I was inspired to make this folk art quilt when I found a roll of ribbon that looked like a measuring tape! This ribbon winds it’s way across the quilt. The blue pattern pieces on the center medallion are copies of actual pattern pieces of one of my favorite old dresses! And in the upper right corner is a charm made up on scissors and a button.
 
As I was growing up, my Mother made most of my clothes. When I was about 13, I learned an important lesson about the clothes we wear. In junior high school, I wanted to go to a dance that was being held in our school gym. I couldn’t afford a new dress, so my mother made my dress out of a beautiful plaid taffeta. I was disappointed that it was homemade, and I felt very self-conscious. But at the dance, I forgot all about that because I was asked to dance every single dance and had such a good time! I learned that it wasn’t what we wore that people responded to and that we didn’t need expensive trappings to enjoy our lives.
 
When I was old enough to sew on my Mother’s Singer, I began to make my own clothes. Simplicity patterns made it so easy! As I got better at sewing, I usually chose more complicated patterns, and, gratefully, my parents indulged me in fine fabrics. I went on to learn advanced tailoring techniques in a special class in high school, and then earned a Bachelor’s degree in Home Economics.
This quilt is a nostalgic look back, and as I was working on it, I wrote a note to my high school clothing teacher, Miss Greco. She taught me a great deal about sewing...She wrote me back...and after these 60 years, it was lovely to hear from her.
63" x 57"