I had never even heard of a tumbler quilt until a couple months ago. I loved how simple and charming they all looked. Like little cups stacked in neat rows. I had purchased Moda's Punctuation charm pack so that I could add it to the American Jane charm pack I had bought a couple years back. Sadly I still haven't found my box of unfinished sewing projects. In that box is the fabric I've been trying to find to no avail. I decided to go ahead and start the quilt anyway.
I have always had such a love and curiosity for "old things". I love all things retro and my home is filled with many vintage things from days gone by. There is something magical in owning things from the past. They have a story to tell. A history to share of simpler times. Even though this is a new quilt I love it's vintage feel. I have been reading a lot of quilting books lately & I love how each quilt has a story behind it. So I starting thinking, what is this quilts story?
Last year I read this book with my oldest daughter & fell in love with the sweet story about the adventures of a little girl named Garnet. She is spunky and has a great imagination. Although the story is a work of fiction I am guessing it pulled from real life in the 1930's. At one point in the book it tells about Garnet's adventure to the city all by herself. She kind of ran off without anyone noticing. On her way home she hitchhiked with all sorts of colorful characters. Something a child would hopefully never do in this day & age. Back then it was not a scary thing to do at all.
Although it's been a little over a year since I've read Thimble Summer I thought of it constantly while I worked on this quilt top.
So I present to you my "Thimble Summer" quilt. Sorry it's not the greatest picture. The wind was blowing like crazy today. I was in a panic the whole time it hung in those branches. It might be hard to see but there was a whole patch of mud right below. I kept waiting for it to fall into that mushy pile of mud. I have big plans for this quilt. I'm going to reread the story this week & then sketch out the back of the quilt. I'm thinking a fun little silhouette of Garnet & some of the key parts of her sweet story would be a perfect way to finish off the quilt.
This is my first official quilt top too. I'd love to hear some constructive criticism or words of advice. I'm all ears. I have so much to learn when it comes to quilting but I'm loving every minute of it.
