Tynelle meets quilting (part one)
I am colorful, I am textured, I am the “Weird Quilt.” And I am loved.
Tynelle (pronounced tuh-nell or tin-el) Marchall of Minneapolis, Minnesota had a “short, raspy-voiced” great-grandmother who she remembers as an expert quilter. Her few memories of her include visiting her home in Darwin, Minnesota where there was a boxy tv that played black and white reruns of “The Little Rascals” and dishes filled with Werther’s candies. She also recalls her quilt frame which stood in her living room. She made Tynelle a light pink and white baby quilt when she was born and Tynelle slept with it until she was 31. She says that “…It was withered and worn to the batting, and my then boyfriend was afraid to touch it.” Tynelle knew then that it was time to replace her beloved quilt so she set about making one herself. She made her first quilt in the fall of 2022.
Because she didn’t even know where to begin, Tynelle reached out to a college friend who was a few years ahead of her. Ruthanne double majored in business and music and had become a successful local actress. Tynelle reached out to her on social media even though she felt she was “too cool to respond.” But Ruthanne surprised her and invited Tynelle to her home and guided her through each step of the quilt making process. Tynelle says she learned so much from her and this college friend turned actress has become one of her best friends. “It’s funny now to think I was intimidated by her!” Tynelle says.
Tynelle wanted this quilt to be special and colorful and had picked out a Then Came June pattern to use when Ruthanne suggested the Nova Star pattern by the same designer. She was thrilled with the pattern Ruthanne had shown her. Tynelle had gotten many of her fabrics from her own and Ruthanne’s stash that included blues, yellows, pinks, and purples to name a few. But she’d need to go to her favorite fabric store for the rest. And it was here that Tynelle encountered what could have been one of her first road blocks…
Tynelle with her “Weird Quilt” (photo courtesy of Tynelle & friend)
…To hear the rest of Tynelle’s story and to find out how she came up with “Weird Quilt” for the name, please come back and read my September blog! And if you have a quilt story to tell, please message or email me below. I’d love to hear it! If you need help telling your quilt’s story, perhaps my journal, The Story of Your Quilt will help. It is available here now.