MY QUILT ZONE

I made this art quilt to donate to the 2015 SAQA Benefit Auction.  All quilts submitted to the auction must be 12" x 12" in size.  My donation quilt,  Birch Tree   (Genus: Betula),  sold for $100. c. 2015 - Birch Tree (Genus Betula) - V. Millington

By chance, I found this vintage four-drawer silverware cabinet (in like-new condition) in an antiques  warehouse not far from where I live.  I thought that it could be re-purposed as a sewing thread cabinet so I bought it.  I really love it!  I didn't realize how many spools of thread I had until I started to organize them into one place.  Not only can I see how many and what colors I have, I can see what colors I still need to add to my thread collection.  So far, I have almost filled three of the four drawers. (My little treadle sewing machine music box is sitting on top of a small art quilt made by the late Karen Loprete.) My Thread Cabinet

I created a spool block that was included in a special quilt made to commemorate the 25th Anniversary of the Windham Textile and History Museum in Willimantic, CT.  This group quilt is composed of 25 different spool blocks made by members of the Connecticut chapter of Studio Art Quilt Associates. (SAQA) This quilt will become part of the museum's permanent collection. The Spool Block quilt can be seen at the WTHM along with a special exhibit called Inspiration Quilts: Then and Now which pairs 12 antique quilts in the museum's collection with 12 contemporary quilts made by twelve SAQA artists who were inspired by them. For more info go to: w ww.millmuseum.org My spool block is on the top row, block #4 when viewed left to right.  I used  the selvedges of various fabrics to make it look like thread wrapped around a spool. A portion of the whole quilt is shown here.  All the unique and colorful blocks in the finished quilt were amazing and unfortunatel...

Update - The Wedding Quilt / Family Tree Quilted is finally quilted!  I think it came out really nice. Wedding Quilt - quilted! In 2009, I made a wedding quilt for my son and his wife. I have the top all completed, now I just need to quilt it! It is really a family tree.  On the bottom, I have my parents (left) and my husband's parents (right) with my husband and I in the middle.  In the middle row, I have the bride's mother and step-father (left side) and her father and step-mother on the right side.  At the top left, I have her maternal grandparents and on the top right, I have her paternal grandparents.  In the top center, I placed a copy of their wedding invitation.  All the pictures are in black and white except for the happy couple in the very center of the quilt that are printed in color.  I am very pleased with the way it came out and I know that when I finish quilting the whole thing, it will look even nicer. Wedding Quilt -...

Memorial Quilt for Joshua Completed: I finished Josh's memorial quilt in June 2009. In addition to the T-shirts, I resized all of the photos that were used and I scanned and resized the many other items that his parents wanted included in the quilt top so that these images would fit onto the extra T-shirt blocks that I had to create. For the sashing, I used a dark blue fabric with gold metallic highlights and then I used a plain, navy blue fabric for the quilt binding. I presented the quilt to Johanne and Frank at the scholarship fundraiser they held in Josh's memory at the Whitney Farms Country Club. Mid-Point: I shared my ideas for the quilt with Josh's parents because I wanted their feedback during this process. It took some time for me to get the final vision into focus, but I am finally starting to put the quilt itself together. Inspiration is a strange thing. It comes to you at the oddest times and sometimes in the strangest ways. At least, that's how it work...

Shelton, CT Bicentennial Quilt - 1976 This quilt was on view at the Plumb Library in Shelton, CT back in April 2006. Unfortunately, I missed the opportunity of seeing it again when it was on display. The last time I saw this quilt up close was over 30 years ago (1976) when it was first made. The Plumb Library website link below will take you to the quilt and the individual blocks. Each block includes information about the maker and what the block represents. If you click on the pictures you will see an enlarged version of each block. As I mentioned in my original posting, Quilting: The Fabric Of My Life - July 2006 , this quilt made a lasting impression on me. Copy and paste the link below into your browser. It will take you to the Plumb Library site. Permission to use the above photo has been graciously granted by the Plumb Library. http://www.plumblibrary.org/aboutquilt.htm

Auction quilt for the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative I have just finished making a small donation quilt for the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative (AAQI) founded by Ami Simms. Rules for making a donation quilt can be found on her web site. The address is: http://www.alzquilts.org/index.html Just click on the link on the left side for Priority: Alzheimer's Quilts to see the rules for submission of quilts. The information about my quilt #2755 is listed on the link below and a picture of my quilt should be posted any day now. The link for quilts waiting for assignment is: http://www.alzquilts.org/quwaas.html Quilts are auctioned off monthly.  You can donate a quilt and bid on a quilt for sale to help support this worthy cause.  The latest auction of quilts is found on this link:  http://www.alzquilts.org/loatallqu.html Update 10/30/08: I recently learned that my quilt was purchased and that it earned $49.70 for AAQI.  Not bad for a tiny quilt that's only 8...

Leaf Quilt I became interested in quiltmaking several years prior to the Bicentennial in 1976. Thanks to the Bicentennial, people had become interested in quilts and quiltmaking once again. By this point in time, quiltmaking was on the decline and in danger of becoming a lost art form. I remember in 1976, that my sister Laraine and I went to see a Bicentennial quilt that was on display at a public library in Shelton, CT. The quilt was made up of many different individual blocks reflecting the history of the city. Some of the blocks depicted famous homes in the city. I was astonished that these "homes" were made from fabric and that the quilters had even used small scraps of lace for the curtains. They also used embroidery to add flowers and other details to the blocks. That quilt really had a lasting effect on me - and now, 45-plus years later, I am still quilting!