My First Quilt

Since I have felt a little under the weather the past several days, I haven't done much in the way of stitching. I thought I would share a few pictures of the very first quilt that I both pieced and quilted. I had quilted other quilts before this one, but they were tops that my mom and grandmother had made and given to me. The first quilt that I totally made by myself is a bargello quilt. Before I show pictures, let me share a little about how I selected my colors.

At the time I decided to make this quilt top, I was also doing some counted cross stitch. I was working on couple of pictures from kits that I had paid $15 for.
Here's what they look like....and they are still unframed! I loved the colors in these pictures and so I took them to the quilt shop when I signed up for the class and picked my fabrics using the pictures to select my color pallet. I took the class in 1989 at a LQS (it is no longer in business) in Waco, TX. We were living in a small community just west of there at the time. Here's my bargello quilt from that class.









We met for 3 classes to make this top. Then we were on our own to finish it. It is a queen size quilt. I hand quilted mine using a large round wooden hoop. It took me 6 months to hand quilt it working a little each evening. Back at that time, I was a busy mom with 2 kids in elementary school. I don't know how I managed to find as much time to sew as I did!

Oh....and about the unframed cross stitch pictures. After I made the quilt and finished the pictures, I thought I would have them framed and hang them in the room. These pictures are long and narrow....about 12 inches wide and 21 inches long. I took them to a local frame shop in the late 1990's and got estimates on having them framed with no mat and using a very plain frame. I was quoted a minimum cost of $102 for each picture. Yep, that's right...at least $204 to frame two $15 kits. I kindly thanked the store owner and told him I would have to think about it. As you can see.....I'm still thinking more than 11 years later. My answer to that professional framing charge is....I don't think so!!! I need to make my own frames and do it myself as I put so much work into those pictures. I have framed several others myself, so I know I can do it once I have the proper size frame made. The pictures are pressed and hanging in the closet with all my fabric stash. I'm going to make it a goal to frame them this year. Hopeful another UFO out of the way!!