They Laughed When I Told Them I Had Made a
French Braid Quilt - They Thought it Would Look Like One of Those Braided Rugs
Then Tears Came to Their Eyes When I Showed Them the Beautifully Simple Quilt that Reminded Them of the Hours Spent Braiding Quilting Daughter, Stephanie's, Flowing Blonde Hair
French Braid Quilt - They Thought it Would Look Like One of Those Braided Rugs
From: Penny Halgren
Date:
Dear Quilter,
How many of us had braids when we were kids? It seems that most young girls with long hair had moms who were constantly looking for a way to keep it 'tied up' and out of the way.
With kids allowed to play on monkey bars, climb up ladders to whiz down tall slides, swing high in the air on big, long swings, loose hair blowing in the breeze wasn’t too practical. It was likely to get caught in the monkey bars or in the chains of the swing.
And since washing hair every day wasn’t common when I grew up, braiding long hair was a way to either keep it free of dirt, or hide the fact that the hair was stiff with dirt and hair oil.
The first step in braiding was the part in the middle of your head, dividing your hair into two identical sections, one on each side. If you were lucky (in my view, anyway), your mom gathered all the hair on one side of your head, combed it flat, and then began the braid at the bottom of your hairline, near your shoulder.
Not my mom. She wanted me to look different, act different, be different, stand apart. Her braid design started as a pig tail. I remember – not with much fondness. (Although she probably thought it was cute.)
It began with the traditional center part. Then she would gather up all the hair on one side of my head, smooth it out then place a rubber band around the handful of hair – above my ear. And the braid would begin.
Right out of the side of my head, dropping to my shoulder, and ending with another rubber band. Rarely would it be tied with a bow or other form of decoration. Maybe that was good. Of course, a braid on the other side of my head would follow, and I would leave the house with matching pig tail braids. And prepare myself for the teasing to begin at school.
Fortunately that hairstyle ended when I left elementary school, but the hair style that followed wasn’t much better. More about that later.
With that memory, you can imagine that I wasn’t too anxious to dump that hairstyle onto my daughter, Stephanie. Long hair was her choice, and she has always had beautiful golden blonde hair, so long and flowing seemed to work ok. Sometimes by the end of the day, it looked a little ratty, but we began the next day with fresh, clean hair and a new start.
Wow, was I surprised when she came home from school wanting braids in her hair!
I wasn’t the mom to just jump right on the bandwagon with no further information, so I asked her what kind of braids she was talking about, not really knowing that there was a new type of braid. She tried to explain it to me, but it didn’t make much sense.
By that time in her life, we had found a ‘thoroughly-modern hair stylist,’ so we decided to make an appointment with Jeanette to have Stephanie’s hair braided by a professional.
At the time I wondered whether I had lost my mind – paying a professional to simply braid a kid’s hair didn’t make much economic sense, but I really had no visual idea of what Stephanie was talking about for this braiding job, so off we went.
Of course, Jeanette immediately knew what Stephanie was talking about, and began to French Braid her hair. By the time it was done, I could see why Stephanie wanted her hair braided in that way. It was beautiful! Sophisticated. Slick. Not like the goofy pigtail braids I sported when I was her age.
When the time came for washing and re-creating the braid, Steph was very patient as I learned how to French Braid. From her perspective, it looked great. She couldn’t see the detail down the back of her head to see that it wasn’t all perfect like Jeanette’s ‘do.’ But, then, when you’re 10 years old, perfection isn’t important.
Over time, my French Braiding skills improved, and even got to the point where weaving ribbon into the braid was possible.
You might imagine my curiosity when C&T’s announcement for April arrived in my mailbox. There it was, yet another way to capture family memories in a quilt – a brand new French Braid Quilt book.
Last year thousands of quilters jumped on the bandwagon with Jane's first French Braid book, French Braid Quilts. And now we have even more choices for French Braids - including some stars and Christmas tree skirts!
I immediately ordered one of these treasures for each of the Penny's Inner Circle members in TheQuiltingCoach.com, plus one for myself.
Well, the box arrived yesterday, and last night I opened it and started flipping through the pages. What I discovered was inspiring.
Simple in its design, French Braid Quilts are easy to make and offer the beginning quilter a new type of quilt that goes together in a snap. These quilts are made from squares and rectangles, and long, skinny rectangles more commonly known as strips.
Well, there might be a triangle or two. But, mostly just straight-forward stitching of straight lines. Your French Braid Quilt will be perfect the first time. No need for hours of practice and having your daughter sit patiently while you learn.
French Braid Quilts are so easy |
Another design element is in the selection of the colors of your fabric, and author Jane Hardy Miller teaches you how to identify color value in fabric so your finished quilt creates the exact effect you want.
Whether it’s glowing like a stained glass window, radiating like a range of mountains, or replicating your daughter’s beautiful flowing hair, your French Braid Quilt will WOW your family and friends.
Because the quilt looks so difficult to make, your family and friends will be in awe of your quilting skills. Remembering that you are just a beginner quilter, they will be amazed that you have taken on what looks like such a challenging project.
Our secret is that these are really easy quilts to make, and Jane Hardy Miller makes it simple with her descriptions of how to make these quilt projects. Plus she shows you how to identify value in fabric and use it to create the effect you want - in these quilts and every quilt you make.
And the best thing is that you can make a beautiful star like the one shown below without sewing even one diamond! How cool is that?
There are 8 fantastic projects included in this quilting resource. You can choose from a wall hanging to a full bed-size quilt, and anything in between. Or make them all! Using color variations, each one will look completely different.
In this beautiful quilting resource, you will see how to:
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Attention Intermediate and Advanced Quilters.
This resource has something for YOU, too. The color and value lessons inside will make all of your quilts sparkle and flow. No more will you worry about which is the ‘right’ fabric combination for the effect you are creating in your quilt.
And, since some of these quilt projects include applique, Jane has some excellent instructions for adding beautiful and perfect applique pieces to your quilt top.
By now you are probably anxious to know how to get your hands on your copy of this treasure. Just click the link below and reserve your copy at amazon.com.
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| Penny's junior high school ponytail |
Oh, and my junior high hair style. It turned out to be worse. A ponytail in the center of the back of my head with little ringlet curls dropping down – inviting everyone to yank on them as if they were milking a cow. (As if any junior high kid in Los Angeles in 1960 even knew what a cow’s udder really looked like!) Fortunately it’s all just crazy memories from the past.
Happy Quilting!
Penny Halgren
Click here to order your copy of French Braid Quilts today!
These are two of the amazing quilt projects in French Braid Obsessions. |
