DAMAUK

Nestled within the folds of my childhood memories is the comforting warmth of quilts – vibrant tapestries woven with stories, love, and community. Growing up, my mother, fueled by her passion for quilting, was pivotal in establishing a local quilt guild that became a hub for creativity and camaraderie. The gentle hum of sewing machines, the chatter of like-minded individuals, and the kaleidoscope of fabrics all became a familiar backdrop to my early years.

As the child of a quilter, one might assume that my fingers have gracefully danced across countless patches and seams, creating masterpieces like those showcased in our family home. However, my journey into quilting has taken a more circuitous route. Despite being enveloped in the vibrant quilting community, I have never attempted to create a quilt of my own—until now.

I still remember the first thing I ever sewed, a pair of pillowcases I entered at the local county fair made from glow-in-the-dark dinosaur skeleton fabric. It was the first thing I remember making with a useful, practical purpose. Even though making a useful item engaged my brain and made me realize I could create useful items, I never really took to sewing or, by extension, quilting.

Over the years, I made a number of small "soft goods" items like bags and "tool rolls," but I never made any of the traditional sewing projects like clothing, quilts, or the like. While attending college, my now wife and I made a number of pillow-style stuffed animals for Christmas gifts for our nieces and nephews, but we never really made anything outside these fun toys. (Fast forward to today, and Marta runs her own online business making stuffed animals, Plushy Monsters.)

A New Chapter

We had a sewing machine that Marta let me use but I never really wanted to have my own sewing machine until this year when I took a class on making western-style hats. After completing the weeklong class, I was excited to continue this journey and immediately realized that I would need a sewing machine capable of sewing slowly to add things like binding to the brim of hats, as well as liners, hatbands, and sweatbands. So the search was on! I initially started looking for a machine identical to what the course instructor used, a Singer 221. Once I discovered that these machines go for anywhere between $500-$1000 for the “less desirable” examples, I realized that specific model wasn’t in the cards for me.

One day, while looking at Facebook Marketplace, I noticed a sewing machine listed for $50. I reached out to make arrangements to see if the machine worked and check it out. Upon arrival, I discovered the machine was a Singer 15-91 made around 1949, and it worked beautifully right out of the case. It was missing its original bentwood case, but that didn’t matter since I bought the machine as a tool, not a collector's item.

I immediately started using the machine to make simple items like I made in the past, simple pillows, drawstring bags, and parts and pieces for my hats. I am amazed at how well the machine runs, considering its age.

Deciding to quilt

I’m not sure exactly when or why I decided to make a quilt, but I am sure it started when I rediscovered a type of embroidery called redwork. I have always been interested in the simplicity of the style, but impressed with the technique's ability to illustrate complex scenes with one color and simple lines. I have no desire to hand embroider, but through Maker Space 307, I have access to a computerized embroidery machine, so I decided to make a simple throw quilt using redwork-style embroidered blocks.

The quilt I am making will be a gift for my wife to finally return the favor of the crocheted blanket she made for me nearly 20 years ago. There is just something about giving something that the person you love will snuggle and cuddle that makes me feel happy. I want her to feel the joy I felt the first time I wrapped myself in that blanket.

The Journey Ahead

I am uncertain how long it will take me to finish my quilt but I have decided to take it fairly slow so I don't get to overwhelmed with the process. Even though I know I should probably start with a small project like a tablerunner, pot holders, or a wall hanging I have decided to make a throw quilt.

I have settled on a simple checker pattern of 8” blocks on for the quilt top, with a simple black and white monochrome color scheme with black blocks with white embroidery and white blocks with black embroidery. My target size is about seven blocks wide and nine blocks tall, for a total of 63 blocks and a finished blanket of approximately 56” x 72”.

I will just do a basic “stitch-in-the-ditch” quilting on these blocks for the sake of simplicity and to increase the odds that I can succesfully complete the project. I will be learning as much as possible from my mom on this journey as I finally start my quilting journey.