Childhood Memories In A Quilt...

 I got to see Pat Alderman again last weekend when I went to pick up

my "Over The River" quilt. I went to her home on Saturday morning,

and I could have squealed with joy when I saw my quilt again.

She greeted me at her front door and we immediately went into her

studio. The first thing I saw was my quilt spread out on her table. I can

say, without hesitation or exaggeration, "Pat is a Quilting Goddess".

I don't expect you to take my word for it. All you have to do is look

at the images I've posted for you today. I'm sure you'll agree.

 Exhibit One: There is a lot of snow stitched into the first panel.

Pat highlighted the snow on the trees, rooftops and in big, billowy

piles on the ground. She also contoured the road that passes over

the bridge, gave the horse and carriage added dimension, and 

added swirls to the sky to show movement in the background.

Still need convincing? Keep reading...

 Exhibit Two: My large border is a repeating acorn and leaf pattern, 

and then she added a leafy pattern in each of the flying geese blocks. 

So sweet! Well, don't stop here. There's still more!

 Exhibit Three: There are two different blocks between the stitcheries. One 

is a square in a square block, and the other is a star. Pat did two completely 

different designs for these two blocks. The square in a square blocks have 

oak leaves in the center, as well as each corner block. ahhhhh. I'm in love!

Her choices for those blocks were perfect and so beautifully executed.

 Exhibit Four: Look how the trees look so dimensional, and I can

almost feel the chill of the snow on the barn. I'm so glad I decided

to stitch a corgi onto the weather vane, and our initials into the tree.

Exhibit Five: Looking at the quilted detail in my "Over The River" version reminds me
of a kid's game we used to play called "Eye Spy". The more I look at the details, the
more cool stitching I find. The are acorns worked into nearly every aspect of my quilt!

This quilt is a tribute to my grandparents from Wisconsin. Both of them have passed,
but this quilt incorporates so many elements that remind me of those childhood trips
to Grandma and Grandpa's house. Our drive used to take us past an old church in
Winchester, WI (which I called "Winchester Cathedral", like the then-popular song),
many farm fields and cow lots housing productive Holstein cows, a lot of oak trees

 bearing their acorn fruit, and deer that would graze in the cornfields or dart across
the road just as our car was getting close. Our visits were fun-filled and happy times.

 Pat immediately picked up on my vision, and executed it perfectly. While 

the images reflect the countryside and scenery along the way, there was so 

much more to our drives to see my grandparents. We were little kids who 

couldn't wait to see Gramma and Grampa and spend time with them. There 

was always great food, lots of cuddles and family to see. Childhood bliss. 

When I look at my finished quilt now, I'll stop to remember my grandparents 

and the time we spent together in Wisconsin. I'll remember...and smile. 

Thanks, Pat, for bringing your special talent to this project. This will be a 

treasured piece for me, and hopefully an heirloom for our family. I'm so

grateful. I look forward to getting to know you better, bringing more of

my quilts your way, and seeing more of your own fabulous creations.

For my friends: If you're within an hour of Sarasota and are looking for

an awesome long-arm quilter for your projects, please send me an email

and I'll put you in touch with Pat. Believe me. She's well worth the drive.