New Friday Feature and an update

After mom left, I have been busy with all sorts of things. Matters like looking for an apartment in NYC for my daughter and taking care of my poor back suffering from a pinched sciatic nerve for over four months have consumed me.. They say it takes a long time for it to heal. I know they are right. After some failed physical therapy I have resorted to resting and taking breaks during my day and driving as little as possible. I have also started walking instead of my regular high impact workouts.

The good thing about this is with enough breaks I am able to sew just fine. Since we moved our old kitchen table in my studio, sewing at any time when I have few minutes has become possible.. Having an extra space to spread out in the studio has been tremendous help. Not moving and shifting of cutting and sewing space on the same table has sped up the process.

Let me talk about the new feature - Quilt on the Clothesline.

The clothesline my mom used is still up and reminding me of her being here. Our homeowner's association does not allow any kind of laundry hanging outside. Lucky for me, we have enough trees in the back to keep it hidden from pretty much anyone who is walking or driving through the neighborhood.

I keep staring at it from the kitchen window and think of my mom. As pleasant as those memories are, I have stared at it enough to think of something other than mom and equally pleasant!

Why not go down the memory lane, document my own journey of quilting with the help of this clothesline? Starting today, each Friday I will feature one quilt a week from the very beginning of my journey as a quilter. I am not sure how many weeks I will be doing this since I have no clue how many quilts, tops I have made so far. I am not even sure if I have them in chronological order but I am going to try my best to keep it straight.

Although there can be only one first, each quilt in this picture is very important first of my life as a quilter.

The small quilt in the middle is today's quilt of the week on the clothesline.

My First Quilt

I took my first class in 1992 in a shop called Going to Pieces. I was introduced to this quilting shop by a friend Kathy who was a quilter and also made dolls whose son was my son Gautam's very first friend in Livermore, CA. She got me into making dolls when I was mother of two boys.

I made dolls and sold them in local gift shops for next few years until the birth of my very own doll. I still have some of those doll patterns in my collection.I often think about revisiting doll making for fun but haven't quite done it.

In that four week long class, I learned the basics of quilt-making like cutting the straight lines, sewing 1/4'' seam allowance and freezer paper applique. It also included instructions on how to butt the seams for a nine patch to get those perfect matching points, difference between pressing and ironing and a lesson in contrast and values in colors. Our teacher, Linda also taught us how to hand quilt and bind the quilt. It all seemed like magic! In four sessions we learned a lifetime of lessons for traditional quilting. 

Wait a minute...that was the only style of quilting I thought/knew was around then!

I was the only girl from India who had taken a class from that teacher. She loved talking to me about India. I was fascinated that she was so much interested in my home country. 

It took a while to finish the hand stitching my first quilt. I used polyester batting which felt like I was quilting through butter. I had poked my fingers so many times, I remember thinking that it was never going to finish. The quilting hoop I bought then still has the label of the shop on it. Love that hoop! Although I enjoyed applique and hand stitching more than piecing of the quilt, watching all those different components coming together was fun.

Do you still have your first quilt with you? Did you take a class or someone in the family taught you?

I would love to know about it. 

And on the front porch...remember this?

 Here is the basket now...

Yes, my front porch is the saddest looking front porch in the neighborhood but it is filled with joyous sounds of little wren chhikies chirping.. Momma wren is constantly flying in with food and babies open their mouths and stick them out as soon as they hear her. As happy as I am for them, I am also ready to switch that basket with some fresh foliage. Hurry up and fly away please!
 
Have a great weekend. It is supposed to rain here.. I am ready with my bobbins filled!