1980s Quilts
An American Family* (1976-76 with later additions)
What a way to begin quilting! I became interested in both genealogy and quilting about the same time and didn’t know much about either one. Being young and foolish, I made a genealogy quilt for one of my first quilts! It isn’t the most beautiful quilt I ever made, but I always drag it out when I need to know about the ancestors. I quickly lost interest in genealogy. This quilt includes blocks for 200 people and covers a span of 16 generations. The two blocks shown represent Vernon and Minnie Lynch.
Mariners Compass* (1980)
This original design was a learning experience resulting from a class I took from Jinny Beyer. I never struggled so much with a quilt in my life. After that I was much more courageous about doing my own thing. This is a good quilt to hang at Christmas time.
Amish Square within a Square (1982)
Ellen Swanson was another of my early quilting teachers. I learned much about Amish style quilts from her. My African violets were the inspiration for the color scheme and the quilting designs for this quilt.
Sidney Opera House (1986)
This was my first venture into original work and was inspired by a visit to the opera house where I saw Die Fledermaus. It was a gorgeous evening and a memorable experience.
Cabins on the Creek* (1987-88)
This early quilt was made for our guest room that I redid after our youngest left for college. I wanted to make a log cabin quilt but wanted it to fit the bed. The design is made so that each block is a rectangle rather than a square; that was my original technique.
Lady of the Lake* (1989)
This quilt provided good practice in precision rotary cutting and piecing. I used up some fabrics I didn’t particularly like, but they went together rather well.