The Garden of My Life
This mystery quilt story is written to inspire all who love to sew. It will give purpose to our lives as strong women who are determined to have fun in a healthy manner. So let’s begin with our search to unveil the quilt of our story.
Fabric Requirements: (I used the Wildflower Serenade Kit by Moda Univeristy)
¼ yard each: 5” X 9” scraps – cheddar, orange, gold, yellow, umber
Black Small Floral Print
Black Medium Floral Print
Light Blue Tonal
Dark Burgundy Floral
Dark Green Floral
Beige Floral Print
Dark Blue Floral
Dark Brown Floral
Brown Small Print
Burgundy Small Print
½ yard each:
Dark Blue Tonal
Dark Green Tonal
Dark Burgundy Tonal
Beige w/ Floral Print
Beige w/Small Floral Print
Beige w/Small Leaf Print
Beige Tonal Background (Dots)
1 1/2 yard:
Beige Tonal Background (Multi-Color Dots)
1 1/8 yard:
Black Border Small Print(Buttons)
1 yard:
Dark Green Print (Multi-Color Dots)
THE GARDEN OF MY LIFE
- Part 1
I have always been an early riser and until the age of computers I only had pencil and paper to entertain me in a quiet way until the rest of the family woke up. I had four brothers and it seems to me that the boys could sleep until noon everyday. My mother would also wake up while it was still dark and I could hear her in the kitchen making coffee and preparing breakfast for the children she admired most. I think the coffee was her main motivation to continue on each day with all the tasks required to make the household revolve like the spinning doors they used to have at the Higbee’s Department store downtown. Now having grown older, I too have those days when the only motivation I have is the smell of the coffee brewing in the kitchen.
While mother thought I was still sleeping I would sit at my desk and draw pictures of imaginary places that would make me feel happy. The garden pictures were my favorite to draw. In my own little world drawn on the paper, I could sit and play in the dirt and no weeds grew in my gardens. To this day I despise weeds in the garden. Well, they bring to mind the old days of summer. The most dreaded days of the summer were the ones when we each had to pick 500 weeds before we could be off to the playground. This was a chore assigned to us by our father. When the weeds were counted, if the roots were not attached they did not count and you were sent back to the yard to begin picking five hundred all over again. My father was not a very nice man, always demanding more from each of us children. Just when you thought the task was complete, he would change the rules and you had to start over again. He was a large man with jet black hair and a great smile when he showed it. My father’s motto had to be biblical, spare the rod spoil the child. Unfortunately he did not spare the belt and never spoiled the child. However his strong discipline made me appreciate these mornings of peace and joy that I found in my gardens. Love was in the air of the gardens and peace came from the sun that would shine brightly and warmed me all over. Actually it was the great quilt that warmed me all over. Even in the heat of the summer I would love the comfort and warmth of the quilt the neighbor lady made for me. It was made of deep warm colors and some how she filled it with feathers so that it was fluffy.
I am not sure why but I always added snails in my garden drawings. Perhaps I see snails as having a slow and methodical lifestyle. Perhaps it was just because they were fun to draw with all the spirals and then each turn would have its own color from the box of Crayolas. These days I realize that snails should have two colors, a light and a dark to show the spiral that unveils as the shell is formed.
The two hints in the story should have directed to realize our first block will be the snail trail. You will need to make a total of sixteen blocks for the quilt, eight from two different blue fabrics. The background is the same for these blocks. Here is a sample of how the finished block appears. Your browser may not support display of this image.
