Delaware Quilts - My Quilts

New Index posted June 2, 2025 - The Beginning through 2006

Please note as you view these photos, the sizes are not all proportional. You might see a quilt that looks as small as a wall hanging or vice versa.
Some of the quilt photos are links to a larger photo of the same quilt. (You may need to use your browsers back button to return to this page)

I began quilting in 1974 while working at Minnesota Fabrics in the Washington DC area. The home economist was required to do a quilting demonstration and was looking for help. It sounded like fun to me, so I volunteered.

The pattern I picked for my first ever quilt project was the Lone Star because we'd recently moved from Texas. This was pre-rotary cutters and I never heard of plastic for templates, I wasn't real sure what a template was period. As soon as I realized I was over my head in skill level, I picked another pattern, a log cabin. That went quite easily, so I picked another one, a churn dash. Before the demonstration was held I had finished four different quilt projects, but not the Lone Star.

The Lone Star wasn't finished until about a year later. Then I didn't know what to do with it, so I "framed" it. It was cool when I did it, not so much now, but I'm glad I still have it. It shows me where I started and how much I've improved.

I made a few quilted pillows, then a baby quilt, and then more baby quilts.. and so on and so on.

To say I was hooked was an understatement. I've been quilting ever since. I started teaching in 1983 when a friend asked me to show her how to make a Dresden Plate. Then I showed her friend, and then another, and so on. I "retired" from teaching in 2010 due to heath issues and then did all of my teaching on line and at my Retreats. Sadly the retreats had to be cancelled in 2020 due to covid, and then again in 2021. I found staying home with my husband and then 3 grandchildren enjoyable, so I decided to retire full time. That ended the 23 years of retreating. I hosted a total of sixty-five retreats attended by a total of 299 ladies from four different countries and at least 31 different US states. It was a life changing experience for me, and I am thankful that I did it. I made some friends that I hope will stay with me for the rest of my life.

Seeing a student's satisfaction when finishing a quilt gives me great happiness. I find more personal satisfaction teaching someone else to make a quilt than making it for them.

Quilts that I make for classes are given away as gifts to family and friends, and to local charities. I don't make museum quilts, but quilts to be used. It gives me great pleasure to see my quilts worn out

While living in England (1987-1991) I made quite a few baby quilts, a few for gifts and several to sell at the base Christmas Craft Fair. I have no photos of any of them. When we moved to Germany (1991-1993) I was drafted into a group of crafters there and made baby quilts to sell at their consignment booth. The same the group told me that we would be participating in The Ramstein Welfare Bazaar which was one of the largest bazaars in Europe and I could put in everything I wanted. I made 24 baby quilts, 3 youth size quilts, 2 dozen Christmas stockings, and 60 Christmas Tree skirts. I also did a bunch of cross stitch items, including Christmas ornaments, trick-or-treat bags, Christmas gift bags, and dozens of wine bibs. Here are photos of a few of my quilted items, I guess my favorites since I have these pictures to show.

1991

When we returned home to the states I had some tree skirts left over to finish and sell and of course was still sewing. I made baby quilts for gifts, tried some new quilting techniques, and learned how to use a new gadget called a Rotary Cutter, I was in love!

I found an old list of my quilts in a photo album and it started with 103 and 104, and the other quilts listed below. I know the numbers are wrong because of all the quilting I did in England and Germany, but since that was where it started, I used those numbers. I don't have photos of the missing numbers sadly. I've recreated my entire quilting history from here forward. And of course I have been adding to it all the time.

1994

#106

1995

#107

#108

#109

#110 I decided the boys needed quilts made by Mom on
their beds. I made Jonathon a Dino Log Cabin

#112 and I made Michael a Fisherman's Quilt.

#111

1996

#113

#114

#115

#117

#118

#119

#120

#121
Fluffer was the official quilt inspector for many years

In late 1996 a quilt shop opened in Lewes, and I volunteered to work there and eventually volunteered to teach too. I made many wonderful friends in my time there,
and learned some valuable lessons too, not all in quilting. Below are a few shop samples I made. (Shop samples are marked with an asterisk)

#122*

#123*

#125*

#126*

#131*

#128
The white blob on the upper left hand corner of this
quilt is a matching pillow case to go with the quilt.

1997

#134*

#135*

#136*

#137

#138*

#139*
Stars & Stripes (#139) was from a book, and it was prettier
than this photo shows. The corner squares were not such
an ugly color, honest.

#140*
The Ohio Star pattern can be found here

#141*
The Ohio Star Variation pattern can be found here

These darling log cabin Christmas trees were designed by a local man, whose name I am so sorry I have forgotten. He brought them into the shop
to show us, and gave me permission to teach a class showing how they were made. I reduced the larger tree he made down to the smaller tree
making it possible for anyone to finish in one class. (The pattern is not for sale, and I will not share it, it is not mine to sell or give away.)

#143*

#146*

#151*

#155

#156

1998

#168

#167

#169

#171

My first ever secret sister sent me a quilted checkerboard as a gift and I copied it to make as a fundraiser for the high school band, these are three I have photos of, I made over a dozen total. I've also made some as Relay For Life fundraisers. Thanks Bonnie!

