While scheduling a book signing in Virginia, I was asked to bring along some of my favorite quilts. “Favorites?” I wondered. And that caused me to begin thinking about my quilting life in general.
I spread my quilts out around the house and realized that most of the ones I had chosen to keep for myself were traditional in design and fabric. I suppose I am drawn to the quilts made by our mothers and grandmothers. It was while living with my grandmother that I learned to love quilts.
The quilt below is one of my favorite. I used civil war reproduction fabrics and a picture I saw in a quilting magazine. I thought this was going to be a very complicated quilt to make until I realized it only had two blocks: a four patch and a square with two snowball corners. Its all in the placement!
As you can see below, I have a preferred style. Most of the quilts I’ve made using more modern designs and fabrics are on the beds of my children and my friends. These have remained with me:
Here are a couple of the ones that got away.
I’ve also had fun rescuing abandoned and damaged pieces of embroidery — old pillowcases, doilies, dresser scarves. I tried purchasing ones that weren’t damaged but found I was unable to bring myself to cut into them.
I’m currently playing with a new idea with these rescued pieces but haven’t decided how to put them together since they are all different sizes.
Oh, and of course there are my houses. In my last blog, I talked about my obsession with houses. I have a dozen patterns and ideas and hope to finish the Winter Village this month.
Laundry Basket Quilts
So that’s an overview of my quilting life. Of course, I made all the quilts on the covers of my Quilting Cozy series and C&T Publishing added the patterns. If you haven’t read one, I hope you’ll give them a try. They should be read in order because of the backstory which follows the development of relationships in the retirement village, but each book will have a mystery to be solved and quilts to be made! Have an incredible rest of your year.
A Quilting Cozy Series - Carol Dean Jones 
Being your sister, I’ve had the joy of seeing almost all of your quilts through the years in one stage or another of “production” and have been gifted with many from you which decorate my home and add so much! The thing I love about receiving a quilt from a quilter is that you KNOW how much time and thought and love have gone into bringing it to life. It’s a personal gift. I think it’s great that your books feature patterns for the quilts that are “in” each story. The photos above are wonderful and show everyone just how much talent you have for pattern, color and quilting!
Love, Pam
Thank you, Pam. Not everyone realizes how much goes into making a quilt, but you know that I love every minute of it. It’s a creative outlet with enormous rewards. You understand that because I know you’ve felt it with your painting. Thank you for commenting and for being my dear baby sister! Much love.
These are lovely. I need to check out your series
Thank you, Lori. If you go to my website and choose About Books from the menu, you can see if the plots appeal to you. I’ve had fun writing them and readers tell me they can relate to the characters. I’d love it if you’d give one a try…but read them in order so you can see the relationships as they develop (Tie Died: A Quilting Cozy is Book #1).
Thank you for leaving a comment.
Best wishes,
Carol
website: https://www.CarolDeanJones.com