Show & Tell
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Below is Noreen Hinton with her quilt shown at our Aug. meeting. To accompany it, she wrote a sweet story that should touch the heart of every quilter. Enjoy!
Noreen Hinton with her quilt, "Confessions of a Scrapaholic"
Confessions of a Scrapoholic
By Noreen Hinton
By Noreen Hinton
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Many years ago-probably 10 or more-I took a hand-piecing class from Froncie Quinn. She writes the reproduction patterns for the quilts displayed at the Shelburne Museum. I had been hand piecing for a few years, so I had a pretty good handle on the technique, but Froncie taught me how to fussy-cut the 1½” pieces to make something truly unique. What fun! I was hooked!
The quilt these pieces were inspired by is a famous quilt by Florence Peto, titled “Calico Garden”; forty fussy-cut nine patches, set on point, alternated with miniature, very detailed, applique. I had wanted to re-create this quilt the minute I saw it. I didn’t have the pattern but it didn’t stop me from digging through my scraps (I save everything) and making one nine-patch after the other.…A word here about my love for scraps- From the time I learned to sew I saved all the leftover pieces, not just to be thrifty but because I loved the look of them. Somewhere in my youth I saw a crazy quilt and vowed my scraps would end up as one someday. My very first bed quilt was a crazy quilt, full of scraps from the clothes I had made. No pattern or instruction-I mean really how hard could it be? I won’t go into that here. It was my first step into quilting and even though it is old and ragged. I still love it. After I took the class, I began to look at fabric differently, I could imagine how patterns and colors would coordinate or complement each other. I centered little designs and motifs to create really fun and beautiful combinations. This grew into an obsession where I even bought new fabric because I could see how the patterns would fit perfectly in the small squares or go with another piece I already had, thus inadvertently, increasing my stash. I would cut the nine pieces and pin them together in cute little stacks and stash them in my sewing kit to work on whenever I had a moment. I sewed during lectures, substitute teaching jobs, birthday parties and when my husband couldn’t stop talking at family gatherings. It became my solace, keeping me patient with delays and wait time. I loved finishing a 9-patch and smoothing it out in front of me. I was always delighted to see the finished block (the whole was always more than the sum of its parts) as the individual pieces were transformed into a whole cohesive unit. I was addicted. I likened it to eating bon-bons, you know, the ones you can’t tell what’s inside them till you bite into it and then you want to know what the next one might have inside and then the next and the next! And the next thing I knew I had made over 200 nine-patch blocks!! I just had to stop! I stacked them neatly in a box waiting for the moment I could start putting them together. I had seen a finished “Calico Garden” at the quilt show in St. Albans and carefully photographed it hoping to be able to recreate the appliqued designs. But the more I looked at them the more impossible it seemed. I knew my girlfriend Judy Soucier had made the quilt but I hesitated to ask to borrow the pattern. One day at her house I was admiring her quilt and she gave me the pattern. Of course it took a few years to complete it especially as I have little patience or talent for the tiny appliqued pieces it required. In 2022 I finally finished it, complete with appliqued borders and hand quilting. Victory! Now, what to do with the 160+ remaining fussy-cut nine-patch blocks stacked ever so neatly in their box? As much as I loved my 9-patch blocks those alternate appliqued ones weren’t anything I had any desire to do ever again! Sometimes when I’m away from home or too stressed out to sleep, I dream in quilts. During one of these sessions I had an epiphany. I could alternate my blocks with an oval fussy-cut from novelty prints! These smooth edges would be easy to applique and add fun and interest to the finished quilt. I couldn’t wait to start. I counted out how many I would need (well, I came close, anyway) and cut out muslin squares. Then the fun began as I combed through my scraps again looking for different types of patterns and pictures to alternate with my beloved blocks. I cut lots of freezer paper ovals and centered them over the desired designs. Hand-appliqueing these were another source of stress relief especially when attending Navy reunions with my husband. They went together quickly and I was excited to anticipate the final completion of this long-term project. In 2023, (mostly at the reunions) I was able to sew the rows together and the quilt began to take shape. When it was all together, I machine blanket-stitched around all the appliqued ovals with coordinating threads. At this stage, I