About

Quilt Block Info is a collection of instructional posts about various quilt blocks. Where available I have provided histories of the block and links to more resources for blocks.

This resource is a labor of love by an avid quilter.

Who Am I?

My name is Sandra Fikes, and I live in Alaska where I am a full-time caregiver to my dad.

I started quilting because of my mother. Around 2004 or 2005 I was at a loss for something to give her for Christmas, so I sat down with my old sewing machine and a pile of fabric scraps I used for bookbinding and creating one of a kind art dolls. I had never tried to make a quilt before, did not know anyone that made quilts, and had never read any magazines or books on quilting. I simply knew that I needed something special for my mom for Christmas, and a quilt seemed to be something I could create for her.

I started by deciding on a pattern. It would be a simple pattern of triangles sewn into squares, then sewn together to make a roughly twin size quilt top. I still remember selecting just the right materials from the discounted fabrics bins and fat quarters baskets at local fabric shops. Carefully arranging the triangles, which were each cut out using a paper template and scissors. Sewing and at times using a seam ripper when I sewed the wrong pieces together or got a piece accidentally backward.

Late at night, as my mother slept in her bedroom, I would sneak into the kitchen and spread the quilt pieces out on the floor to decide where they each should go. With a scattering of red velvet pieces it was important to make sure I had everything spaced out properly.

When Christmas arrived I had finished the top of the quilt and presented it to my mom. It would be two more years before I would get the batting and backing and begin stitching the quilt together. Another year before I would begin the task of hand sewing the binding onto the edges.

Today, as I write this, the quilt lays unfinished on the sofa in the living room. I will never regret that my mom used it as a lap blanket and to cover herself on her bed despite the quilt being unfinished, since I do not think I will ever finish it now that she has passed away.

And yet, I continue to quilt because of the love of quilting I discovered as a result of creating that work of love for my mother. Quilts have a life of their own, with each unique quilt telling a story all its own. For me, the soft velvets of my mother’s quilt represent the first quilt she fell in love with. A velvet bedspread that was made up of multiple dark mottled tones of velvet. The red of those small triangles represents the fire in which that original velvet quilt was lost. The eclectic assortment of fabrics used in the quilt represents the wonderfully eclectic variety of things my mother encouraged me to believe in and pursue. And the unfinished condition of the quilt, with its long tail of binding still hanging loose, represents the unfinished dreams that my mother and I had. The things we dreamed of doing and never had the chance.

I spent many uncounted hours laboring with love on that quilt, and as my mother had, I use it despite its unfinished condition. I also still quilt, with a passion and joy that is sewn into each quilt I create. Quilts are creations of love, each of them a cherished heirloom that should be passed down through the generations. They are used to wrap our loved ones in on a cold night, snuggled within as we watch television or read a book. They are spread on the ground to lay on, and crushed into the back of a car for long trips. Quilts are folded lovingly into a young girl’s hope chest and spread across guest beds as showpieces. They are memories and hopes, they are dreams of the future and threads of the past. To create a quilt, to see the scraps of fabric joined together to create something that will serve so many purposes… there is nothing I can think of that gives so much satisfaction and enjoyment as the creation of a quilt – unless it is seeing the eyes of a loved one light up as they receive such a precious gift that has been made with love exclusively for them.