Most of my unfinished projects are in stages of design and piecing or are completed tops. However, looking though my “stash” of work the other day, I found a top that was even basted and partially hand-quilted. I’d put it away and forgotten all about it. So I’ve pulled it out and begun working to finish it again. Have you ever hand quilted?* Once you get in the groove, it is a very calming and zen-like activity. The repetition can become mindless and be very soothing. I highly recommend it.

July house

This quilt is particularly near and dear to my heart because I adapted it to be a keepsake for my family.

It is a 4 seasons quilt, machine pieced and hand appliquéd, that has trees, motifs, and houses for every season.There are 12 houses so each represents a month. For each family member’s birthday month, I used fabric from a quilt I had previously made for that family member.

October house

For instance, the July house has a blue-and-purple print that is from the first bed quilt I made for my daughter, Melissa. Her birthday is in July. The October house, representing my other daughter, Sarah, has a green print from her first bed quilt (from me) and a “raining cats and dogs” print from the first quilt she ever made. I did the same thing for my husband’s birthday month and my own.

February has red for Valentine’s day, March has green for St. Pat’s, December has little embroidered candles in the window for Christmas. Each month has something special to commemorate it.

December house

Autumn tree

Summer picnic

Then there are the motifs: these are little hand-appliquéd vignettes that represent the seasons.

There are pumpkins and a squirrel with an acorn in the fall, a snowman in the winter, tulips for the spring, and my favorite – a picnic basket scene complete with ants for the summer. Each season also has two appliquéd trees: an evergreen and a deciduous. I love the one with the fallen leaves for autumn. I plan to embroider each person’s name and birthdate on the roof of his/her birthday-month house.** Then if (when) the family grows, I’ll add names and dates of spouses and children. The door to the September house already has the date 1981 and entwined gold rings embroidered. That’s the month and year my husband, Jeff, and I were married; that’s when the family this quilt was made for began!

*For instructions and tips on hand-quilting, see the books Hand Quilting with Alex Anderson by Alex Anderson and Piecing the Piece O’ Cake Way by Becky Goldsmith and Linda Jenkins.

**For embroidery lettering techniques, see The ABCs of Words on Quilts by Elizabeth Scott.

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1. Quilts for the Alzheimer’s Art Quilt Initiative
2. Quilting Tips: Sewing and Matching Perfect Points
3. Building a Quilting Sisterhood
4. Quiltmaking Tips: Quilting Shapes on Quilts
5. Do I spy another baby?