A quilt for my best friend

Once again, I was offered a deal through a blacksmith friend. John, who helps us out a lot at the Blacksmith shop at the steam engine show, asked me if I’d be interested in some quilting fabric. His sister Bonnie was no longer able to sew due to Parkinson’s disease. 

I first bought 2 or 3 bags. When I got it, I was so pleased, I told him and his wife Linda, I’d buy the rest. The next week we all went to Bonnie’s house. She showed me some of the quilts she had made. As I walked out with 3 more huge bags of fabric, she stopped, picked up 30 absolutely beautiful Dresden blocks and said would you want these too?  I’m pretty sure my mouth dropped open as I was trying to say Yes.

She had sewn them all together, they just needed the center circle.

After I got home, I went through her fabric and matched fabric for the circles. After they were sewn on, I found the white fabric for the background in Bonnie’s fabrics.

I appliquéd them with 2 strands of embroidery thread. 

One was prettier than the last! 

I started with this layout. After I posted it on Facebook, my friend Diane, said how much she loved it. She wanted to know how big it was. After I told her if she liked it, I could make it bigger. I knew she had been looking for a long time for a new quilt on her bed.

After I’d add a row, we try it out on her King size bed. I finally made it 106” by 110”. BIG

My friend Mary, who I hand quilt with at church, said she’d love to machine quilt it for me. The back is as beautiful as the front.

I finished it off with a special quilt label.

Then I played a little sneaky and found out when Diane would be gone. Saturday morning, she was leaving at 7:45 to take care of her grandson. About 8:30, I called her house figuring her husband would answer, but he didn’t. I thought oh he must have gone deer hunting. I went to their house, his truck was in the garage, I figured he left with Diane. I open the door and yell several times for Fred, no answer. I got to the bedroom, and lo and behold, he was sound asleep. Boy, did I do a fast about face and run out of there.

So, I had no choice but wait until later. Unfortunately, I had to leave, and she beat me home that afternoon.

It fits her bed perfectly! Diane loves it.

I got an email today from Bonnie who gave me the fabric. She loves what I made it into and told me recognizing her fabric, made her so happy.

 

An absolutely amazing appliqué quilt

Prairie Flower, A year on the Plains, a book by Barbara Brackman of Lawrence, Kansas.

 

On Mother's Day 2023, I got a text from a quilter friend that I knew through our Blacksmith groups. Terri asked if I'd be interested in these 12 appliqued quilt blocks. She was given a very large basket of "works on progress" from another quilter's family. She was trying to find a good homes for some of them. 

She said there was even some additional matching fabric to set it together with. When I saw they were hand appliqued, I jumped at saying Yes! They were mailed from Lakeville, Minnesota the next day by Alan, her sweet husband.

When it arrived, I immediately found some additional fabric to make it a queen size quilt. 

At the end of August it was put in the frame. It took me 3 weeks to quilt it. 

When it was finished, I posted it on a forum of hand appliqued quilts on Facebook, asking if anyone knew the pattern. Within an hour someone told me the name of the quilt and about the book it came from.

The book is very interesting and tells a story behind each block, all flowers from Missouri and Kansas.

Bittersweet - January’s block

Dandelion - February’s block

Wood sorrel - March’s block

Sweet William -April’s block

Wild Rose - May’s block

Wild Cucumber - June’s block

Missouri Primrose - July’s block

Wild Morning Glory - August’s block

Sunflower - September’s block

Indian Paintbrush - October’s block

Aster - November’s block

Johnny-Jump—Up - December’s block

 

This block needed some additional loving. After it came out of the frame, I noticed some petals weren't quilted! Nothing a hoop couldn't help fix. 

I always like to find out the story behind the product. Terri had told me who the blocks came from, so I did some searching.

The blocks were appliqued by Pam Ronan, who unfortunately passed away in 2015. She was a very interesting woman; wish I could have met her. 

Pamela Pryshepa Ronan

Pamela Pryshepa Ronan, 64, a resident of Jackson, Twp., NJ, passed away peacefully at home on Wednesday, October 21, 2015. Pam was born in San Francisco, CA, to the late John and Cecelia Pryshepa. She was also predeceased by her brother John (Skip) of Gazelle, CA. She is survived by her husband Kevin and her brother, Michael Pryshepa and his wife Mary Lou, of Santee, CA, many cousins, nieces, nephews, and good friends. She resided in Burlingame and Alameda, CA, and then Plymouth, Minnesota, before settling in Jackson in 2007.

Pam lived a diverse and interesting life. Placed in leg braces as a toddler, her mother enrolled her in skating classes as a form of physical therapy. This led to her lifelong passion for skating, which included touring for two years as a professional ice skater with the Ice Follies. Her post skating career included working for the IRS, Wells Fargo Bank, and ITK Communications Corp.

Her artistic side included co-ownership of Berman Studio's and Art Gallery in Burlingame, CA. She produced oil paintings, learned and taught calligraphy, and later created and taught quilting in both Minnesota, where she was a member of the MN Quilt Guild, and New Jersey.

She was also the proud publisher of books on applique and beading. On a non-profit basis she created numerous quilts and crocheted items for her family members and friends.

After moving to NJ, she continued with her quilt work but expanded to include design and creations of pins, rings, necklaces, and other pieces of jewelry. She also joined the community theatre group and supported their bi-annual shows, as well as doing volunteer work with the local Brandeis chapter. Pam also was member of the Brandeis Association.