Serendipity Quilt

A few years ago, when I went away to the Lancaster show, Bonnie Hunter was staying at the BYB and during show and tell, she shared a darling quilt she'd made using alternating 16-patch blocks and pinwheel blocks. Her blocks were 9 inches finished. I was intrigued by the secondary pattern they made, and couldn't wait to try it myself!

. . . .

When I got home, I pulled out my hand dyed fabrics and got to work. I made my blocks half the size of Bonnie's. I only had one piece of fabric large enough for the border, so I used it. When the top was all pieced, I hand quilted it, and I had a piece of a different fabric that was just big enough to get the binding out of. I had no idea what I was going to do with it. But I loved it.

. . . .

I brought it to school to show my friend Carol. She said, right away, "Is that to hang in your new office?" I didn't know what she meant. Construction for the new library building had been going on for the better part of a year, and the Head of School and I were to be housed in it. But I hadn't been down to the construction area in weeks. Carol explained, "The days that you were out, the workmen got the painting done in your office and the carpet was laid yesterday. Didn't you know?" I didn't. I went down to see, and was amazed to find that the color scheme for the office perfectly matched the little quilt. I'd always proclaimed, "I don't make wall hangings! I want my quilts to be used -- you can sleep under them, or make love on them, or use them as tablecloths! But don't hang them on the wall!"

. . . .

I ate my words. My first wall hanging is on my wall still. And I love it even more.