November 3, 2008

My 6th Grade Shoes by Penelope Tucker and Ronda K. Beyer was another one of my favorite quilts at PIQF. That’s putting it mildly. Actually I had a little “moment” when I saw it.

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See, what you don’t know is that this design is one of my all-time most worshipped. The blocks are from Fairmeadow by Jeana Kimball, a quilt that completely captivated me as an early quilter. Here’s my Fairmeadow book from like 15 years ago, long out of print, battered, scuffed, and much loved.

Fairmeadow by Jeana Kimball

I made my own Fairmeadow back then, slavishly collecting fabrics that replicated Jeana’s as closely as possible, and enjoyed every minute of the appliqué.

I heard a couple of years ago that my friend Pam Crooks was working on Fairmeadow in a hand appliqué class taught by her bud Penny, and now I finally got to see Penny’s version. According to the show description, “Penny was inspired by her beloved 6th grade shoes — lime green and turquoise — while selecting fabrics for this quilt. It reminded her of hot summer days in California in the 1960s. Excited to begin quilting, Ronda added her own design elements with her longarm machine.”

And guess what… this quilt won the PIQF 2008 award for Best Machine Workmanship! Congratulations Ronda! And thank you, Penny, for making this delightful rendition of the the blocks. Here are just a couple, and you can see the incredible quilting.

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Until next time,
Kay
Quilt Puppy Publications & Designs

Comments

3 Responses to “My 6th Grade Shoes”

  1. Carrie P. on November 4th, 2008 7:20 am

    What a great quilt! The quilting is neat too.

  2. LM on March 19th, 2013 4:55 pm

    I LOVE the quilt with the cats staring at the moon. Where would I find the pattern for it? And … I don’t have a sewing machine and new to applique. Probably not the easiest to start out on, any suggestions?

    Thanks :)

  3. admin on March 19th, 2013 9:25 pm

    Hi LM! The pattern is Fairmeadow, as shown in the post, and is out of print. You can appliqué by hand without a sewing machine! Check out the many tutorials on the blog or sign up for a class at your local quilt shop. Welcome to appliqué!

    Kay