I received an email from Grandma Sue telling me of Johnny’s progress on the quilt he designed and was sewing. If you recall, I interviewed them on Day 6 of the Quilt Minnesota Shop Hop when I featured Monika’s Quilt and Yarn Shop when we were in Park Rapids, MN. If you missed that story, read it here.
Picture used with permission. Could this be a friendship star block?Johnny drew the quilt layout and then selected these beautiful blue fabrics from Monika’s Quilt and Yarn Shop in Park Rapids, MN. I wonder if he’s found his whale backing, yet.
He worked hard on this quilt project when he was at Grandma Sue’s in August. “I showed him how to cut accurately and how to sew the 1/2 square triangles. He did everything himself from cutting strips to squares, marking the 1/2 square triangles, sewing, pressing to arranging on the design wall. and then had to leave for home,” wrote Sue Harmon.
Picture used with permission. Those are some mighty nice looking half-square triangles. I think Johnny has a great start to his quilt.
I suppose a 12-year old has to go home and get ready for another school year. But Grandma Sue assured me he’d be back over Labor Day, and if time allowed, would be sewing away on it. I’m sure she’ll take some pics and email them my way so I can share his progress with you. Go, Johnny!
What I Learned Today:
- A 12 year old can do mighty fine workmanship. That quilt already looks wonderful. I’m impressed with how much he’s done in such a short time.
- Quilts look great up on a design wall.
- I need a design wall.
Question: At what age did you start sewing? At what age did you make your first quilt? I was 5 when I sewed an apron for my mom. I won’t tell you any more about it as it is a story yet to be written and shared here on the blog. I was 16 when I made my first quilt and I’ve already written that story here. The making of that quilt resulted in a marriage proposal —not from Tu-Na Helper, though. But I’ll let you read it for yourself.
Thanks for stopping by and do come again.
Karen,
Tu-Na Quilts
Tu-Na Quilts, Travels, and Eats 
What a great quilt in progress!
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Hi Karen,
Thank you for giving us an update on Johnny! He will go far in his creative career. I started sewing with my dad at a young age. I recall making a template out of cardboard and cutting out squares for a quilt when I was around 10 or so from old clothes. I didn’t have anything to layer in between so I used pieces of flannel, and then began in earnest in my late 20s thanks to Eleanor Burns. ~smile~ Roseanne
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I was 28 when I started my first quilt, and 18 years later I finished it. It is a Trip Around the World, and I used a yardstick to mark the squares and scissors to cut them. Johnny is off to a great start!
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Well, I started knitting when I was 3 (quit shortly after I started). I helped cut quilt squares for the church ladies when I was old enough to cut straight lines, so probably 6 or 7. I started sewing clothes when I was around 8 or so, I think. I started quilting when I was in my 30’s. Go, Johnny, go! His quilt looks great!
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I started to sew around 12 years old I think and by high school I was making a lot of my clothes – I remember when I was 12 I had such growth spurt that nothing fit me any more – I had shot up to 5’6″ and everything was too short and there was not much money for clothes – I took apart a pleated navy blue skirt and pressed out all the pleats to make a nice piece of fabric and made myself a pair of bell bottom pants out of it. The skirt had been an older mid-calf length so there was plenty of fabric. I used to make clothes a lot back then and now I make not clothes but quilts – made my first quilt 42 years ago
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So nice to see his progress. And yes, I need a design wall too. I was going to order one of the roll up ones,but they seem to have disappeared. I have seen some plans and maybe can get DH interested…..we’ll see.
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I remember blanket stitching wool for my dolls pram . I think k I was about 6 yrs old
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That is a very lovely quilt in progress.
-Soma
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I’m glad we have follow up! I hope we get to see Johnny with his finished quilt, whale backing and all!
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My grandson, Micah, also quilts. He started two years ago with a small quilt he made for a cousin’s doll. Last year he made a twin size quilt for his bed. It involved some fussy cutting. He basted the layers together and then tied it. He is in 4-H and won grand champion at the county fair. He received a blue ribbon at the Minnesota state fair last year. This year he adapted a star pattern and chose red, white and blue fabrics. He spray basted it and then machine quilted it in the ditch on my regular machine. It will be judged at the state fair on Thursday. He turned 13 in August and is homeschooled. I am so proud of him.
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What a great quilt! Go Johnny, go! Thanks for sharing on Wednesday Wait Loss.
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