My Sister and I

My Sister and I

My sister, Dale Walker, is an artist.  I should restate . . . She is an amazing, talented and beautiful artist.  

This is a Pegasus she drew in 1984.  I'm sorry if my picture doesn't do it justice, but the detail and the creative flare she brings to her art amazes me.  She loves horses and I used to watch her draw when we were growing up and envy the beauty she could put on a piece of paper.  Even when we were little, I was always amazed at how she could even color better than I could.  Her Barbie coloring book was always way more beautiful than mine.

So, when Dale asked me to make something for her using the my art of quilting, I was proud, honored and very anxious to try to create something very beautiful for her.  I so wanted to impress my big sister.

Dale fell in love with the artist, Laurel Burch when I made her a small lap quilt.  When Dale and her husband, Charlie purchased a horse trailer with living quarters, she asked if I could make her a quilt using Laurel Burch fabric if she supplied the fabric.  YES!!  What quilter doesn't love the fabric being supplied and knowing exactly what your finished project will be used for? 

Soon Dale started shipping fabric.  And more fabric.  And more fabric.  And more.  I had enough fabric cover the State of Texas with a quilt!!  What fun this would be.  I took inventory of the miles of fabric Dale purchased and started looking around for a pattern I liked.  Nothing really jumped out at me.  She wanted the quilt to center around a specific panel she loved and I couldn't find any pattern that I liked to suit the panel.  There was only one solution and that was to come up with my own design.

I started with the panel as the center and decided to build out from there.  The horses need a pasture, so outside the panel is a border and a flying geese block because to me the horses looked as though they wanted to fly right off the fabric.  Then came the hard part.  Dale sent me fabric that wasn't just brights, but also fabrics that had subtle tones that I needed to work into the quilt.  I solved that problem by putting the olive green in with the bright purple flying geese.  I liked the progress, pinned it up on my design wall and waited for more inspiration.  Those horses spoke to me.

I had a beautiful large print that I felt needed to be sent on point.  It seemed to me that these horses were so beautiful that you would want to try to cage them, so the split rail block worked well.  I broke up the split rail because you realize something so beautiful can't be penned.  But something needed to stand guard as a Sentry to these horses. 

Beautiful embroidered horses to watch each side of the fence.  Blocks on the outside showing flying horses and a border of more brights.  I loved it.  I stood back and tried to decide whether I should pay my sister for all the fabric she sent or send her the quilt.  But I didn't feel like I was done.  Remember, Dale sent me this MOUNTAIN of fabric and I still had a foothill left.

So she got two throw pillows.  I had small scraps left over from the quilt and made prairie point pillows.  Didn't use much fabric there so . . .

Gotta have pillow shams for your quilt.  That used up quite a bit of fabric, but I still had more.  Not only did I have more, but I also had so many beautiful Laurel Burch embroidery designs that I hadn't used so . . .

Pillow cases.  Six different horses on each pillow case, although you only see 3 here.  Still had fabric.  I know what you're thinking and no I didn't make sheets!!

But I made a bag!!  I thought this would work good as an overnight bag or for whatever she would like to use it for. 

I decided that I would have the quilt appraised so that Dale could see that her fabric money was well spent.  Dancing Horses appraised at $2,200.  I packed everything and shipped it to California.  I was so sad that I couldn't see her open the box, but her repeated "Oh My God" told me she loved her quilt.  Enjoy Dale.  Love you.

 

American Quilt of Valor

AMERICAN QUILT OF VALOR

The Quilt of Valor of Foundation is a wonderful organization that provides handmade quilts to American servicemen and their families that have been touched by war.  You really must check out their website at qofv.org.  Make sure you go and check out all that this organization does for those in our military and their families.

During QFL (Quilting Football League) at my local quilt shop, Piece by Piece, we decided that our project this year would be to make a Quilt of Valor for this organization.  Kathy Schmidt, Brenda McFaul, Vicki Verbrick and I all pitched in to piece this quilt together with Marcus Fabrics American Valor Fabrics collection. 

The pattern for this quilt was downloaded from the Marcus Fabrics website.  In one evening, Kathy, Brenda and Vicki helped cut the fabric and we nearly got the top done.  A couple more hours of outside work, and it was complete.

Then off the the fabulous Julie Zimmer who quilted this with a gorgeous pantograph.  Our thanks to her and to Piece by Piece for donating the fabric for the backing.

If you have a moment, please go to the Quilt of Valor Foundation website.  If you sew or know someone who sews, please make a quilt for this wonderful organization.  It doesn't have to be fancy, just heartfelt.  If you don't sew, there are other ways to help or donate.

Thank you to all the ladies that pitched in to make this quilt.  I will keep you up to date when we find out who the recipient of the quilt is and more information should you wish to pitch in.