Way back last summer I shared a sneak peek of an upcoming project.  On that day I finally faced the struggle I’d had between myself an old unfinished quilt? The inability to fall in love with it had haunted me for years. Finding the nerve to turn the quilt into something I would love was my biggest obstacle. After all, quilts are not made in a day. Many hours of labor go into the planning and execution. The thought of re-purposing it almost seemed unheard of yet on the other hand it seemed a shame to continue to hide it away in a closet.

My oldest daughter has no problem re-assembling projects she finds unacceptable. Every attempt is made to turn an unpleasant specimen into an eye appealing creation. I have had the pleasure of watching her achieve success in an area I have often avoided. I’ve occasionally dabbled in this arena, sometimes with a pleasant outcome and other times not. My most recent experience was the quilt I refer to as Flowers in the Garden. The other two items were my Spinning Wheels quilt and the quilt I call Main Street.

You can read about the Spinning Wheels quilt here.

Not to long ago, while browsing through the books at one of my favorite quilt stores, I came across this one: create your own free-form quilts written by Rayna Gillman and published by C&T Publishing.

The non-traditional piecing illustrated on the front cover, grabbed my attention and wouldn’t let go. I thumbed through the pages with great enthusiasm. Passing up on the opportunity to add this publication, to my arsenal of resources, was not an option. Zip, zip went my credit card in the machine. With my new-found resource in hand, I walked out of the store eager to return to my studio and begin digesting its every word.

Create your own free-form quilts was the catalyst for my Main Street quilt. I used the tips and instructions to guide my exploration into the free-form world. So often the book lay open alongside my workspace as inspiration and encouragement. The words at times jumped off the page so clearly that I almost could imagine Rayna at my side guiding my hands as they worked. Idle, but not forgotten, the book has resided in my studio ever since.

When I moved to my new home I found it necessary to sort through and weed out many of my vintage quilting books. I knew there simply was not room for everything I owned. The purged books were donated to a resale store. This book, however, was sparred from the chopping block. After unpacking my many treasures I made certain create your own free-form quilts held a prominent presence in my new studio.

Ever since placing it on the shelf I’ve had the urge to retrieve my copy of create your own free-form quilts. Acknowledging the urge has spurred me on to once again explore the world of free-form sewing. This time I’m jumping in with both hands and feet. Unlike the private journey I took creating Main Street this exploration will be shared with you. I hope you are as excited as I am. Let’s get going!