I have been collecting fabric with words/text for quite some time in order to make a quilt for my best girl friend (my husband of 40 years is my best friend) who decided a couple of years ago to go back to school at the age of 58 to finish her bachelor's degree in Creative Writing. I want to surprise her with a quilt full of words when she graduates in the fall of 2013. (I do keep some secrets from my best friend. She doesn't know I have a blog.)
I started her quilt last year when I thought she was going to graduate in the fall of 2012 but it became a UFO when I found out I had until 2013 to finish it. Thankfully the blog hop came along and pushed me to finish a UFO. My friend's favorite color is purple so that is the color I used for the background. I used text fabrics within the hearts, purple and white striped fabric for the backing and purple polka dotted fabric for the binding. The quilt finished at 48x60- each block finished at 12 inches. I've called it "Words from the Heart".
(No matter how many pics I took of the entire quilt they just looked blurry but there are better close ups below that are easier on the eyes.) I used a heart block pattern from Cindy Carter and I free motion quilted it with hearts (that look more like leaves) and with 30 different words important to me and to my friend - create, sing, write, give, inspire, love, cherish, dream, mentor, pray, give, simplify, think, celebrate, try, dream, grow, savor, listen, learn, thank, dance, live, joke, protect, play, donate, be, do, plan. I used variegated purple thread and did the best I could on my plain Jane sewing machine. My friend doesn't sew so she won't notice any flaws. (She overlooks mine).
"Words from the Heart" has hearts full of 2.5 inch squares of the fun text fabrics I've collected over the years, some pictured below laid out on the back of the quilt (which looks like a mattress but the price was right !)
GIVEAWAY
I have some 2.5 inch squares left over. I think the pile has 2 squares each of 50 different fabrics that I will mail anywhere. Leave me a comment with the title of the last good book you read and would recommend to others. Follow my blog if you wish - it would be nice - but I don't want you to force you so no extra entry. I'll use random generator to pick a winner on Sunday morning, Jan. 30 after I have my morning coffee.
Thanks for your visit.
Please visit today's other wordsmiths below.
Monday, January 14
Gracie Oliver Arts (Jeanie)
Clothes and Crafts (Maria K.)
Simple Sew (Shirley T.)
Woolie Mammoth (Anna B.)
RocknQuilts (Mary Ann)
Celynn's Sunflower Patch (Celynn)
Sane and Crazy Quilting (Cathy L.)
Quiltsmiles (Jane E.)
Feathered Nest Studio(Jennet)
101 comments:
Nice idea and one I'm sure your friend will cherish Always. Your quilting and handwriting are excellent for using your little machine, Kudos!
A book I just finished reading was "The Butterfly's Daughter" by Mary Alice Monro. A Wonderful read, it has a good flow for half the book so it is pleasant but then it grabs you and pulls you in so it's hard to put down for the last half. FOund myself crying at times it was poignant and real. I Highly recommend those witten words! lol
Jane
Love the wonderful "word" quilting! Thanks for sharing ... :) Pat
What a great gift to your friend! Love the quilt! My last favourite book... Any of the P. Gregory's books on old England. Thanks for the hance to win.
What a beautiful and precious quilt. This will be a very special gift to your friend.Love it!
I love your word quilt - just wonderful!
I wish I could give you a good book to read, but 1 they are very expensive in Greece and 2 the kids would interrupt me all of the time and I like to read in silence, so I have not read anything in years.
I am going to follow your blog because of all the great inspiration below, so many wonderful quilts you are working on.
very thoughtful gift for your friend! I am reading the book, Lessons From the Monk I Married, fascinating Thank you for sharing and the giveaway,
jbechosend at sbcglobal dot net
Oh its lovely - well done on finishing it and I am sure she will love and cherish it.
Your friend id very lucky! You seem to work so quickly! I've just finished reading 'The Midnight Circus'.It's a strange book, but I couldn't put it down
What a fun quilt and very lucky friend! I think the last good book I read is called Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde. It's kind of absurd, but very fun read.
Your friends is very lucky and your quilt is so lovely
Thanks for sharing your beautiful work
Your friend will only see the love behind this wonderful quilt! I love it!
