The Sun, The Moon and The Stars

· by · in Customer Quilts, Uncategorized. ·

I cannot believe I didn’t blog about this quilt!  This quilt has such a story to tell.

The piecer of this quilt – Lorna – had been bringing me quilts for a while. Lots of fabulous quilts!  I kept telling her, “Lorna! You need to enter your quilts in a national contest!” and she kept pooh poohing that idea. Here are a couple of pictures of just two of the gorgeous quilts she had been bringing me up to this point.

Finally, she called me in March, 2015. She said she had been working on a paper-pieced Bali Wedding Star pattern and would like to try and get it entered in a national show. Finally!  Yes!  I was happy that she was finally owning up to the fact that her piecing was just as good as what I was seeing at these national shows.

Then, in late spring, early summer, she called me and said she had been to the doctor for a cough that wouldn’t clear up and for back pain. She was diagnosed with metastatic lung cancer.  Stage 4. She was going to enter chemo treatment but still planned to work on that quilt.  Which she did, while undergoing chemo!  She continued to work on it over that summer and into the fall.  The chemo was helping some of the pain from the cancer that had spread to her bones, but it also made it impossible for her to bend over. One of her friends would come over to her house and bend over and pick up the blocks that were laid out on the floor and hand them to her to piece. She finished the quilt that way and got it to me the first week of November, 2015.

I pushed back every other quilt that was in my queue at that time (I have the most understanding clients) and put her quilt on the frame immediately.  When she gave it to me to quilt, she said she had done what she considered her best work ever and that it was now up to me to get it accepted at Paducah.  No stress, there.

I struggled a bit with the quilting design, but I finally wound up with a sun motif, which included lots of little tiny pearls. All of these done manually on my longarm. I had to slow way down in order to keep those pearls within the lines.  This quilt measured in at a huge 100″ x 111″!!  It was on my frame nearly the entire month of November (I do work full-time during the day). The deadline for entering Paducah was December 5, and we still had to get the binding applied to that scalloped edge. She was able to only get one side bound, so we (a bunch of her friends and myself) pinned the binding to the back and hung it up at the quilt shop (Main Street Quilt Company, Shelbyville, IL) where she taught classes and took pictures for the entry form.  I then entered it for her and we waited.

Lorna got the word on March 3, 2016 that her quilt had indeed been juried into the Paducah 2016 Quilt show. Her health was really failing at that time, but the news put a big grin on her face.  She slipped away from us 13 days later.  She never got to see her quilt hanging at Paducah or at any of the other quilt shows I’ve entered it into since then. She did not receive a ribbon at Paducah, but she did receive a ribbon at MQX-Midwest that fall – a 1st place ribbon in the Custom Our Daily Bed category.  I was honored to receive her ribbon for her husband and family who was there at the awards show. Since then, it has received a 1st and Viewers Choice at the Arthur Quilt Show – an Amish show in a nearby community. It was juried into the Indiana Heritage Quilt Show and I’m waiting word on jury acceptance at Shipshewana.

LornaWhile quilting this quilt, a phrase Lorna said kept going through my mind, “This quilt means the world to me”.  I told her she should name the quilt, “The Sun, The Moon and The Stars” because it meant the world to her.  So, that’s what it is named.

One thing I always say when getting the chance to talk about Lorna’s quilt, is that because of this quilt – this very special quilt – her memory will live on beyond all of our lifetimes. Every time someone sees this quilt — whether it’s today, next year or 100 years from now — her name will be spoken and a little bit of her will live on.

I miss you Lorna.

Here’s a pic of me in front of the quilt at MQX – Midwest last year. You can see how big this quilt was!

2016-10-27 00.05.21

And this sporting two ribbons at Arthur:

2017-05-09 10.28.43

hmmm.  Don’t look but I seem to have grown a bit in the past year. Got to get moving again on that!

