Biggest Quilt Sale Ever Continues

September 2, 2021

As a follow on to my previous blog post, Biggest Quilt Sale Ever, I have added a bunch of new quilts to the shop. There are many different sizes here. Some are meant for the wall, some are meant to be lap quilts, some could be either. If you’d like to take a look, there’s a shop button below (the quilts here are only a selection of what’s available). I’ve had questions about our move as well, so I wanted to assure you all that this is a good move for our family. Please keep reading for more information about why we are moving at the end.

Quilts for Sale

I also want to thank everyone who has purchased a quilt so far in this sale or any item at anytime over the past number of years that I’ve been selling my work. It’s such an incredible feeling to know that someone likes your work enough to purchase a piece and to know it will go to a good home. I have made hundreds of quilts over the years and most have been sold, donated or given as gifts. I have had a hard time storing the ones I’ve kept and storage gets to be more of an issue every year. Many are hard to even offer for sale, let alone ship them off, but I’d rather they be used/loved/displayed than be stuck in my closet. I do have quilts that are so meaningful I’d never sell them, but I also have many that I’ve enjoyed for years and it’s just time for them to move on. Plus, I do keep making more so I don’t think I’ll have a shortage any time soon.

I don’t really know how my studio practice will evolve after we move, but I do feel that my quilt work will change. I will probably produce fewer pieces per year. I won’t have so many quilt challenges calling my name. My one “for sure” quilt every year will continue to be my book quilt for The Undercover Quilters. Once you’re in the group you can never leave even if you move away (that’s our only rule!). Plus, it’s really one of my favorite things to do.

Otherwise, my work will likely be smaller art quilts made with solid fabrics. I want to explore the use of solid fabrics in abstract designs. I also want to figure out a way that I can hand quilt. I have always preferred the look and feel of a hand quilted piece. I have done a lot of machine quilting and had many quilts beautifully machine quilted by experts, but nothing can compare to the softness of hand quilted project. And if I’m hand quilting that will also slow my production by a lot. Which is probably a good thing- the closets will fill slower.

I don’t see myself entering as many quilt shows as I had been before the pandemic. I really want to focus on projects that are most meaningful to me and my loved ones. I have found that focusing on quilt show pieces takes away from that, it takes so much extra time, it can be stressful to meet deadlines, and in the back of my head I’m always wondering what the judges will think.

Another thing is that I used to take all sorts of classes with quilt artists. Living in Central Oregon I have had the benefit of all the national and international teachers that were brought in by the Stitchin’ Post. Several years ago I slowed and then stopped signing up for classes at Quilter’s Affair and QuiltCon. I would have fun, and learn something new, but always end up with things I felt compelled to finish. At this point I just want to do my own thing. I love my studio time when I’m just exploring on my own, so I want to be sure I have plenty of time for that.

All of that is to say, in the future I will likely have many fewer quilts for sale. This may be the last time I ever have a sale like this, especially of the more folk art style applique pieces.

As far as moving, my husband and I grew up in Massachusetts and we are happy to go back to be near my husband’s family and to do more exploring in New England. It’s been 32 years since we moved away so it seems like time to get back there. Also, our daughter who is getting married one month from today (!) will be moving to NYC next summer with her husband for just a year and then on to Europe for the long term. We really wanted to be closer to them for visits.

If you’ve read this far, I thank you for sticking with me. I hope you’ve enjoyed the quilts in this post. As a reminder the shops will be open until September 28, then closed for a week for the wedding. I may open them up for a couple of weeks in October, but I can’t promise that. They’ll then be closed until mid to late November after we move and settle in. If you want to follow the move I’ll keep posting on Instagram even when I can’t make time for blog posts.

Instagram