Beautifully done! She will treasure it forever. =)
What a beautiful quilt for your friend. She will cherish it I'm sure. Nice job.
I love this quilt--so wordy and so full of love for your friend.
She is very lucky to have a friend like you. I am just finishing "Riding Fury Home" from Madam Samm's book reviews and think it is a very good book.
I would recommend Blue Like Jazz. A very thought provoking read.
Your quilted words are wonderful! I love to quilt sayings and words into quilts! So much fun!
Happy quilting,
cindy at quiltdoodledesigns dot com
What a wonderful gift! I know your friend will be beside herself when she opens it.
I love the quilted words and all the cute text-y fabrics. You did a great job!
Your friend will truly cherish the quilt. thanks for sharing.
What a great idea!
Have you read 'The Other Hand' by Chris Cleave??
Your friend will love the quilt that you made for her.
WOW!Such a treasure!The Jane Austen books are some of my favorite reads.
there is so much heart in this quilt...joy and words that are depicting YOU to a t...lovely project
Nice job and alot of work. Not sure what to recommend for a book so I will pass on that. I love my craft magazines. Thanks for having a give away.
What a lovely keepsake for your friend. She will cherish it I am certain!
Quilting words in to quilts is really a great way to show off your creativity. Great project.
I am a new follower...you were courageous to stitch your words in FMQ ...very nice job!! IO don't read anything besides quilt magazines...lol
What a beautiful gift for your friend! I'm sure she will treasure it always!
I'm an avid reader, but the last book I read for pleasure was not great. Among the greats is an old one, The Bonesetter's Daughter by Amy Tan. I loved that book! Also The Help.
What a fun quilt with all your words quilted into it!
What a great quilt! I recently read Hand Wash Cold by karen maezen miller, and it was a good reminder to me to stay centered and simple.
Lovely project for a lovely reason. Thank you so much for sharing with us. I don't get to read very much this time of year (end of the year, taxes)but I love all books and read when I can.
What a loving tribute for your friend- she will treasure it forever! The hearts and the fabrics are simply perfect
"The Power and the Glory" by Graham Greene - read it just after Christmas.
DachsiesWithMoxieMama@gmail.com
What a thoughtful gift! My book recommendation - I just finished the complete works of edgar rice burroughs. He wrote tarzan, and the john carter series. He started writing in the early 1900s. I loved them! Thanks!
Fabric with words on it - what a nice collection you have and a beautiful little quilt. Judy C
Cathy-Your "Wordy" quilting is inspirational. I would love to do that, but I am graphically challenged in that area, meaning that I am happy to pay someone to do the machine quilting for me. From CA, thanks for sharing.
what a wonderful treasure for your friend and what a thoughtful friend you are.
Your friend is going to love her quilt. What a sweet friend you are. The book I just finished reading is The White Lioness by Henning Mankell.
Hi!!! Your quilt is beautiful and your words are wonderful!!! Thanks You!!!
I love your quilt, it is such a good idea. Thank you for sharing. The last book that I read was The Third Angel by Alice Hoffman. I like her books as they are slightly different. my last non fiction book was a biography of Charles Dickens, called Dickens by Peter Ackroyd. I like to find out about my favourite writers.
ks(dot)eyles(at)yahoo(dot)co(dot)uk
I like the ticking on the back of your quilt. I got a Kindal for Christmas, and one of the books(or group of books) is the complete set of Oz books. I am re-reading this set, and remembering just how different the movie is from the books. It is a fun read.
Such a sweet gift for your friend. I love all the hearts and fabric..nice!
Very clever and thoughtful, thanks for sharing.
Very sweet idea. I am rereading the Rina and Decker series by Faye Kellerman. Great detective stories with a peek into Orthodox Jewish life. The Ritual Bath is the first in the series.
Great idea! I have quilted words on kids quilt before....lots of fun!
I just finished reading Prison to Praise by Merlin Carothers. VERY thought provoking!
Great graduation quilt. I love the words you quilted right into it. I have been reading many of james Patterson's books lately and I have really enjoyed them. Private, London is the latest.