45 responses to “The Sun, The Moon and The Stars”

  2. This is a amazing quilt and it brings tears to my eyes to read how it was made. I’m sure her family will treasure it forever. Marjorie

  4. This is the 1st time I have read about this wonderful quilt and the lady that pieced it. What a nice tribute to Laura. Lovely quilting. Thank you for sharing her story.

  6. Wow is all I can say – this quilt is fantastic and the quilter did an awesome job. thank you for sharing the story about Lorna, she was blessed with many talents and very special friends.

  10. It is so beautiful! What an inspiring story behind the finishing of the quilt. It has love and true friendship woven and colliding with the colors and stitches. Thank you for helping Lorna finish this piece of textile art. I am in awe of the skills that went into making this quilt and the love that came together to complete it.

  11. BEAUTIFUL, BEAUTIFUL, BEAUTIFUL. JUST OUTSTANDING. What a talent to be able to make a quilt so beautiful.❤️❤️❤️

  12. That is a wonderful friend and you to her. The quilts there in Kentucky are brilliant and inspiring. When I visited there I was so honored to see the talent and encourage anyone to go there if they are able.

  14. I love that quilt and have been searching for the pattern to make it. If any one knows where i could get it please let me know. Thanks for sharing this beautiful quilt.

  16. What a beautiful story. This is what we all hope for when we spend that my hours…that people will enjoy it long after we are gone. Thanks for sharing. Brings tears to my eyes.

  17. I love quilter’s stories especially the ones where quilting brings people together. I am a rather new quilter and love all the new friends I have made. I especially admire their talent. I love this story, so many big hearts coming together. The quilt is amazing!

  18. Bless Lorna’s heart for finishing this quilt. Judy N. came to our guild and gave a workshop on this one in 2006. I have labored with it off and on since and have finally finished the top this year. It is on my longarm now. In looking for ideas for quilting, I came across your masterpiece. The quilting is fabulous! Great job keeping her love alive.

  19. Thank you for sharing the photos & the story of Lorna & her beautiful quilt! May Lorna Rest In Peace in God’s strong arms, knowing that her beautiful quilt is bringing joy to those of us who are lucky enough to see her gorgeous handwork !

  20. Wow! What an incredible quilt! Thanks for letting us see this beautiful piece of art and for sharing Lorna’s story with us. I’m sad she didn’t get to see her beloved quilt hung at Paducah (but I bet she was watching from above), but so happy about the journey the quilt has had since then.

  24. I just happened on this website and the story really grabbed me. When I clicked on Lorna Blount’s photo and where she was from I just about fell over. This pattern has been my favorite for years and being a longarmer I dream of making one. But Lorna was from the same town my sister-in-law is from and she lives in Palmer, IL now. It’s a small world.

  28. What a Beautiful Testament, for you to honor her quilt and her skill as well as her memory❣️
    No one knows better than quilters, how much of yourself goes into each one you make. She was definitely a very Special Lady. You were a very special friend…

  29. Thanks so much for sharing with us. I know this was a few years back, but it’s such a touching story. You are a wonderful friend to carry on the legacy of her work. This is a gorgeous quilt. I know her family treasures it, and you for being so kind.

  31. Wow what a story! That is the beauty of quilting , the quilters story lived on. Love this pattern. Is this a pattern you can buy? As I told someone just the other day, a quilt is the threads of your family history. Then they become part of your history to be passed from Generation to generation. Thank you for sharing her story!

  32. I absolutely love the Sun design on The Sun, The moon and the stars quilt. I have made a Bali wedding star quilt for my nephew and his fiancé for their wedding in April. It is in ocean themed colors. I would love to use this Sun in my quilt. Do you sell digital designs? I have a Handi Quilter Avante with the pro stitcher premium software. Thanks Tara Hatfield

  34. What a gorgeous quilt! And the story about the person who pieced it is so touching. She sounds like a very humble person. Thank you for sharing❣️

  35. Those are magnificent. I tried quilting once and it is so time and labor intensive for simple designs… I just didn’t have the patience. I am amazed at the beauty of it and the detail.

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