Quilter’s Name: Jackie W. from Wisconsin
Name of Pattern: Original Design
Featured Date: 07-17-24
Hi, my name is Jackie and we live in Wisconsin. I have been quilting since retiring over 20 years ago. My husband and I moved to Wisconsin a few years ago to help with caring for our grandson while his parents are working. He was 3 1/2 at the time. He was fascinated with my sewing room and what I was doing and wanted to make his own quilt. I let him dig into my stash fabric box and I cut 5″ squares of his choosing. I showed him how to audition the blocks and arrange them into the pattern he wanted them to be sewn together. It took him a while to arrange the 5″ squares just so but he was happy with the final order they were in. Then he sat on my lap at the sewing machine and we sewed them together. We then sandwiched and quilted it together and I attached the binding. My sewing room then became Our Crafting Room!
This past year he came over and saw me at the table designing a quilt and wanted to know what I was doing. He got himself some supplies and sat and designed his own quilt. He handed me the paper and said “Here Meme, make this” and proceeded to pick out the fabric from my stash. He picked Shadow Play fabric from MSQC as it matched perfectly with the colors in his picture. He was 8 and too big to sit on my lap at the sewing machine. He told me that he had no desire to sew, but he would be happy to design quilts for me to make. I was determined to make this quilt! He picked the thread for the quilting and we designed the quilting of the quilt together. He was very specific about what he wanted me to do. The first picture shows his pattern and fabric choices. When it came to choosing the backing, he wanted soft cuddle cloth so we went to the MSQC web site and started scrolling through the cuddle cloth when he spotted the snakes! There was no more scrolling after that! I was able to produce his quilt from his pattern. It is on his bed here in our house and he uses it for when he has a sleepover. We still haven’t settled on an appropriate name for the quilt yet but we will.
The last picture shows the first quilt that he and I made together. He has made me another pattern and has picked out the fabric for it. I made it into a Kit and it is next on my pile of quilts to make. What have I done!
I am an incorrigible quilter and go into “our craft room” every single day.
Jackie W.
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Jackie- your story is wonderful, and your grandson’s quilt is sweet. I think of mountains and the stars in the sky when I look at it. Here’s to more of your grandson’s designs!
This is a fabulous quilt, and I want to buy your pattern! I hope that Beth and Nancy can commission some more patterns that are designed by young people! This is an absolute winner!!