A great quilt for your friend. My favourite book is Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Beautiful quilt and the quilting is fantastic! This is indeed a gift. Thanks for sharing...Judith,Texas
I just read Carrots (A Shelby Nichols Adventure) on my Kindle. It was a free download when I got it. I like book that make me smile like it did.
what a wonderful quilt, I'm sure your friend will be thrilled!
I recently read Them Adventures With Extremists - it was a great read!
I love that you use words in your qulting also - great job!
such a wonderful idea -- i did a similar project for my oldest niece when she graduated high school. last good book I read was a quilting book -- feerless free motion.
Fan-flippin'-tastic quilting! :)
Great quilting - I haven't tried that yet - writing words with the thread and machine! Great giveaway too!!
I listen to a lot of Audio books while I quilt and I've listened to one on Barbara Walters. I'm a new follower and thanks for the giveaway.
What a beautiful and thoughtful gift for a friend. You did a great job with the words. It is so hard to "write" with a "normal" sewing machine.
Last book I read- Thomas the Train-for granddaughter!
I am currently reading Jennifer Chiaverini's The Giving Quilt, and would recommend it to others. Thanks for the chance to win some of those cool fabrics that you made into such a wonderful quilt. I have a friend who loves purple and loves to read and would just adore that quilt, as I'm sure your friend will.
Good idea, putting the words into your quilting, 30 wonderful words. Thank you for sharing.
Love those patchwork hearts!
My fav read of late was butterflies daughter.
Thanks for the opportunity to win some of these cute patches.......
Your friend will cherish this work of love! Great job of quilting beautiful words on your DSM! That's hard to do - I have a longarm, so much easier!!! I admire anyone who can do any quilting on a DSM!! Love your color choices - purple is a fav of mine too!
My favorite book of late is Wool Omnibus. It's a very quirky near future/sci-fi/urban fantasy. Really enjoyed it. Thanks for the giveaway!
The last and my favorite book i read was Between the Pages by Jodi Picoult. It kept me turning the pages to get to the end.
I am curretnly reading Lyndsey Sands book The perfect wife.. I have read a ton ofher book and theya e all very good. I would recomend not only this book but most of hers because they are filled with lots of humor in addition to the storyline...
conn_and_vans_mom(at)yahoo(dot)com
lovely quilt, I love the quilted words. The book I last read of volume one of the Frontier Stories by Louis L'Amoure. He is a fabulous western stories writer and I have really enjoyed his stories. Most of the short stories are easy to read over lunch.....perfect lengths for a mommy without much reading time!
I love the creative quilt and the loop quilting.. I can see the word Simple, I would love that left over sq, thats what my blogs about SimpleSEW..
How clever of you. It's a fab quilt.
very nice to share in the hop. Loved your entry. No books of late.
Your friend is going to treasure this as I can see you treasure her! Blessings, marlene
Great words and I love the way you quilted them into your work....subtle and yet very eye catching. Thanks for sharing.
Rosemary B here: I love this. really really pretty
thank you for sharing your massive creativity
Great quilt! I love text prints...you collected so many! This is such a nice gift for your friend.
The last book I really enjoyed reading was the Hunger Games Trilogy. Thanks!
I always recommend Traveling With Pomegranates. Such a great mother/daughter read. (Love those fabrics - such a variety! Your words are great.)
That is one pretty quilt! Not a lot of time to read so I can't recommend any to you. If I do read it is usually something by Debbie Newcomber.
great job on your quilt and quilting.
the last book I read was one of the Elm Creek Quilters books called The Giving Quilt.
in stithces
What a extra special grad gift for your Best Girlfriend! Thanks for sharing all your wonderful handwritten words with us :)
I also like fabrics with text on them. Maybe that's due to being the daughter of an English teacher! Your quilt is wonderful! That's a great way to incorporate them in the hearts. And your quilting is terrific! I'm sure that is a treasure to your friend.
A beautiful quilt which will be such a surprise and always cherished quilt for your dear girlfriend.
I love your idea for quilting words on a quilt, thanks for sharing!!
