Sometimes, Papa Braids My Hair

My brother is the father of four beautiful daughters (and 2 strapping sons!)  Many years ago, when there were only two little girls in the family, my brother's wife went away for the weekend, leaving the girls and all their little girl-ness in his care.  The three of them visited that weekend and the curly locks of the oldest girl were braided beautifully in two long plaits down each side of her head.  Knowing their mother was away and attempting to make conversation with a precocious three year old, I asked her who had braided her hair.  When she told me her Papa had done this, I pretended to be surprised and astounded.  She nodded her head vigorously and explained to me that "Sometimes, Papa braids my hair!"

"Once upon a time, a long, long time ago -- even before you were born --  there was a beautiful lady.  She loved the sunshine and would often go for long walks in the town where she lived.  

She loved pretty clothes and had a special affinity for things made out of silk.  

In fact, her favorite dress was a deliciously soft, buttery yellow dress.

One day, this beautiful lady met and fell in love with a very handsome and extremely intelligent man.  He was a little bit of a nerd, so he wore plaid shirts -- A LOT!!!  

On the day that the very handsome and intelligent man asked the beautiful lady to marry him, he was wearing an orange and yellow plaid shirt.  

He choose to wear that shirt on that day because he knew she liked yellow and he wanted her to say "Yes!!"

The beautiful lady enthusiastically agreed to marry the nerd, because who can really resist a plaid shirt in their favorite color?  Over the next several years, these two worked very hard to weave their lives together.  Sometimes it was difficult, but usually it was a lot of fun!  

Sunny springtime days were their favorite.  

And that was the kind of day it was when YOU were born!

The End."

The above little story is one I made up for this precious little sample quilt.  This quilt measures 36" X 53".  It is considered 'crib sized'.  The purpose of Once Upon a Time Quilts is to create for you a family heirloom that enables you to tell a story over and over again.  Stories are how we pass down values and culture within our families.  A quilt made from the clothes worn by loved ones carries the energy and memories of the people or an event.  You supply clothing, tell me the story, and we develop a design together.  Drawing on my over seventeen years of quilting and sewing experience, we'll choose or develop a pattern and translate a part of your family story into a warm and beautiful 'jumping off point'.  A small quilt made from the clothing of mother and father is a wonderful way to welcome a precious new life and begin to tell the unique story of your family.


Crib sized quilt:  $172.00 - $278.00



This quilt is made from shirts (3 men's oxford-type button downs), one ladies' silk dress, hand dyed cotton, and a delicate feminine calico.  To prevent distortion and to improve stability, the quilt is foundation pieced to a high thread count 100% cotton fabric.

Usually a quilt is made with batting placed between the layers, but I choose to eliminate the batting from this piece and backed the quilt with a soft mottled green flannel.  By not using batting in such a small piece, the beautiful fluidity and drape of the quilt is maintained.

Hand quilting is done at about 1" intervals to strengthen and add interest to the quilt.

The finishing touch, binding, is a separate piece of fabric.  This one of hand dyed cotton:  machine applied to the front of the quilt and hand stitched to the back.

https://www.facebook.com/OnceUponATimeQuilts

Juliann Rager
juliannerager@gmail.com
(570) 956-2191

Biography

     Once upon a time, there was a little girl who lived in a great big house with lots of windows.  Sometimes, when she would visit her NaNa, she would sit on the floor by her NaNa's feet while her NaNa sewed at the sewing machine.  The little girl liked to collect the fallen scraps of fabric and  make pretty piles on the floor, arranging designs on the carpet.
     When the little girl's hands grew big enough to hold a tiny needle, her NaNa showed her how to poke thread through the eye of the needle and make the two long strings into a knot.  The little girl started attaching her pretty piles and designs together with long crooked stitches and wads of tangled thread.  Occasionally, the tiny tender  fingers of the little girl would get poked by the sharp needle and bleed.  NaNa said that was ok and to keep working to get better and better.   In the process of making beautiful things, sometimes you get hurt.
     The little girl did keep working to get better and better, and she did get hurt many times.  When she was big enough to sit at her mother's sewing machine, she made some pretty strange creations and jammed the sewing machine about a million times.  One day, when she turned 21 years old, instead of going to the bar, she got a sewing machine of her own.  That night was the first of many nights that the girl sewed instead of sleeping.
    My name is Juliann Rager, and I am that little girl!!  Since receiving my first machine 17 years ago, I have been sewing and quilting and teaching and learning.  Quilting has been the unifying constant in all my creative endeavors.  Once Upon A Time Quilts was born "to create beautiful and functional heirloom quality quilts that serve as visual and tactile cues for telling the unique story of lives and events."
     I believe that every life is a beautiful story, and within that beautiful story are endless threads of other anecdotes.  Using clothing, textiles, artifacts, and even paper, I can help tell your story or the story of a loved one.  Designing your quilt is an interactive process that starts with you telling me the story!  The quilt top design will reflect special qualities and characteristics of the life or event.
     This blog is where I will share my projects and the accompanying stories.  You may also visit Once Upon A Time Quilts on Facebook.