Novice quilters beware! If you see these two words — “quick easy” — do not believe it. No such thing exists in the quilting universe. Any seasoned quilter will tell you that she has numerous UFO’s — unfinished objects, in quiltspeak — that originated from patterns called quick & easy.
So begins the saga of a quilt dubbed “Marge’s Houses.” Lori Boinski brought this quilt top to me after several phone calls asking for advice, a few trips to the Quilted Angel for fabric and more advice, and many hours of sewing, un-sewing, and re-sewing until she finally put it all together. The quilt began 12 years ago when Lori’s mother-in-law –Marge — and 13-year-old daughter embarked together on the journey of a thousand pieces. Their mission: To sew a quilt from a pattern called “Freddie’s Houses.” Designer Freddie Moran, who had published her pattern in a beginner’s quilting book called Quilts! Quilts! And More Quilts!, is known for her adventurous use of colorful prints combined with black & white. Her quilt designs have a whimsical, playful quality that appeals to the child in all of us.
After grandmother and granddaughter selected the fabrics, Marge set about sewing the house blocks. She finished 79 of them before she was diagnosed with cancer. Sadly, she succumbed to the disease, and for a decade the quilt blocks rested in peace as well. Marge’s spirit resided in those houses, though, and eventually she lit a fire inside Lori to finish the quilt. Lori needed one more house to complete the project, but she didn’t know the first thing about quiltmaking. A bit of searching and she found the book with “Freddie’s Houses” in it, but Lori found the instructions impossible to understand. “It might as well have been in another language,” she said. “I knew how to sew, I had made curtains and other items for our house. So I bought some fabrics and followed the picture instead of trying to read the directions. I just sewed on faith, hoping it would turn out right, and magically it did. It was as if Marge was there guiding me the whole way.”
Once Lori sewed all the houses together, she needed fabric for the border, fabric for the back of the quilt, and some for the binding. Her own mother, Olivia, got in on the project, and together with the help of a few professional quilters, “Marge’s Houses” finally became a lovely finished quilt. The best part is that Lori’s daughter, Amy, did not know what was going on in the background. Now 25 years old and living in San Diego, Amy came home to visit last weekend (in time for the Butter & Eggs parade), and Lori planned to surprise her with it then.
Amy’s reaction? Well, tune in tomorrow for the exciting conclusion to this story.
