I don’t know about you, but I love starting new projects! I confess that I always get so excited about how awesome it will look before the first stitch is sewn. Nothing great just happens, and trust me, I’ve made some super messes from what I thought would be easy. Take these images for example. After seeing something similar I thought, hey, it’s just a bunch of pinwheels sewn in strips – what’s so hard about that?

Follow through should have been my friend and pointed out that using all those tiny pieces, and they were all different fabrics (except for the grey background) would be challenging enough, but add to that, I’d never made anything on point before. It took a few years of give ups and restarts, but I recently finished it.

Luckily there are only a few parallels between this quilt and my latest ambition. I’m writing a book about Alabama quilts, focusing on all 67 counties. When conceived, it sounded quick, easy, and fun. It’s still fun, but a bit more intensive than I originally thought. It will be great, but take a bit longer, and that’s ok because I hope to hear some really great stories along the way. So far, I’ve been amazed at the quilts out there, hidden in trunks, attics, and closets. But the stories are even better!

I’d like you to be a part of this project too! Let me know if there’s a fascinating story and/or quilt in your county. It doesn’t have to be old or new, traditional or modern, it just needs to have some connection with something in the county.

I’m looking forward to sharing some of these quilts with you online, but I hope you’ll read all 67 when the book comes out!