My First Quilt

A Class Project

The first full-sized quilt I ever made was a project for a class in college. It was an industrial design class and the assignment was to design a product that could be created on an assembly line. I designed a quilt. Mind you, I had never made a quilt at that point. I have no idea what possessed me to think I could make a quilt. I was not following the quilting industry at all at the time. Nonetheless, I did "see" that it could be made in a chain-pieced method.

The class decided on two projects for production. One was my quilt. Materials for producing the products in class were provided by sponsors. All of us had the option to purchase additional materials to make a product for ourselves.

I decided to purchase fabric to make a quilt for my mom. It was the 1970s and cotton quilt fabric was not readily available like it is today. The “rebirth” of quilting in America hadn’t happened yet. I used rayon, cotton/poly, sail-cloth, chintz – whatever was the right COLOR for my project. I gave no consideration to the type of fabric. This mixed material choice turned out to be a major error, as we'll see in a bit.

The Industrial Process

The cool part of the class was visiting a local manufacturer to view the production process as it existed at the time. The tour covered everything from beginning to end. At the end of the tour, our professor announced that the fabric preparation and cutting for my project would be completed at the factory. It was thrilling to watch as the technician programed the parts for my quilt into the industrial laser cutting machine. They stacked all the fabric and it took about 10 minutes to cut all the fabric for the twenty or so quilts we were producing.

The Block

The picture shows the basic block. Each block part became a step for the assembly line. It is surprising how quickly twenty quilt tops can be completed in an assembly line. The block was a good choice because it provided about five different layouts when shifted around. We were able to get a good variety of designs for the completed quilts.

The Sponsor Quilts

We only had to make the tops in the class. To finish the sponsor fabric tops, we sent them back to the factory for quilting and binding. Our finished quilts turned out surprisingly well and we donated them to a local senior living and care facility. We were on our own to finish the ones we made for ourselves.

Finishing My Quilt

Well after the class was over, like after I graduated and found the top again during a post college move, I finished my quilt. I didn’t know what I was doing when I was ready to finish the quilt. And, I didn't get a book on quilting either. I had been sewing for almost two decades at this point, surely I knew how to sew a quilt.

For the batting and backing, I purchased a "lofty" poly batting and a bed sheet. Then, I layered the top, batting and backing, and positioned a quilting hoop near the middle. Believe it or not, I never basted the layers. It simply never occurred to me to do that. I just assumed that since the hoop was like a large embroidery hoop, I would proceed like an embroidery project. The other decision I made was to hand quilt it. Again, no idea what possessed me. It still amazes me that I was able to keep it square!

My Mom

I gave the finished quilt to my mom. She loved it. I think it was always her favorite quilt from me. She once said she loved that quilt because whenever she slept under it, she felt like she was surrounded by my love. I miss her.

Remember those fabric type choices? It’s starting to wear in a few spots. Those poor fabric choices are beginning to deteriorate. Especially the chintz and the rayon. It doesn't matter. It is old and it is loved.

What was your first quilt project?