Tulips for Dawn

I've just heard that a former guild sister is quite ill and as is our way, the guild is putting together a friendship quilt for her. I may be in Idaho and they in Wisconsin, but that hasn't stopped me from caring about them and wanting to make a block for this quilt. There were few restrictions on what one could make, and it didn't take much thinking for me to settle on a block with tulips. Dawn joined my Baltimore Applique group (an off-shoot of the main guild), which was a surprise, since she openly admitted she did little quilting, just loved quilts and the people and all that went with being a long-time guild member. However, she shared that she'd always dreamed of making a tulip quilt, had even bought a pattern or two, so thought this small group would be a good place to learn the hand applique skill she'd need. Once I knew this, I started noticing tulip patterns everywhere and even copied a few from my own collection for her.


One of the patterns I shared with her, if I remember correctly, is the Tulips quilt above. It is from the book Mini Quilts from Traditional Designs by Adele Corcoran & Caroline Wilkinson. This is a great example of why I find it hard to let go of books and patterns and fabric. I've not made any of the quilts in this book, and seldom make traditional designs anymore. I've had the fabric for quite awhile, a style I still like but which doesn't really work in my art quilts. Yet book and fabric was just what I needed for my block. I wish I'd had time to hand applique it, but the information came too late for that. Instead, it is fused with Steam-a-Seam Lite and I added machine buttonhole stitch around the tulips to define them a bit more. Four blocks joined in this swirl gave me the size requested for the friendship quilt.

God speed, Dawn, on this difficult journey. Wrap yourself in your sisters' love.