Thursday, June 1, 2017

Hello, my name is...

Can you believe that the summer months are upon us already?  Our kids are so excited to be out of school… today is the last day, and it’s only a half day.  I see many summer camps, video gaming, movie and TV watching, and playing with family and friends in the near future.

We want you all to know that we read your comments, and we do hear you!  We set up our own contributor accounts, so that we’ll be posting as one or the other of us, instead of as Mom.  And, we LOVE the idea of giving an introduction to everyone about ourselves and our particular interests in quilting.  Here goes…

I’m Jenny Arkinson, the older sister, and former (I hope) pain in the rear end sister.  I work at NASA, just like Mom, except that I remained working in the Office of Procurement, which I absolutely love!  I’ve been married to my wonderful husband, Mark, for just over 11 years now, and we have an almost 10-year-old son, Jack.  He turns 10 later this month.  I enjoy reading fiction novels, spending time with family and friends, playing video games, and, of course, quilting.

As for quilting itself, and the memories that go along with it… my first memory of Mom quilting is of a biblical quilt that she appliqued when I was probably around my son’s age.  The thing is HUGE!  I mean, larger than a king size quilt!  I remember her laying it all out on our library floor as she was putting it together, and then seeing it hang in our back stairway for most of the years that we lived in that house.  It starts at the bottom of the quilt with Adam and Eve, and moves up along the quilt through some of the more popular Bible stories. 







The very first quilt I ever made was a single square for a crazy quilt.  That was the beginning.  I have no idea where that block is today… probably torn apart or thrown away during some clean-out phase of the house.  The next quilt I made, with close instruction and supervision by Mom, wasn’t until I was in my mid-20s.  It was a paper pieced Geese in the Cabin quilt done in pastel floral prints.  It was a queen size quilt, which was pretty big for my first endeavor.  The next project was a Judy Niemeyer Christmas tree skirt, which I still use today.  Next, although quite a few years later, followed a French Braid done in civil war reds and blues, which was on my bed until about a month ago!  And that brings us to recent years, where I’ve completed around ten quilts now.  It’s not a lot, but I’m pretty proud of the work that I’ve done! 




This is Mary Garman-Duarte now, and I am a couple years younger than Jenny. I am a dermatologist and my husband and I also live in Friendswood, Texas, though we love spending time at our ranch near Columbus, Texas. Our kids, ages 8, 10, and 12, enjoy keeping us crazy and happy. Our girls play lacrosse, and we LOVE cheering them on and supporting growth of the sport in Texas. Our son mostly loves his iPad and playing with his friends and cousin Jack, though he has dabbled in many sports. Our middle daughter, Daisy, made several quilts with her GG (Grandma Garman) and owns more sewing machines than me thanks to GG.

While Mom may have learned to quilt as a child from her grandmother, I don't remember her quilting until I was in middle school when she made the biblical quilt that Jenny referred to. I remember helping her color in the pattern before she started sewing and watching a bolt of shimmery gold fabric turn into beautiful accents in the sun, stars, angel’s halo, border trim, and more.

My first memories of her sewing were actually of her making clothes for Jenny and me. My favorite outfit was a floor length yellow dress that had tiny white raised dots and a white ribbon belt. To me, it was a formal gown. We did not go out to eat much, as our parents tended to be quite frugal. But for special occasions, we went to Steak 'N Ale by Baybrook Mall, which was arguably the best restaurant in Clear Lake City around 1980. I remember feeling so special in my gown, and they would let us order whatever we wanted. I always asked for king crab legs with the salad bar. I would normally never eat salad at that age (5-7 years old), but everything seemed so cold and fresh, and even the plate was chilled. I loved excavating the crab meat from the shells with the tiny little fork and dunking it the candle-warmed butter. And it would not have been the same experience if I had not been in that hand-made dress! Jenny had a matching one of course that she would also wear, so I am sure we looked pretty cute.

I made my first and only quilt about 9 years ago. It is an appliqué Hawaiian pattern. I was inspired after a trip to Kauai that I earned for being Chief Resident for my dermatology training program in 2006. I guess I would consider myself a true quilter, as it still does not have a back or binding but is otherwise complete! I hope to make a Victorian crazy quilt some day with Jenny's help, and Mom had given me several satin fabrics, embroidery thread, and books to get started.



Thanks to everyone for continuing to follow our blog.  Many have asked about Mom’s Blue Heaven quilt, and whether the pattern will be available.  The answer is YES!  We’re putting the finishing touches on the pattern now and will send it to a fabulous quilter to test over the coming months.  Then, you’ll see on the website!  We’ve got other ideas swirling around, so keep on reading, and, as always, keep on quilting.

18 comments:

  1. Thanks for this blog. I love your quilts. They are quite ambitious and give me hope for my quilting efforts. Keep up the good work. Enjoy what you do.

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  2. LOL, yes, I have many quilts without a back or binding, so I guess I am a "true quilter" too! Love that. :D So glad to learn more about you both, and love the quilts you have shared. And that Bible quilt is beautiful, I can't even think how she did it! Great post.

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  3. Thank you for taking the time to maintain the blog. I think your mom turned me into a "real" quilter when I followed along and made the first block of the month quilt that she designed got The Quilt Show. I am currently working on the Halo Medallion block of the month, so I think of her frequently. Thanks again!

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  4. Hi Jenny and Mary, I feel like I know you already from some of your Mom's posts over the years. I definitely have seen Daisy's handiwork along side he grinning grandmother. Thanks for taking the time to introduce yourselves. I will keep watching and reading your posts! Enjoy the day.

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  5. I very much enjoyed reading the memories you shared. I'm sure you miss both of your parents very much. I absolutely adore that Hawaiian quilt top. Maybe you could turn it into a "summer spread"?

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  6. It's so nice to meet you! Thank you for sharing a bit about yourselves and for continuing to blog about your lives and your beautiful (and ambitious!) quilts.

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  7. Thank you so much for introducing yourselves. Your Mom loved you both so much and was so proud of both of you. We who loved her and her work are so thankful you are keeping her business, and her legacy, alive!

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  8. Thanks so much for keeping up your mom's blog.

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  9. So glad you're keeping up with the blog. I'm just a fan, but thoroughly admired your mom's work, and appreciate your sharing more of her life with us.

    Carole

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  10. Your mother would be so pleased you have kept her work alive. And I am so pleased as well that you haven't deleted anything. It is a resource and inspiration for the quilting world. Thank you.

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  11. Wonderful to read about both of you. I received my Quilt Festival brochure today and saw there will be a special exhibit of your mom's quilts. There was a moment of sadness when I thought I wish she was here to see it and take pictures to share on the blog. LOL.

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  12. Thank you for taking the time to maintain the blog. I think your mom turned me into a "real" quilter when I followed along and made the first block of the month quilt that she designed got The Quilt Show. I am currently working on the Halo Medallion block of the month, so I think of her frequently. Thanks again!

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  13. Thank you so much for the lovely introductions and for maintaining your Mom's blog and patterns. She is very proud of you, I am sure. God bless you and your families.

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  14. Where do I find the ruler you use to quilt your grid

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  15. Hi Jenny and Mary, I love reading your words above. What a wonderful legacy to continue to share your mom with the world. P.S. You forgot to mention the awesome babysitter that lived next door ��. I remember the huge Christopher Columbus quilt that hung in your stairwell. It was that quilt that made me want to quilt...also the stained glass your mom made but I never attempted that. Lisa aka the best babysitter

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