Jennifer’s Quilt

Jennifers Quilt -full
Jennifers Quilt -full

I didn’t find this quilt when I searched for it on my blog, so I think I may never have written about it. That wouldn’t surprise me since it was made in about 2003, before the blog.  Perhaps I’ll start dredging up old quilts and showing them to you.

TFQ and I made it back in 2003 for a very special person in my life named Jennifer (yes, another Jennifer!).

It is part of a series of quilts TFQ and I have made in a pattern we call Diamond chain. The pattern originally came from the Spring 1997 issue of McCall’s Quick Quilting and did not list a name for pattern (only a name for the quilt). We changed the pattern somewhat, so we call the overall pattern “Diamond Chain.” It is similar to a Jewel Box. andwe  have made at least three  quilts (Get the Red Out!, Ocean Avenue, Punk Rock Quilt) in the same pattern. I think TFQ and I have made all the different quilts in the series together.

This is a pattern that is a kind of single Irish chain and anything could go between the chains: stars, applique’, basket, any block. I would like to try to make a version where stars are in place of the on point squares (half square triangles).

I think this is also the pattern that we started working on the self-bordering concept.

I found out that Jennifer died on Thursday and I felt particularly sad. Not at all because of the quilt, but because she a person who really cared about me. She taught me the value of me. She took care of me, taught me to rest and taught me that if I took care of myself I could better take care of my family and others who depend on me. She cared about me in a way that was so valuable, because she didn’t want anything back from me. I didn’t get to say good-bye and that is very difficult.

I mostly don’t make quilts for people anymore, but I do on occasion and I was glad that I made this one. She told me about a month ago, when I last talked to her, that she thought of me whenever she used it and felt like she was getting a hug from me. That is one of the nicest things anyone has said to me about something I have made.