FRIENDSHIP FARM 'N MORE QUILT WORKS
I started sewing in my teens, only to run into conflict between the way my mom sewed and the way my high school home economics teacher said it should be done - and ended up being in a tug of war between the two. I more or less gave up sewing at that time.
I had always admired my Grandmothers quilts, which had been made by my Great Grandmother and Great Aunts, many of which had been used when they came to Oregon in the 1800's. When our children were small I started all over again teaching myself how to sew, including trying to teach myself to quilt. Of course I started with a star pattern, in flannel, and with each piece cut with scissors - and with no instruction whatever. I never did finish that first attempt -becoming very discouraged when I couldn't get any of the points to come together and look half way decent. I have come a long ways since those days, becoming a proficient sewer of childrens clothing, costumes, and adult clothing in every type of fabric. I supplemented our income for a number of years with sewing, crocheted and knitted infant clothing, and doing alterations. UNTIL WE MOVED TO THE FARM.
Learning to run the farm, manage a family, and a job for much of the time, and supervise three teenagers didn't leave me with any time for crafts or sewing, and all of my supplies were stored for a number of years - and unknown to us being invaded by bugs and mice who found many of the items made wonderful beds, and wonderful dinners. I almost cried when I finally discovered how much damage had been done by these invaders.
In 1992 when our older daughter got married I designed and made her wedding dress, the bridesmaids dresses, flower girls dress, and the mother of the bride dress. I also did all the floral arrangements (silk flowers of course), boutonniers, corsages, and boquets. This was the first time I had done anything creative in a number of years, and once started it was almost impossible to quit. I had taken some sewing classes on using a serger to learn some new techniques in making the wedding dress, and met a new friend, who encouraged me to take some quilting classes with her. Since I had been fascinated with quilts, and still had all my Grandmother's books, from when I was a teenager, I told her to sign us up. That was the beginning of the whole new world of quilting for me.
With new techniques and methods, and new types of equipment, the most beautiful quilt tops could be designed and made - many in a weekend. What a joy to be able to reproduce many of the old quilt designs in gorgeous colors and beautiful lasting fabrics.
Walt's family also immigrated to Oregon, originally from Denmark, and then by covered wagon Oregon in the 1800's, again with many hand crafted quilts - seven of which are still family heirlooms - although many are badly worn and damaged, after extensive use and laundering. The written family history talks about the "chest of quilts" carried on the trail. My goal is to reproduce each of those quilts, as close to the original as possible, and then again in modern fabrics, incorporating all in a book dedicated to his Great Grandmother. It was really difficult to identify some of the patterns, and they mostly tend to be not quite the size of the top of a bed, all but three out of bits and pieces of scrap fabrics. Only one, a basket pattern, is out of the same fabrics throughout, and was thought to be a wedding gift to his Great Grandmother, before they came west. Another is a crazy quilt of silks and satins, with embroidery that is so perfect that it looks as if done by todays machines. This quilt was made by his Great Grandmother before she was married.
A few years ago, after sending my queen and
king size tops out to be quilted, I invested in
an American Professional Quilting Sytems
quilting machine - the APQS Ultimate I.
It takes up 8' x 16' of the living room in what we call our "work house". We are in the process of building a "quilting shop", just for the machine, so that it can have it's own place of honor, without taking up half of the living room. It is a joy to take beautiful quilt tops, and continue with the quilting - designing my own patterns to compliment the top, and work with different techniques, methods, threads, and patterns. I spent a number of years quilting small quilts and quilted items, the largest twin size quilts, on just my sewing machine. The joy and adventure of quilting on the large quilting machines is wonderful - you can be as intricate as you want to be, as you move the head of the machine instead of trying to work an entire quilt within the "throat" area of a standard sewing machine. I can work for hours instead of minutes.
Like many quilters, I think my fabric stash is larger than some fabric stores, as is my stash of quilting books and patterns. And again, like many quilters, I have loads of unfinished projects, and hundreds of designs that I can't wait to get to. I have baskets of laundered scraps - from finds at garage sales and estate sales - waiting to be ironed and sorted. I don't think a quilter every gets as much time as they want to actually design, that they ever run out of the dreams of the quilts they want to make - I know I never will. Like every other quilter my life is divided into many areas: taking care of family, the farm - especially during kidding season and the months of milking, our poodles - and showing and teaching classes, keeping up with making our goat milk soaps and quilting - including the time for bazaars, and meeting the needs of friends.
My life is a busy one, and God has blessed us in so many ways. I hope you enjoy the pictures of the quilts that we will display. Check back occasionally, as we will be updating the pictures, and will hopefully be able to scan in pictures of the families heirloom quilts, as well as new quilts and quilted items as they are designed.
Please be patient - we will have the picture pages done as quickly as possible - but have gone ahead and put the buttons in now:
