Origins of the Stone Gate

Some of my earliest memories involve seeing my dad study and use architectural drawings.  When I was young, my dad built houses so blueprints were always present in our home.  As I got older, blueprints gave way to architectural drawings and concept proposals for remodels or woodwork , with great focus on details.  “Goo gah” is what Dad called them.  They added interest to what was plain.

My senior year of high school I took an architectural drawing class.  I quickly learned that mechanical drawing bored me to tears  but drawing of house plans was enormously fun.  I drew big 10 room houses with grand entrances with lots of details.  It became some what of a joke with our family.

In college, I fell in love with European history.  Specifically English.  The old historic buildings and gardens that still exist to help tell the stories of the past fascinate me.  The details in the stone work have withstood the test of time for generations to enjoy.  Often added to show the owner’s great wealth, these stone details included flowers, animals, and intricate angles.  The stone work  draws me in and entices me to investigate and learn.

On a recent trip to Chicago, I was in awe of the stone work on our American shores.  Downtown was full of details, interest and dare I say, “goo-gah”.  Walled gardens invited people to come sit a spell.  As I walked from block to block, I imagined what it must have been like for my grandmother to be among those buildings 60 years ago.  I sat in those walled gardens for hours, just resting and taking in the sights and sounds of the city.

It was during one of those days, as I sat in a city garden walled off from the hustle and bustle of the city, where I realized the importance of the stone gates.  They welcome you to enter, smell the flowers within, sit for a spell, to share with others.  The stone gates allow you to enter into a special place.  There is a mystery to be found and experienced.

Quilting is often a similar experience.  Quilts are inviting.  They have a history  sometimes untold.  Someone of great skill put hours of work into them.  There is much to learn if we are just willing to sit for a spell and open our hearts and mind to learn.  Gifts to be passed down to future generations.

My love for architecture and my new found love of quilting are merging.   To escape through the stone gate and sit for a spell and sew a quilt – its relaxing, leveling, encouraging, hopeful, and full of beauty – all to share, today and hopefully for years to come.

Join me on my journey and follow me through the Stone Gate.