“Spring Blossoms” Blooms in Texas

During my decades-long career, I designed many quilts for publication in books and magazines, always with instructions included so others could make their own. At conferences and quilt shows, when I’d see a quilt on display made from one of my designs, I was thrilled. I mean, with so many patterns out there, someone chose mine? How flattering!

A few months ago, a member of the Cibolo Creek Quilters Guild in Boerne, Texas, a city in the beautiful Texas Hill Country, contacted me. Judi Burr’s appliqué bee had made my pattern Spring Blossoms* and wanted to donate it to their guild to use as a fundraiser. She wondered if she needed my permission.

The patterns Liz Porter and I published over the years were intended for quilters to make up for their personal use, and I’m pretty sure that includes gifting the result to a nonprofit. Plus, they had me at, “we have labeled it and gave you credit for the pattern.” I told them to go for it.

The raffle begins this Saturday, May 4, as part of the guild’s annual conference sponsored with the City of Boerne Parks and Recreation, and includes an outdoor quilt show that day with hundreds of quilts on display. Admission is free and programs can be picked up from the event headquarters, from quilt angels, or in stores along the main street of town.

My version of Spring Blossoms uses machine appliqué techniques popularized by Harriet Hargrave that involve cutting from behind the foundation fabric to remove freezer paper templates. My mother was in the hospital part of the time I was making it, and I’d take blocks with me to work on when I visited her each evening, transporting them flat in a pizza box. One night a nurse commented, “Your mom must really like pizza,” whereupon I showed her what was inside!

Judi and her group did all the appliqué on their version by hand, meeting once a month for a year at members’ homes. They straightened off the outer border instead of scalloping it as I did. Their quilt is gorgeous!

Pictured at right are guild president Linda Heatherley, far left, and bee members Rose Jeter—who did the quilting—Jennifer Goodall, Carolyn Coleman, Alice Hobbs, and Judi Burr. (Not present was Sara Johnson.)

Click here if you’d like to purchase a ticket for Spring Blossoms, Texas style, and support the guild’s great work!

*Spring Blossoms was published in the book QUICK QUILTS FROM THE HEART, out of print now, but you can probably locate one somewhere . . .