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I am Trisha Moller and I am a quilter! This is my journey into the creativity of quilts!


I am a fourth generation quilter but the third generation was skipped. My mom never picked up the craft as she had too many other activities filling her plate including being a full time wife and mother, grandmother helping to raise three granddaughters and a full time RN. How she even did all of that, I am not sure. I think my mom was sleep deprived for many years and  I am grateful for the opportunities that she and my dad gave to me.

My grandmother, Flora and her mother, Arletta (my great grandmother) were the quilters in my past. My mom said that she remembered tracing and cutting out triangles for pinwheel blocks. She also said that she never wanted to cut another triangle LOL. 

As one of the three youngest grandchildren, my nana did not teach me to quilt but she did try to help me to learn clothing techniques. They did not stick to me but skipped to one of my very talented nieces who sews like the best designer out there.

I credit my sister in law, Judith, with my beginning to quilt. She gave me some books, some fabric and lots of encouragement. That was all that it took! I was hooked!

The quilt below was made by my great grandmother in the 1930's. There are all types of fabrics here: serge, upholstery, dress, etc. My mom said she could pick out her grandfather's suit as well as curtains and slipcovers. The center picture is special to me but I did not notice that fabric until after my mom passed in 2012. I was working on a portrait quilt of my mom's high school graduation picture.  My grandmother made the suit that she wore and a scrap of the fabric is in the photo in the circle. I was very emotional about it for some reason. I found a direct link to my mom in this quilt beyond the fact that it was a wedding gift to my parents in 1946. That touched me deeply.

While my nana was a traditional quilter and hand quilted her other quilts (which did not survive, unfortunately) she would have been first in line for a rotary cutter and ruler when they became available. She was always ready for change and she would be amazed by what has changed in the world of quilting. 

I am amazed myself when I look back at my 28 years of the craft. I look forward to what tomorrow will bring.

Dulcemente, (sweetly)

Trisha





Angels and Stars and Memories!

12/7/2022

4 Comments

 
This past Monday, I worked with some lovely crafters at the Milton Art League in Milton, DE. We made the angels and the Danish stars that you see above. These are two of my most favorite ornaments to make at Christmas.

Ornament making has been a big part of Christmas for me since my kids were very small. Every year we would make ornaments together and hang them on the tree. Later as my sons grew, I made them and they each got a new ornament to add to their private collections. They are now living in their own homes and those ornaments live in upstate NY and Georgia now. Some of the ornaments that we made are below. The hexie was from a Quiltmaker magazine and the cork reindeer was just imagination and a lot of wine LOL! The Santa's list was something that I did later and I printed the list so that my sons' names were on it! The snowman came out of lots of frozen juice can lids. I had saved them and used them as the foundation. 

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I certainly miss those days but there are so many crafters that want to learn to make new ornaments and I have been able to share and learn from them. The angel and danish star directions are included at the end of this paragraph if you would like to give them a try. I promise that you will want to make more than one of each. They make great additions to Christmas gift packages also. By altering the fabrics, they can be made for any celebration. Birthday angels! Anniversary or Valentine angels! Stars for Easter, Valentine's Day, Fourth of July! The possibilities are endless. 
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danish_stars_and_angels.pptx
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File Type: pptx
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Over the years I have been gifted many ornaments but I do have a favorite. I belonged to a quilt guild in upstate NY many years ago and there was a lovely lady named Enid. She was a German lady who was an avid quilter and crafter even as she aged into her 90s. One year she made 25 knapsacks for her daughter's kindergarten class so that all of the children had one. Just an amazing human being. But I digress.

One year the guild did an ornament exchange. If you brought a wrapped ornament, you got one. I chose this small squishy package and I was so happy when I saw the little teddy bear inside.
Picture
Enid had hand sewn each part of the bear. She carefully stuffed each limb and the body and the head. Even the little ears had some stuffing! She put a silver floss hanger and a silver bow tie. I could not have asked for a better ornament. That was circa 2002 and every year the boys would tussle over who would hang the bear on the tree. When I hang it now, I remember Enid fondly. She passed away just a few months after my own mom in 2012. The bear reminds me about her big heart and how she put a lot of her love into this little bear. What is the story of your favorite ornament? 

Well, that's all for this time. I do hope that you are enjoying your holiday preparations no matter what holiday you celebrate. I am getting ready to bake and wrap some gifts. Still have a bit of shopping to do and a few gifts to finish sewing. I know I had all year but I guess I like the bustle of finishing in December.

Happy holidays! Merry Christmas! Happy Hannukah! Happy Kwanzaa! 

Peacefully,
Trisha

4 Comments
Mary Rudd Deeter link
12/7/2022 09:20:29 pm

What fun projects with such lovely memories. Your sons will treasure the ornaments you have made over the years!

Reply
Jessica
12/7/2022 10:17:13 pm

What a lovely story about your ornament traditions and Enid’s bear is precious! Thank you for sharing the directions for the angel and star ornaments.

Reply
Joan
12/7/2022 11:16:37 pm

Wow Trish you made my day! I was working on danish star ornaments for gifts for my bee mates and stopped to read your latest post. It was so fun to see you enjoy making ornaments too! I think next year I would like to make a different ornament each month. Want to join me? You are an inspiring dear friend!

Reply
Tracy link
12/8/2022 02:31:44 am

Such a lovely post Trisha. I keep my handmade ornaments in a special box and they always make me think about the wonderful friends who have given them to me.

Reply



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    Who am I?

    A teacher, a quilter as well as a wife and mom and nana to Floppy and Mozzarella! Hoping to inspire others to create their own designs!

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