About 5 years ago, I ran into my X-FIL and we started talking quilts and how I made them. The next day he shows up at my house with box of fabric (16 different fabrics - ranging from 1 to 3 yards each) and asks me to make him a quilt. When I asked him what he wanted he just said "I don't care...just do your magic". Well, that is a big request when you have no idea what someone's style is as we hadn't be in-laws for over 10 years at this point. Well I got to designing and came up with the arrowhead quilt after my X reminded me that he loved to collect them. I had put this quilt aside for so long because the pattern challenged me. I recently had to face this challenge head on when I learned that John was going to quit seeking medical treatment for his heart condition. I started both of these quilts in March of this year and was able to present him the arrowhead quilt to him the day before his birthday last month. The striped quilt was just an extra quilt I made using his fabrics. I have another quilt that I am currently finishing using more of the fabrics that weren't used in these two quilts. And I have 3 others designed and in waiting using the balance of all this fabric he brought to me.
The arrowhead quilt was paper pieced. My first real paper piecing attempt - and let me tell ya, I am still on the fence with that technique. It measures 88 x 96, it has a cross in it to represent his faith in God. It was machine pieced and quilted.
The striped quilt is the result of just using the extra strips of fabric that I hadn't used in arrowhead quilt, including the black. I originally designed the arrowheads around black but it made it took dark so I changed it to the creams, a wise decision because I love how they both turned out. When this quilt is turned over, it reminds me of an equilizer on a stereo. Originally designed as I listened to the rain and watched it running down the windows. It meastures 58 x 66-ish, was machine pieced and quilted.
I believe there is a story behind a lot of the quilts we make, so I just thought I would share the ones behind these quilts.
Johns
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Johns cross close up
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Johns Stripes
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John2 Front detail
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