ALYof F: Jan.Goal/A Story Quilt

My goal for January is to quilt this story quilt I made almost three years ago. 

It all started when my daughter found a book and announced:  "Mom this is your style of quilting!" So inspired, this is the illustrated story of  our dating/engagement: 

He grew up with my brother.

I was the irritating younger sister to my brother's friends.

That's okay....I thought of him as my brother's dorky friend. (LOL!)

Yet, here we were...I was post college and he was post Navy. So we were 24ish in age.

We both had moved back home. Oats sewn.

I was actually waitressing with a BS in JLS set to return to school that next summer to get my teaching degree...my lifelong desire. Here he comes into the restaurant I'm waitressing in for dinner...and something just clicked. He left pulling a plastic rose out of an arrangement proclaiming his desire to date me. Before we knew it, he had his own booth every shift I worked.

Every story quilt starts with an idea.
Then you sketch out your top eight to ten items of that idea.

Once you have your sketch...take it to your local print shop and have it blown up.
When ya think it's big enough, go a little bigger!
You want your pieces to over-lap into the border.
 

The truck is my main focal point. Here are my ten items:

My Item #1:  Do you remember cassettes! (Good you are in my age range...LOL!!)

I used Purple Chimp Print & Iron Cotton Fabric Sheets and literally copied our original cassette tape! I was able to just iron the "cassette tape" right onto the quilt. I used iron-on letters for the words.

My Item #2: I'll never forget the day my then "boyfriend" picking me up for lunch during my student teaching days and proudly "popping" in the cassette: "Whenever You Need Somebody" by Rick Astley and "fast-forwarding" it to the song: "Together Forever". And then proclaiming: "That's the kind of husband I'm going to be to you." (Huh?I didn't know we were getting married!) LOL!!! (I actually did in my heart, but was just playing is cool!)Yet, in that very moment I knew I had my forever in front of me and "Together Forever" continues to be "our song".

My Item #3: So ya see that book flying towards you?

Well, we started dating at a Spring Carnival the third week in March of 1988. I was due to return to college to get my teaching degree that May. So off  I went as he refused to marry me until I got that done.  My item #4: So penniless, we used my book money from that school session and bought our engagement rings ($400.00 for the whole set!) and I spend nights in the library studying using library textbook copies. We still wear these ring to this day...notice mine is even broken! 

BTW: This IS what my nails look like during the winter when I am NOT mowing and gardening.

Wellll...this February we celebrate number 25 and we will be getting new rings.  Truth be told, I just want a nice gold band. My hands are too busy for anything else. (smiles)

 My Item #5: Our original set of rings will be sewn right onto the girl's protruding, yet proud hand! (my husband's idea btw)

My Item #6: Many picnic weekends  followed filled with port wine cheese, jugs of cheap wine by the lake and lots of champagne.   We had our own little picnic basket and it went everywhere with us! (We still have it)

My Items #7: He had Nissan king cab mini truck and My item #8: we spent every weekend adventuring. Whether it was 8 miles to the lake or 207 miles to the mountains...we were inseparable. I stitched all our favorite spots on this directional post:

Item #9 It truly was: Pure F-8 (Pure fate) This was our first license plate as a married couple and it now hangs in his "man room". The years: 1989 and 2007 indicate the 18 years we lived in Arizona. And who could resist a bumper made of LOVE fabric!

Item #10: The Road Sign proclaims our engagement and wedding dates.

Yes, we were married within 8 months of dating!

So there ya have it....an illustrated story of our dating/engagement. I think Mary Lou would be proud! Do you have a quilt story you'd like to make? Share what it would it be. Too many ideas bouncing around in your head? Here's how ya get started:

First, write your ideas down and brainstorm as many memories that go with each.

Next, select the one item that "represents" the memory. (In my case it was the truck.)

Finally, pick 6-10 of your top items to include in the quilt.

I made the background first and this works like your palette.

The rest is done applique style.

I made the border colors to match our master bedroom and I can't wait to get this on the quilting frame. I feel blessed to be celebrating 25 years of marriage to my best friend. 

With smiles!

Val:)

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