Welcome to Hyacinths for the Soul and my very first post!

Welcome to Metamorphosis Monday with our hostess, Susan @ Between Naps On The Porch, and a big "Thank you, Susan!" for all your help and encouragement. Today is my first post, so this in itself is a metamorphosis of sorts. I've been a follower of several blogs, and today I'm making the leap to write a post on my very own blog page, Hyacinths For The Soul. As a 30+ year veteran teacher of young children, I've witnessed many wonderful "metamorphosis moments" of first learning. I like the idea of sharing the transformations that weave in and out of one's life.

One person's trash is another's treasure... not many men would rescue boxes of fabric that were on their way to a dumpster, but fortunately for me I have a friend who knows of my appreciation of textiles and delivered these to my doorstep.

Swatches of the very finest Italian wool! My friend brought me boxes and boxes of sample books that a local men's custom clothing shop was discarding because they were the previous year's fabric collection. What a treasure trove!

Just look at these luscious textiles! They are as soft and smooth as butter on a warm day.

Wouldn't you adore a new outfit made of any of these? The choices are endless.

I need new winter slacks. I'll take three in these colors. What would be your choice?

I admit the boxes lingered among my fabric stash for some time before inspiration struck. I didn't have yards and yards of these luscious fabrics, and after all, patchwork garments hadn't been in vogue since the 1970s. You do remember the patchwork craze of the Hippie Era? And yes, I really did wear this skirt!

Eventually the swatches became the basis for a new collaborative project with my friend, Kay, who I met in the early 1980s when we were professional colleagues. We connected instantly and soon discovered that we shared an abundance of interests. We became soul mates! Today we live 2000 miles apart, but meet yearly either at her home, my home, or a vacation spot. Our yearly visits have spawned collaborations of numerous creative endeavors.

We'd earlier completed a pair of full size crazy quilts (topic for a future blog post), and wanted our next project to be a quilt for each of our husbands. The Italian wools would lend a masculine feel. To pay tribute to the original intent of the fabrics, we decided on the bow tie, a quilt block pattern from the late 1800s.

The metamorphosis didn't evolve quickly. The task to measure, cut, and piece a hundred of these 4" squares proved a daunting task. Then reality set in. Two hundred squares would only produce one lap quilt. We needed a pair! Ingenuity persevered. We would simply alternate solid squares with the bow ties.

After several cross country flights and hours of stitches made by two hearts and two pairs of loving hands . . .

A pair of "Friendship Bow Tie" quilts appeared! Friendship quilts because most of the work on the pair was completed by two friends working side by side during our annual visits.

Today, Kay (at right) and I each have one of these quilts in our homes. They keep our napping husbands warm and cozy on winter afternoons and reflect the creative spirit of two friends across the miles. This summer we will vacation together at the seashore, eager to plot our next shared endeavor.

Each "Friendship Bow Tie" is also a charm quilt, as no two identical fabrics are repeated within either quilt. . . and this one was made for my Prince Charming!

Thank you for stopping by. Please comment below, and please come back!