needed to find the perfect backing. Nothing I had worked, and even on the lookout through several ‘Shop Hops’ I couldn’t find just the right one. I’m ashamed to say I stumbled across it in JoAnn’s. It’s as scrappy looking as the front, perfect. Sometimes you have to make concessions. I got it basted and ready to quilt. The next obstacle was HOW to quilt it, and with what color. This took much thought-and another Navy Reunion! The wallpaper in our hotel room was a series of swirls and loops I could see framing the appliqued ovals and complimenting the 9-patches without overwhelming them. Some quilts are about how the quilting stands out and others are about the fabrics. This quilt was ALL about the fabric. I chose muslin-colored neutral thread so as not to call attention to the quilting. When I put it on the machine, and began the repetitive motion to quilt each block, I once again began connecting with the fabrics. I marveled at the diversity, the way the colors and patterns played together, how I had arranged them in pleasing color combinations and so on. I became lost in the scrappiness and the memories the majority of them stirred. I was carried away to places and times long forgotten. I was where I had worn that dress, or with who had given me pieces of fabric. Memories of my mother, sister, friends, shopping trips, places and I gone and things I had done. Most of all I was amazed at the sheer number of different fabrics I had accumulated over my 60+ years of sewing and quilting. As I swooped and swirled, my life was dancing along with me. There’s a piece of my favorite square dance dress, here’s a piece my mother used to cover a photo album of heirloom family photos. Then there’s the piece from my sister. She had bought yards and yards of a beautiful pastel calico and made a bassinet skirt, a diaper holder, curtains and other items in anticipation of the birth of her first, (and only) child. When the baby was stillborn, she gave a lot of it to me. Even though the fabric has found its way into many of my projects it’s always an emotional journey when I see it. The fussy-cut pieces, both in the 9-patches and the ovals pay tribute to many people and things; swans for my mother, owls for dad, pigs for my, now deceased, brother-in-law. My husband was in the Navy, and spent many years with the Boy Scouts, where he took a leadership course called “Wood Badge” and was in the Fox Patrol, hence the foxes. I like dragons and castles, my sister is into bunnies. My daughter and grand-daughter (and I) love horses. As I ran out of novelty prints in my stash I sent out a request to my friends and the guild, which resulted in many bright fun fabrics that added to the charm of the quilt and weave warm thoughts of each throughout. I had been calling this quilt “Calico Garden ll” until I started quilting it. I suddenly realized how the fabrics really spoke to me and how much I loved the uniqueness and the diversity of the ridiculous (some would say) little pieces I save. Yes, I fondle my fabric-not nearly often enough-and just enjoy the beauty of what I have. Making quilts as scrappy as possible is my delight. One of the most fun things about quilting is changing up a pattern to make it your own and as it speaks to you-rename it. So I have re-titled this project “Confessions of a Scrapaholic”. “Hi. My name is Noreen and I am a Scrapoholic.” Pot Luck Party and Show & Tell, July 2024
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Show & Tell, January 2022
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Show & Tell, December 2021
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Show & Tell, April 2021
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Show & Tell, November-December 2020
Noreen Hinton: Dogs in sweaters quilt made along with Elaine. Her daughter and my friend both have dachshunds. This will be a Christmas present for my friend and her dog.
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Noreen Hinton: 5K t- shirt quilt using shirts from 30 events over4 years. Label on the back is the "Couch to 5K" program I used to train.
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Noreen Hinton: Finally after 5+ years I made this from a pattern given to me by Judy Soucier and fabrics collected during shop hops.
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Jeanne Prue: I fell in love with this baby quilt design from KLee2Strings. Made entirely from my stash. So fun!
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Jeanne Prue: Made these for my brother & sister-in-law, former coffeeshop owners and current coffee enthusiasts. Design for the block by SatomiQuilts.
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Actual & Virtual Show & Tell, July 2020
Virtual Show & Tell, May 2020
Click on each photo to read the caption!
Click on each photo to read the caption!
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Virtual Show & Tell, April 2020
Click on each photo to read the caption!
Click on each photo to read the caption!
