More First Quilts.

More First Quilt.
Whether it was visiting Gees Bend in October 2006 or Lancaster Quilt Museum in November same year, I now wanted to make a large quilt.
I have a photo from 2006 of the top; the colors were inspired by a sweater in one of Kaffe Fasset's knitting books and the pattern inspired by the Amish quilts I saw up north. Anyway I made the top, but not until I found the right person, Lura Campbell to quilt it, did it get finished. It was in the 2015 and we entered it into the BQG's QuiltFest show. Nine years in the making.

My first large quilt top draped over the sofa in the sitting room.

Nine Patch Squares.

A long trip to rural Alabama in search of Gees Bend

There is nothing like October sunshine i rural Alabama

We found Mary Ann Pettway, one of the Gees Bend quilters. She invited us in and wanted to give us lunch.

But first we had to go to the community center where the ladies were quilting.

Here is what they were working on.

Sun drenched Gees Bend.

The community center and sales office. This was at the beginning of their fame. I wonder if it has changed.

When we came back to Mrs. Pettway's house, we saw she was in the middle of a photoshoot with a journalist and photographer from a New York Magazine. She had thought we were these, when she invited us to lunch. Anyway here are the photos of the photo shoot. I never saw the magazine article. But I got the book and all the quilters' autographs.

So in November 2006 was when we visited Lancaster Quilt Museum with it's collection of Amish Quilts.

Natural dyes used in many of these old quilts.

I was there. Great visit.

 Now the quilt has got its outer border and is ready to be taken to Lura, so she can quilt it on her long arm quilting machine.

Those two light diamond are a bit out of place. Too late now to change them after nine years in the trunk with other UFO's 

Lura's wonderful design, best viewed on the back of the quilt.