Dear Mom,
Friday, January 20, 2012 at 1:15PM 
This is a Folk Fibers line sheet for the month of January. The quilts are all in the final stages of being completed, so they are not for sale yet. I am hand quilting some with Japanese sashiko thread, and machine quilting the others by using a long-arm quilting machine.
I enjoy hand quilting so much, but it is becoming a dying art. Mostly due to the time and labor required for completing an entire quilt. I find it can be daunting especially if the quilt is a queen size or larger. One of the reasons why I love making baby quilts is because it is a justifiable size quilt to hand quilt, and I love hand quilting! The hand stitch adds so much to a quilt, with the slight irregular stitches, along with the care and attention, it creates a one-of-a-kind quality that is treasured and passed down. I consider them heirloom quilts.
I found a source in town that rents a long-arm machine by the hour, allowing me to have full control over the entire process of making my quilts! I am very fortunate to have found this opportunity because it is rare. Now days the majority of folks piece the tops of their quilts and then have them "serviced" by somebody else. It is costly and gives up the actually quilting process to a computer aided machine. No fun, and most of the time the results appear to have a cookie-cutter look and feel. There are a few reasons I have decided to use a machine on some of my quilts. Some of the simple lines and patterns achieved on the machine can be tasteful in moderation. My finished quilts will have a clean and modern feel to them.
Reader Comments (6)
I'm in love with these quilts, especially Colorado! Are you planning to do all 50 states? How did you decide which is which state?
i'm so excited for you and your new endeavors! it's such an inspired combination of your different loves, and the results are fantastic. thanks for sharing your process here online.
I am making a quilt for all the 50 states! I was Inspired by an old folk painting of the US that I found at Uncommon Objects. I'm going in alphabetical order because it's a nod to classroom education and I was loosely tying in the quilts being for kids. I have been working from from my sketchbook and images out of a book about American abstract quilts from the 1800. So far I have just been creating what I am mostly excited about and then when they are finished they get arranged in the alphabetical line up based on the look and feel. I found from traveling that each state has a distinctive identity, yet sometimes very subtle it can be recognized. I imagine that as I get higher in the production numbers I will be leaning on the actual State as a springboard for design elements.
Stina! Thank you for your encouragement, I am glad you can recognize the combination of my different loves! I would love to see you soon!
Let me know when your shop gets up and running! Babies are everywhere these days and I am smitten with these crib quilts.
love it....but don't forget Arkansas! do you know the song "Fifty Nifty United States?" i never learned it, but i remember my sister sining it.. It has all 50 states in alphabetical order. I can't wait to see Minnesota.