi, but it's always such an immense pleasure to come back here and read about everything you've been up to, and to drool over every gorgeous project. Your writing always has me running to my own WIPs, because you put it so well :o)
You will be glad to know I've started using my sewing machine and am now quite confident that one day I will get the hang of it. I see a charm quilt in my future!!

Hope you're well and I really hope we can get together soon.

Much love,
Annemarie.

Christine said...

The tiny quilt is adorable, I don't think I could manage with those tiny little squares

Letty said...

I love your charm quilt and the red stitching is lovely!

Cindy at her Country Home said...

Oóóhh HEIDI!! Wat moooi, prachtig en geweldig gemaakt. Ook zo'n leuk en te gek idee, echt! Je schrijft dat je zo gezegend bent met al je blogfriends but I'm also blessed knowing you, really you are a wonderful person! (de zin opgebouwd in 2 culturen hihi)
Klim maar samen omhoog met je man, wij duwen je wel om die "berg" te beklimmen! zet 'm op Heidi, veel liefs van Cin x

Kaaren said...

Your postage stamp charm quilt is as beautiful as your life as you have described it to us.

I thoroughly enjoy your creations and find them always to be an inspiration.

Thank you for sharing, Heidi. I too feel blessed by my blogging friends who have made the world such a smaller place.

Jeanne said...

Lovely quilt Heidi and congratulations. A quilt is always a wee bit more special when it has a particular meaning and I love that you have counted your blessings this way. One of my quilting friends did a millenium hexagon charm quilt that had over 2000 individual fabrics - it was quite a job collecting them all and the quilt took several years to complete as you can imagine. Thank you for inspiring us!

Margaret said...

What a beauty and what a lovely post. It has truly been a blessing getting to know you too Heidi. Hope you are feeling a little better.
hugs, Margaret

Saskia said...

Hi,
Great to see another quilt finished.
Mine is almost done too, the top is finished, so now only the backing and quilting.
Hope to show it next wednesday.
And I feel blessed to, to know you for more than 10 years with the ups and downs and lot of quilting.
I hope for many more years!
Hugs
Saskia

Jocelyn said...

So cute! I've wanted to make a postage stamp quilt for years. But it just looks so intensive.

Jocelyn

Anonymous said...

HUH !!???

** The little house of..**

Leuk dat je daar je nspiratie uit haalde.
Mooi quilt, al die kleine lapjes !!!

Ik kijk al maanden naar al de afleveringen, "sniff" vaak erg emotioneel maar leuk !!;-)))

Marian'ne m

Tammy said...

I love your little quilt Heidi!!
Hugs2u!

Sonja said...

Echt een huiselijke quitl! Mooi! Deze quilt heeft zeker de sfeer van The Little House!! En dat je er dan ook nog de muziek bij hebt gevonden! En het is waar wat andere bloggers zeggen: het inspireert om gauw weer verder te gaan met de eigen UFO's!!

Teri said...

What a beautiful quilt! Thanks for sharing the stories behind it.

Carolien said...

Dear Heidi,

What a touching story this time. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with. You are a wonderful person. I am very happy we know each other. Can't say it all, but I guess you'll understand.

Big hug, Carolien
P.S. That charm quilt is GREAT!