Brilliant! I recently finished Beautiful Creatures, and really enjoyed it (once reason being that it wasn't TOTALLY predictable), and it's really rather well written. :)
I love your quilt and the quilting. The last book I read is 1,000 Clever Sewing, Shortcuts, and Tips
I've just finished the Outlander series, anxiously awaiting the next book.
That's a lovely quilt and I'm sure your friend is going to be pleased as punch with it. The words you used to quilt it with are perfect. I recently finished "Dreams of Joy" by Lisa See. It was great and I'm now in the middle of "Shanghai Girls" as by Lisa. I should have read the Girls one first as they are a sequel.
I just love Lisa See's books and have read almost all of them - highly recommend! Your words quilt is lovely and your friend is very lucky to be the recipient :-)
What a beautiful quilt! Love the name of it as well. Your girlfriend is going to love it! Thank you for sharing your wuilt with us, wonderful job! A great book is Echoes by Danielle Steele and I just started reading books by Debbie Macomber which I enjoyed.
Thank you for a super giveaway and a chance to win. I'm saving fabric to make a postage stamp quilt, using no two fabrics that are the same so my fingers are crossed, hehe.
usairdoll(at)gmail(dot)com
I just read one of Marie Bostwicks "thread" novels. Maries books are always fun to read. We were away for part of the holiday and I always like to bring several books to read. Also read a couple of Sandra Dallas's books, both of which were great: The Brides House and Prayers for Sale.
What a precious and thoughtful gift for a friend. Great job, too. Also, I like that you asked for book titles; I get many recommendations through blogs like this. Just finished The Talk Funny Girl by Roland Merullo. A bit dark, but an interesting tale. swalker287 (at) gmail (dot) com.
I really love this quilt! Great idea to use with word patches.
Lucky friend! Kudos to her for going back to school. And to you for making such a wonderful gift. i love the quilted words!
I don't even remember the name of the last book I read and I just read it 2 days ago! I don't pay much attention to names, just get something to read and read it. Sorry!
hulseybg at gmail dot com
I recently finished reading "A Cluttered Life" by Pesi Dinnerstein. If you have clutter in your home or your soul, this is a nice read.
Your quilt is very nice. The fabrics are great as are your words.
Ghost of a Chance by Mercedes Lackey is the latest book I've read. She is always good. Thanks for the giveaway. vickise at gmail dot com
Love the quilt. Thanks for sharing and for the opportunity on a great draw. I read a lot, but just grab whatever is at hand and peaks my interewst at the moment. I don't follow any specific author, so off the top of my head, cannot recommend any. Sorry.
bonnielarson58@gmail.com
What a beautiful and thoughtful idea - your friend must be very appreciative of your project! Great FMQ, too - I'm still too scared to even attempt words!
I love the purple! Your quilt is so pretty! Thanks for sharing with us. I really liked it ;)
I love the words quilted in.. bravo!! Thank you for sharing... this has been such a fun hop.
I hope you'll check out my daily blog.. my day is the last day, tomorrow!
Pat Sloan
Radio show Host... The Voice of Quilting
http://blog.patsloan.com
Love your quilt and I am certain that your friend will love it too. And kudos to your friend. You both have reasons to be proud. Thanks for sharing.
Great work love the quilted words!
Just finished listening to "The Aloha Quilt"Easy listening and fun to hear all the quilting terms in a novel. Really like your quilt. What a special gift.
Love the wordy fabric! What an awesome gift for your friend.
Just started the book Beautiful you from Mdm Samm's list. Although I haven't gotten far in it yet for lack of time, I think this will be a good book.
Thanks for sharing and the opportunity to win.
Lovely quilt!
The last book I read that I enjoyed was The Bone Garden by Tess Gerritsen.
nicolesender(at)yahoo(dot)com
What a wonderful quilt, and gift for a dear friend. You inspired me to try to quilt like that, I think it is wonderful, the words stitched into the quilt.
I have a dear friend who always refers to fabric with words on it as "conversation prints"!! Too charming.
Our book club just read "The Highest Tide" by Jim Lynch. And as a Midwest gal now living on the coast ... I loved it! Thanks for having us share 'good books'. Always on the lookout for a new author.
doni @ Oregon coast
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