My First Quilt

As I walked along the gravel road on my way to my neighbor’s house, little did I know that this particular day would shape much of the rest of my life. I made the 1,800 foot journey from my doorstep to hers nearly every day the summer that I was seven years old. Normally my reward upon arrival to Ms. Frances’ house was a big piece of cake. Sometimes it was coconut cake, sometimes Mississippi mud cake, and always with a big glass of milk. However, on this day, as I topped the hill at the end of my long driveway, Ms. Frances was waiting for me in a chair on her porch. In her hands were a pair of orange-handled Fiskars scissors and two small pieces of fabric. Next to her was a shoe box full of more fabric pieces, which were sorted into several stacks. I was about to learn how to piece a quilt...and not just any quilt, but a Double Wedding Ring quilt!

With great care, Ms. Frances placed a needle, thread and the two fabric pieces into my little seven-year-old hands. She also explained how to use a thimble, although it was way too big for me, and how to tie a knot. Never once did she show any impatience during our fabric piecing lessons, which is amazing considering she taught my seven-year-old self how to handsew a curved piece of fabric to another curved piece of fabric with both ends meeting perfectly. Ms. Frances simply had a motherly way about her, even though she never had children of her own. She did have a large family with a great many nieces and nephews. They all loved her for her kindness towards them and she was the same with me. Not only was she kind to me, but she also loved my two older sisters, as well. She taught me so much more than sewing. She taught me to be a positive influence on others, too.

Although I was greatly enjoying learning the art of hand-piecing a quilt, I really wanted to learn to quilt the finished quilt-top. It just so happened that in less than half a mile from my home, a group of women met at the local church every Thursday to quilt together. One of their missions was to make quilts for the Ronald McDonald House at the local hospital. Ms. Frances invited me along one Thursday so that I could learn the art of quilting and to help make these beautiful quilts for the kids. I was told that everyone brings food for a potluck lunch. I was asked to bring a dessert, so I made a cake. It was such a hit that from that Thursday forward, every summer, I was tasked with bringing a homemade cake. Ms. Frances’ sister, Treva, called me every week to put in her personal request. So in addition to learning how to quilt with this group of ladies, I also became very adept at making marble cakes, coconut cakes, strawberry cakes, chocolate cakes, pineapple upside down cakes...you name it and I probably had made it for those ladies. Years later, as a teenager, I took Wilton Cake Decorating courses and also learned to make wedding cakes. Many times, my cake-making obsession put gas in my vehicle and gave me extra spending money for my quilting hobby.

By the time I was making professional cakes, I had pieced and quilted quite a few quilts for friends and family. My mother had also taught me to sew using an electric sewing machine. At this point, I now had my own pair of Fiskars scissors, and my own shoe box full of fabric pieces. I also now owned a couple Fiskars rotary cutters and a cutting mat, which made cutting quilt fabric pieces faster and more precise. During this time, Ms. Frances got very sick and was put in a nursing home. I was so saddened that she was so sick. She had always cared for everyone else, but now she had to be taken care of by others. I visited her while she was in the nursing home, but she was sleeping so soundly, I decided not to wake her. That was the last time I saw Ms. Frances.

Ms. Frances passed away on March 17, 1997, at the age of 78. My family had thought of her as one of us and we were heartbroken to see her go. I was so blessed to have such a special friend. I know she would have been so happy when in the early 2000’s, I used the skills I had acquired from her and my mother to open a home business. In this business, I made baby quilts, baby clothes, brag bags and other custom projects. I also learned how to embroider during this time, both by hand and with my embroidery machine. I found my niche when my customers ordered customized First Birthday outfits.

A little over a decade ago, I put my hand-embroidery skills to work making a large angel for a quilt top. My parents then helped assemble the angel quilt, and my mother quilted it. We eventually decided to enter the angel quilt into a local quilt contest. This was the first quilt contest we had ever entered and we won third place! This day was one day in particular that I missed my sweet friend, Ms. Frances. However, I was very happy to share the ribbon and this special day with my talented mother.

As for my first quilt, I finished that Double Wedding Ring quilt in my early teens and it became my daybed quilt. That quilt is full of material from Ms. Frances’ fabric stash, along with vintage fabric from my mother’s fabric collection. Forty years later, and with many quilts now under my belt, I also still have my first quilt. Of course, it is well worn from years of use and age-related wear, but it is still my favorite quilt.

Who could have dreamed of the impact that one special lady, with a pair of orange-handled Fiskars scissors and a shoe box full of fabric pieces, would have made on one little girl’s life. Her impact continues to live on in my life and in all of the lives that she touched along her journey.