#173

#174

#177

#178

#179

#181

#182 Yes, I made another one. Actually more than one.

#183

#189 This quilt is one of my all-time favorites. It was made of hundreds of scraps including blends, synthetics and good old cotton. Except for the inner border and backing every fabric in the quilt literally came out of big black trash bags which were donated to me. (The enlarged photo is not color accurate)

#191

#192

#193 made in December 1998 & #228 made in April 2001

I had a realtor acquaintance ask to borrow a few quilts for an open house. When she returned them she asked me if I could reproduce the log cabin quilt which she wanted
two of for her own home. I explained that the fabrics were most likely out of print and it wouldn't be easy to match them exactly, but she was willing to take the gamble.
And these are the results which she was more than happy with.

1999

#194
The Churn Dash block can be found here.

#195
The quilting inspector checks a nine patch quilt

#197

#198

#200

#201

#202

#203

2000

#206

#207

#213

#215
Find the Ribbon Quilt block pattern here

#216
To really appreciate this Folk Art quilt, click on it and
view the large size. You can scroll around and look
at all the wacky animals. This was a fun one to make.

#217

2001

#219

#220

#218

#221

#222

#223
The pattern for Scrappy Hearts can be found here.

#224

#226

#230

#231

#232

#233

#234

#235
The pattern for 3-D Bow Tie blocks can be found here

2002

#238

#239

#240

#241
The pattern for Nine Patch Variation can be found here.

#242

#243

#244

#245

#246

#247

#248

#249

#250

#252

#253

#254

#255

This is my 2002 BOM Sampler. I made two of each block and set them diagonally with setting blocks and ended up with a king size quilt. I made it in 2002, and had to wait a few years to get it quilted and then waited a few more years to put the binding on. Poor thing wasn't finished until January 2009.

#251

2003

#265

#267
I enjoy making sampler quilts, and this is one of my
favorites. It was on our bed every winter for years.

#268

#269
This is my Retreat signature quilt, the plain squares have signatures
from retreaters, some from the very beginning.

#270

#271

#272

#274

#275

#277

The next eight quilts are miniatures, all smaller than 15 inches, done for a class I taught at the local guild, then again for another group in NC.

#279

#280

#281

#282

#283

#285

#286

#288

#287
I had scraps and needed a way to use them up, so I made this
scrappy bargello from Quiltville.com.

#289

2004

#292
When a friend commented that there were "No Blue Balls" in my quilt, the name sort of stuck.
However the pattern is named Circular Log Cabins.

#293
This is an easy heart block which can be used many different
ways and is one of my favorites for making baby quilts.

#295

#296

#297

#298

#299
This is one of my favorite log cabin quilts. Although it looks three dimensional in this photo,
that's just an optical illusion caused by the way the colors were put in the squares. Sadly I
don't have a finished photo of this, and it is no longer in my collection.

#302
This circular log cabin wreath that might look finished, but
it lacks something and I have an idea to liven it up� someday.

2005

#309
This Is my favorite Trip Around the World, made with hand dyed
fabrics that my friend Candy gave me.

#310
This is another pattern from Quiltville.com, thanks Bonnie!

#311
Floating Churn Dash, my own pattern.

#313

#314

#315
Broken Dishes block pattern here

#316

#317
This pattern from Quiltville.com

#318
This pattern from Quiltville.com

#319
Ann Smith's Snails Tails

#320
I designed these funny snowmen for the 2005 retreat projects.
The wall hanging was raffled to raise money for Relay For Life.

#321
This was Ann Smith's NYE mystery for 2005-2006 and was fun to make

2006

#326
This was taken before I hand quilted the kitties.

#327
I bought these chickens from Sindy Rodenmayer of FatCat Patterns
and made them into this wall hanging, then raffled it off to raise
money for Relay For Life, thanks Sindy.

#328

#329

#330

#331

The 2006 BOMs were all stars and the result of my samples is this Star Sampler. A list of all the stars can be found here

Spinning Stars in the Christmas quilt is one of my BOMs.

#332

#333
Photo was taken before
smiles were hand quilted.

#334

#335

#336
Photo was taken before
faces were finished.

#337

#338

#338 back

My quilter went above and beyond when she quilted this one. Every block was quilted differently. Be sure to tap on the picture of the back
of the quilt to see her fabulous work. I cried the day she announced her retirement and I have yet to find a quilter to match up to her skills.

#340

#341

Here are two versions of my pattern Crooked Stars. The B&W one was made using up booboo cuts from quilt # 319. I couldn't let them go to waste, so I made Crooked Stars #340. This became one of my favorite patterns for using up scraps.

#342
Another great way to use up scraps, Strings

#343

#344

#345

#346

#344, #345 and #346 are baby quilts, special ordered by a UofD student.

#348

#350
Another Ann Smith design

#351

#352

Here's another version of Bonnie Hunter's Scrappy Mountains, only I made them into waves.
The quilter even added fish.

The rest of My Quilts

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Updated June 2, 2025

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