Looking Back - My First Quilt

I have been sewing in one form or another as long as I can remember. Quilting was something that had appealed to me, but I was always hesitant to start such a big project.

Then about 1990, a woman from my church gave a short quilting presentation to a small group of us, and I knew I wanted to try making a small quilt.

I was still hesitant, and didn’t know quite where to start. I began by reading lots and lots of books from the library, while I tried to figure out where I wanted to start.

I was drawn to the simplicity and vibrant colors of Amish quilts, and chose this quilt form The World of Amish Quilts by Rachel and Kenneth Pellman as my inspiration. The pattern seemed simple enough for a first try, and I liked the way the pink squares lined up in diagonals.

I decided to make my version of the quilt a baby quilt, so I wouldn’t get overwhelmed by size. I replaced the brown with my favorite Amish green, and chose a dark purple in place of the blue.

I had all of my patches cut out, and my husband insisted that the dark purple was too dark for a baby quilt. And so I was persuaded to return to the fabric store in search of something that would coordinate with the pinks and greens I had already selected. I ended up with a small print calico which made my “Amish” quilt very un-Amish, but I liked the results. This quilt has been hanging on my wall since 1991.