This is a HUGE subject so, it will take a series of posts to explain and perhaps introduce some of the sources where I learned about quilts and making quilts. Maybe by following along with my path you may say "Hey! I remember that." or perhaps, "Oh, so that's where that idea comes from..." I'm not doing this series in chronological order, though. My eclectic brain may alight on one area or another so you never know from post to post where this series may take us.
I am not going to plan the How and Who posts for any particular day so I hope that you will be able to join me on this personal journey through time and experience.
Since this will be my first post in this series, I would like to talk about one of my earliest and most important influences... This is not where I learned of quilting, that came from my Mother, and Grandmothers and especially from my Aunt Vera.
Georgia Bonesteel (click on her name to learn more about her) taught me a technique that was indispensible in my early years of quiltmaking.
The first quilting book that I bought was written by this lady. Lap Quilting with Georgia Bonesteel
The book jacket cover on my copy is long gone, worn out, torn, bent and beaten from careless use, BUT i do still have the book! I used this book for quite a few years, and then my sister wanted to teach herself about quilting too. So I gave her the book. She had it for quite a few years and then one day on a visit to her, I saw it in her give away box that she kept by the front door. I asked for it back and thankfully she gave it back to me! I am so glad I have it in my Library again.
I thought I would check on AMAZON.ca if this book is still available -- IT IS! Actually, it is available through the site's resellers and some copies are asking upwards of $80 US funds. Whew! I am so glad I bought it way back when it was newly published somewhere about 1980. I loved and still love this book.
It opened the door to a way to make quilts without the expense of a big frame in my little Winnipeg house. First making and quilting the squares with a large oval hoop, and later with the "q-snap" frame. I made at least 4 full size quilts using this method and even formed a group to work together to make quilts for each of us using this method, 6 or maybe it was eight of us. We picked names to generate an order and then each of us made a block each month for three months for the person who's turn it was. It took about 3 years total for all of us to each have a large queensize quilt. Each one a lovely sampler type of style. It was a great sharing project! We each too turns with the book when it came our turn to put our blocks together. The instructions and techniques in it were easy to understand for each of us. I know each of us in the group learned some of our basic quilting techniques from Georgia!
If you are looking for a good starting point in quilting, I would certainly recommend Georgia's Book and if you can find she also had a regular quilting show on PBS. Perhaps there are dvd's available. She is a wonderfully good teacher...
