The Great Quilt Sort
The Great Quilt Sort is in full swing and I’ve managed to organize, fold, and make decisions about most of the quilts in my closets.
I started by giving a lot of quilts away. My in-laws and my family took a few quilts and I gave a baby quilt away to a friend that’s expecting. It’s a very pink quilt so we’ll cross our fingers she’s having a girl.
I continued organizing and sorting and found myself running into a problem. If a quilt could possibly be used for teaching, I felt a tendency to keep it. That pile grew and grew until it basically took up the whole couch. Do I really need this many quilts to teach a class?
I should add that I don’t teach classes in person right now. Maybe one day, but for now I’m focusing all my attention on writing and teaching online.
So… maybe these quilts need to find a new home too?
Another issue I have run into is my Quilt Along quilts. I need to keep those, don’t I? Well, many of these projects are 3 or 4 years old. They are done. It was fun to create them and we learned a lot, but it’s over.
As you can see, there’s a lot of emotional attachment here and it’s a process to work through it. I have many quilts that I’ve spent months, if not years quilting and it’s hard to let them go.
But I also need to make room for new quilts to be made. It’s a catch-22 because I’m afraid if I release these quilts one day I will need them and they won’t be there and worse, I’ll have to make it all over again.
Argh! Obviously that’s a bit illogical, but you get the idea. Now for another problem I could use your help on. I have a quilt that I probably put in over 200 hours of quilting very densely. It was for a mini quilt along back inĀ 2010 and was supposed to be the show quilted version of an appliqued quilt.
I never finished it because at the time my definition for a show quilted / quality quilt was super densely quilted. I got in over my head on that project and never finished it.
So I’ve decided to turn it into a hoop quilt so I can at least enjoy it a little bit. But I found I can set up the hoop two different ways. Which way do you like best?
Option A – Off Centered. This captures a bit of the border area and more of the leaves of the heart flowers.
Option B – Centered. This showcases more of the quilting and the funky technique I was playing with at the time with travel stitching.
Let me know which version you like best in the comments below! I can only cut it once after all!
Overall I’ve really enjoyed this sorting process. It’s been an adventure to pull out all of my quilts and go over the designs and fabric choices. I can see how my quilting style has evolved over the years and I can see the direction I’m moving into and that’s fun too.
So that’s what I’m doing today! What is on your machine or piled up on your couch? I think I’m going to take a break from sorting and folding and go stitch something while listening to a fun audiobook. It’s time for a break!
Let’s go quilt,
Leah Day
I love option b, I love the detailed quilting.
#1
Both are nice, but I prefer the centered one. It's hard to get organized, but I think you are doing great. Now, can you come and organize my fabric.?
I like both. Why not build a rectangular frame to catch most of the design and hang it as you would a treasured piece of art which it is.
I like the one with four hearts. Happy stitches!
I like the top version. It's your decision, tho.
The second one. Centered!
Option A
I like option B. Or a bigger hoop. It's a beautiful quilt!
option A
I think I like the second one. Option B. Such beautiful quilting!
Option A.
I think I like the off-centred one better, but then I like the four flowers – not much help am I? What a lot of quilts you've had – good on you for deciding some of them need new homes. It's always good for the soul to have de-clutter (and then you have a good excuse to make new ones!!) I've been spending our (NZ) two week school holiday break to make some baby quilts, two as gifts, and the third one I finished today is to start a pile of small baby quilts to give to our local neo-natal unit for prem babies. I have a lot of kids' fabrics in my stash that I want to use up for give-away quilts.
very hard to choose, but the first one! even harder to let go of things we love, but its very liberating when you can finally do it!! good luck!
I really like the second one. Beautiful work!
I'm a traditional kind of person. So centered would be my choice.
I think I like option B the best
I like your idea of framing it, preferrable off centered, but either way would be a great way to display and enjoy it.
LOL! I've already got my hands full as it is! Sorry!
Thank you Annette!
LOL! I think you voted for both! I have a great pattern for a small star quilt. Let's see – here it is: https://leahday.com/pages/twin-rainbow-star-quilt-pattern
Ack! The votes came in basically even and Josh wants it off centered and I like it centered. LOL! I'm going to have to make up my mind by the end of the day!
That is so true!
Leah, I vote for Option B! I love your work and especially the Love you stitch into each one! Good Luck!
Have you considered stapling it onto a painting canvas and save as much of your quilt as possible? It would be a shame to cut off your corners and all your beautiful work….And you do wonderful work. Thanks for all you do!!!!
Somehow I got rid of the first quilt I ever made. I have moments of saddness, but oh well, life moves one and I'm busy making new quilts. Once I'm gone, I'm not sure that my kids and grandkids will want my detritus, I know that I don't want much from my mom or inlaws. So yeah, give quilts away to people who will enjoy them now.
I like the centered one a little bit more
I'm on team B
I love the centered one!
It's so beautiful – why don't you just square it off, bind it, add a sleeve and hang it that way?