As a child, I had done some
sewing in 4-H, but I learned to “quilt” from my neighbor, Arzetta Poole. Mrs.
Poole taught me not only how to piece and applique, but more importantly she
instilled in me the love and appreciation for quilts and quilting. One of the
more practical things she showed me was to always keep a “feeder” piece of
fabric in my machine, to save thread and to keep the sewing room floor tidy (no
excess threads).
After my children started
school and I began making quilts more rapidly, I had an epiphany. Why waste
scraps of fabric, not to mention time, when I could be running pieces for
another quilt through instead. So for over 20 years I have been piecing two
quilts at one time. A few years ago, Bonnie Hunter came out with a wonderful
book (Leaders and Enders) on this subject. I didn’t really think I had invented
it, but it is nice to know others do the same thing as I do.
BTW – (totally unrelated to
this post) if you are at all interested in quilt history, Karen Alexander(Quilt History Reports) has compiled a wonderful list of websites and Blogs on
quilt history on the Internet. Of course, if you are like me, you will lose a
whole day of quilting while enjoying some of these sites!
It saves so much thread too! Love your little nine patches!
ReplyDeleteThanks! They are so much fun to play with.
Deletei'm doing 9-patch blocks too but scrappy not repro....one does accumulate a stack of blocks fairly quickly this way....
ReplyDeleteYes, and I usually give a few away at Kaleidoscope meetings just to mix things up. Stay warm today!
DeleteYour blocks are so beautiful, Wendy. I love the colors you've put together. I came to this post through a "You Might Also Like" image from your most recent post. Two years between and now I'm wondering if you've used these blocks in a quilt yet because if you have, I'd really like to see it!
ReplyDeleteI use leaders/enders, too, but usually from the same quilt, just preparing each block in advance so it's ready to stitch. But I admit I do like your idea of two quilts at the same time.