Our Quilted Home

I began quilting during the bicentennial year of 1976. After I completed my first class - making a sampler quilt - at one of the few quilt shops in our area, I decided to take another class from the same teacher. She had us bring a photo of our home, and helped us scale it up and use it to cut templates for a wall hanging.

It was one more of those times in my life when I was really into something that was way over my talents, but became one of those things that made me proud and spurred me on to try other adventurous things in quilting.

The choice of fabrics was quite small in those days, but I did finish the applique and then began to hand quilt through all those many layers upon layers of fabric! It was one of those projects that you put away for months and years, yet are compelled to finish.

At one point in the process, my husband said, "It needs something to bring it to life. Put Heidi in the front yard."

That led me to find a dingy old terry cloth towel to cut into the shape of a West Highland Terrier. Not being an artist, I can recall searching through books at our local library to find a dog shape that would work.

I'm not sure why I decided to frame it, but I don't think I realized there was such a thing as wall hangings in those days. It was my first experience at finding out how expensive it is to have something custom framed, but I am so happy that I did.

We lived in that home over 25 years, and I am reminded of many fond memories each time I look at that landscape applique today.