Summer Harvest: The Quilt That Started It All

My journey to quilting began long before I ever knew it would become such an important part of my life.

As a child, I was an avid reader, and one of my favorite books was Little House on the Prairie. I remember reading about a nine-patch quilt and being fascinated by the idea that something so simple could be made from little pieces of fabric. At the back of the book were instructions for making one, so naturally, I had to try.

I gathered some felt, cut my pieces out with a pair of scissors, and stapled them together to make my very first quilt block.

It wasn't exactly heirloom quality. 😂 But it was the beginning.

Over the years, I would sew on and off. I always loved making things, but quilting remained more of a hobby than a passion. I had no idea that one summer would completely change that.

Summer 2009

In the summer of 2009, I was spending the season in Nova Scotia. One day, I needed some thread for a costume I was making for an upcoming parade in Pictou. I'd passed a little seamstress shop many times, but it always seemed to be closed whenever I went by.

Then one day, I happened to run into my friend Lauren on her way to the library.

We decided to stop in and see if the shop was finally open.

It was.

We walked in, struck up a conversation with the woman who owned the shop, and before long, a quick stop for thread had turned into a thirty-minute conversation about sewing and quilting.

Then she asked us a question that would change the course of my life:

Would we like to make a quilt while we were there?

Well, obviously.

What started as a simple summer project became the beginning of a deep and lasting love for quilting.

I still remember learning those first steps - choosing fabric, cutting pieces, figuring out how everything fit together, and slowly watching a pile of little fabric pieces become something recognizable.

There was something magical about it.

Not because the quilt was perfect. It certainly wasn't.

But because I was learning that I could take something ordinary - small pieces of fabric—and turn them into something meaningful.

And then there was Summer Harvest

That quilt became Summer Harvest.

And seventeen years later, I still have it.

It lives on the bed in our home and remains one of my most cherished quilts. It's even made its way into a few quilt shows over the years, which still makes me smile when I think about it.

Because when I look at Summer Harvest, I don't just see fabric and stitches.

I see a summer in Nova Scotia.

I see two friends wandering into a little sewing shop on the way to the library.

I see the beginning of a skill that would eventually become a passion - and eventually, a business.

And I see a much younger version of myself who had absolutely no idea where that little quilt would lead.

Full circle

All these years later, I make quilts for a living through Lowcountry Quilt & Embroidery Co. I'm still learning, still experimenting, still occasionally making mistakes, and now I'm even learning how to longarm quilt.

I love that quilting has never really been about perfection for me.

It's about the stories.

The stories behind the fabric. The people who taught us. The quilts we make for ourselves and the ones we make for someone we love. The memories stitched into every imperfect seam.

And sometimes, it's about looking back at something you made seventeen years ago and realizing:

This was the beginning.

I started with felt, scissors, and a stapled nine-patch inspired by a book.

Then came Summer Harvest.

And somewhere along the way, quilting became a part of who I am.

I'm pretty sure that little girl with the felt squares would be pretty proud.

Made by hand. Meant to be loved.