My friend Jenn @A Quarter Inch From the Edge is launching a new monthly link up party today called Throwback Thursday.
Have you been quilting longer than you’ve been blogging? What about all those quilts that have never seen the light of day in the blogosphere? Just think of them, people. The good, the bad, the ugly. You know they’re hanging around your house (or your family’s houses!). Wouldn’t it be great to get them out, take a fresh pic (or seventeen) and blog about them?
Share what you learned from making it… even if there are (gasp!) a few mistakes.Talk up that special recipient who’s loved it to bits. Whatever strikes your fancy!
Luckily, I just stumbled upon one of my early quilts this past May and have yet to share about it!
Rainbow Twin Quilt
I made this rainbow twin sized quilt when I was in college to take with me when I went on co-op. As an engineering student, I chose to get a job and work every other semester as part of a university sponsored program. Engineering is a pretty broad discipline, and getting 18 months of work experience, money to help pay for college, and an understanding of what to expect when I got into the workforce after graduation sounded like an opportunity I couldn’t really afford to pass up. At that point I had made a full size quilt that I used when I was at school living off campus, but I knew I was going to need a quilt when I traveled to work. At the same point in time my parents gifted me my first sewing machine for Christmas, and out of necessity I quickly sewed together this rainbow quilt from fabric my mother had in her stash.
Rainbow Twin Quilt
Because I was new to quilting and still did not realize I could free motion quilt on my own (I had been paying to have all my quilts done by someone with a long arm), I chose to tie this quilt and I folded the black backing fabric around from the back to “bind” it. After I graduated from college, I gifted this quilt to my brother and it has since found its way back to living with my parents.
I was definitely making up the pattern as I went along (isn’t the center pattern fun and funky?!), but it worked really well for what I needed and when I needed to have it done!
I did not think to take measurements of the quilt, but my 6’2″ tall husband is stretched out as tall as his arms will reach, so I am guessing that this quilt is roughly 70 inches wide by 80 inches long.
Linking up to Throwback Thursday!
Love this! You should remake this and work your lovely quilting magic on it!
It’s a great quilt…so bright and cheery. It would be interesting to see how you would quilt it if you re-made it.
What a fun design! I’m sure it will be around for many more years too! You could totally work this design in to something amazing! I’ve never tied a quilt before and would think it wouldn’t stand up to the test of time! I guess I was wrond!
When I started quilting I didn’t even know what a long arm was! My mom wasn’t really a quilter, although I think she made one or two quilts. I don’t even remember how I came across a quilt-along (that included instructions for stippling), but it was the gateway quilt into quilting, haha. I think this quilt is great, and it totally served you and your brother! That’s awesome.
I wondered if there would be any tied quilts that would pop up in the linked posts! This one is lovely… but then again, we all know I’m a sucker for a rainbow palette. Thanks for linking up and for plugging the link-up!
What a fun quilt, Yvonne 🙂 So fun to hear about your beginnings – you started out designing right out of the box!
i love this colourful quilt, and it’s so cool that you had the confidence to create your own design back when you were a new quilter. I’m sure the ties make it nice and soft and drapey. I’ve been intrigued by tied quilts lately, you’ve inspired me to give it a try!
Love seeing this earlier quilt of yours. The HST and full squares in the center are so much fun. My first quilt was tied, then my next ones hand quilted. I am so glad I machine quilt now!
What fun. I love that you were already experimenting with design even when you first began!! It’s in pretty good shape, too. My first quilt is sadly, no more as we used it in our tv room and man, it was used a lot!
This is so fun! I’m going to have to try to dig up some old quilts, although I honestly was blogging before I was quilting (just on a different blog) so there aren’t many pre-blogging quilts to show.
Like others, I love your funky design and of course your color choices 🙂 I’ve never tied a quilt, but I can imagine it’s a lot of work!
You definitely were already looking to design right from the start! How fun to look back at quilt beginnings 🙂
What a great program – to combine work with study.
Everyone needs a happy rainbow quilt.
I will have to be organised and dig around in my cupboard in time for Jenn’s next throwback Thursday. I could still post it in my flashback Friday series perhaps – because of the time difference, we are ahead!
Very interesting to see the younger you at work in this! Looks like there are very much elements of your current design style hiding in there, but it does seem very strange to see one of your quilts with ties! Still a pretty ambitious quilt for someone so new to quilting though.