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October 2006 Issue This month, Jeannette P. Ahlgrim, of Glasgow, KY, asked, "What quilt did each of you make that means a lot to you? When did you make it and why did you make it?" Beth Hayes Editor in Chief Simply answering this question promotes wonderful memories. Selecting one quilt as the most special is tough, but I can truthfully say that all the quilts and quilted projects that I made for my dear maternal grandma are extra meaningful. Grandma quilted all her life, but she was so proud of me when I embraced quiltmaking as a young woman and began tackling more advanced techniques and patterns. We shared our love for quilting to the fullest. Ellie Brown Art Director Each quilt has meaning to me. My first quilt went to my first grandson, a gift of love with a sense of accomplishment. A scrap nine patch was made for my son when he moved to MN. Heart surgery success inspired a celebratory quilt for my brother. Sentiment and accomplishment go hand in hand and I have no favorite; rather a progression of memories and beautiful quilts given. Sandee Wachal Associate Editor This is a very hard question for me to answer. To be truthful, I don't have a favorite quilt because I'm a "process" quilter instead of a "project" quilter. I make quilts because I love the process of trying out a new technique, tools, or using a fabric that speaks to me. When the quilt is complete, I'm ready to move on to the next one. I don''t get attached to them and the majority of my quilts are given away. I know the receivers love and treasure them and that makes my day. Kathy Patterson Assistant Editor My first bed-sized quilt was an Irish chain, pieced by hand in 1991 with scraps left from years of sewing clothing for myself and my family. Every fabric has a story, and it’s still the quilt I sleep under most nights. Working on it got me through a very hard time in my life, after I lost a baby. I needed a project to occupy myself and to take with me to doctor’s appointments, etc., and those little nine-patches were a real life saver. Laura Stone Roberts Contributing Editor My mom has loved fabric her entire life. When I was a child, we spent wonderful hours shopping for that perfect fabric and being wildly entertained by unsuitable, bizarre ones. For many years now my mom has been suffering from dementia, and while she no longer knows who I am, she still strokes and folds any available napkin or sheet in the nursing home. Last year I searched for fabrics, cut them into 6" squares, and made mom a "touch" quilt. It has brocades, velvets, corduroys, and furry fabrics, crunchy lamés, cottons, and silks. The backing fabric is minkee, so it's soft next to her bare legs. My dad says she loves it. Lise Neer Senior Designer It's in this issue! My 9-patch quilt is my favorite, and the one I've had the most fun making. It's scrappy, it's colorful, and I got to practice some big-stitch hand quilting with perle cotton. My friends here at work "helped" me make it (we all joined a 9-patch block exchange), and the block concept itself is auspicious, as the project began on 9/9/99. My husband contributed to its design by providing the idea of tumbling snowflakes, and it's been displayed at Houston (IQA), AND won first place in a show last year at Ricky Tims' gallery! But that's just the icing on the cake. . . . Tricia Camp Editorial Assistant The quilt I made that means the most to me was my first quilt made 14 years ago. I wasn't sure if I'd even like quilting, but friends convinced me to try. I picked a log cabin pattern, selected my fabrics, and showed up at the home of a friend for the class. I didn't know that a see-through gauze fabric wouldn't work. I just knew I needed cotton! Although it's just a top, I still have it and the remaining bolts of fabric I had purchased just for that project.