Quilter & Quilt Collector
Laurie Rott, Fargo, displays the only family quilt in her collection, from the farm near Amenia where she grew up. She’s not sure which ancestor made it. Barbara Brackman identifies this as Martha’s Choice, published by Nancy Cabot in 1934. It’s very similar to a well-known pattern, Hearts & Gizzards.
Laurie learned to quilt by taking Judy Peterson’s class at Mrs. Blows, about 1985. She used to sew and do alterations for fellow college students to make some pocket money, but when she found quilting, she discovered “This is what I want to do.”
Quilts are displayed everywhere in Laurie’s home. The one below graces the living room wall, and is titled Jaleen’s Garden, made in 2014. It features wool appliqué on cotton.
This miniature quilt below hangs on another wall. Again, it features wool appliqué on cotton, but these blocks are less than 6 inches.
Laurie takes advantage of every opportunity to fit in some hand stitching. Appliqué is always done by hand, piecing frequently is also, unless it’s her newest love, paper piecing. Laurie likes to make patterns by Dutch designer Jacqueline de Jonge. These feature some very bright solid colors and lots of small, pointed pieces.
The mini runner is about 14 inches long. Miniature quilts require miniature quilting. Can you even see the tiny white stitches on the black ground?
