I started this set in 2009 - The Good Witch/Bad Witch Panel was actually one of my first quilt-shop purchases, EVER. My husband and I were just dating at the time, but I knew his mom had an Oz obsession, and that pillows would be a fun gift.
Little did I know that over time, Quilting Treasures would release six of these panels. There was a Sepia Beginning, some Good Witch/Bad Witch, the Yellow Brick Road, the Emerald City/Great Oz, Scenes from the Witch's Castle, and finally a No Place like Home panel. By the time the final panel rolled around, my (soon-to-be) husband was fully trained to go into the quilt shop and pick up the panels himself on the way home from work.
Also sometime early on, it occurred to me that since the panels came with a "reel" of scenes from the movie at the bottom, and I was collecting the whole set anyway, I had everything I needed to make a storyboard quilt. So in 2011 (our wedding year), I cut into the fabric and over the next 3 years I put together this beauty. It became my first-ever Quilt-Show Quilt in Central Oklahoma Quilter's Guild Quilt Show in 2013 (Display only, since I did the piecing myself and sent it out to be quilted). I finished the dedication on the back (not pictured) and gifted it to my MIL in 2014. To date, it remains my most ambitious project.
But... back to present day! After gifting the quilt (and birthing my daughter) I have to admit that the pillow-making slowed to a trickle. In fact, I think the final set of pillows was up on my design board for close to three years before my MIL finally asked me if I was still planning on completing it. But complete it I did!
The final "No Place Like Home" pillow wasn't gifted until May 2019, making this Oz set reflect a full decade's worth of learning and progress. Early pillows were quilted with the walking foot, but although I haven't free-motion quilted in a while, I found it was like riding a bicycle when I brought the final pillow out.
And My MIL is thrilled! At her new place in Oklahoma she has an entire guest bedroom dedicated to Wizard of Oz memorabilia, and on display front and center is her quilt and pillow set. Her "Pride and Joy", she calls it, and shows it off to anyone who comes to visit.
All in all, I'm pretty proud of it - it's a big accomplishment, and I know this whole set is in a place where it is cherished and loved. And what more could a quilter/sewist want for her creations?
I truly am impressed with such an ambitious project. It is a monumental all encompassing post as well to remember and document over a several year span of time. I do not know how I missed it. Telling the story in that HUGE quilt was a creative idea and a humongous accomplishment to finally complete all the accompanying pillows as well before interest waned. I was bemused to learn that you trained Jeremy to get more of those panels for you at the quilt shop. I truly felt a great swell of pride seeing it displayed at the quilt show. And to think, Dad and Jeremy gave up the gun show to be there and admire it in person as well! Great determination to stick to it – and with little kids in tow as well. Yes, Anna did show off her Oz room to us when we were there for dinner. She is super proud of her quilt and pillows and pleased as punch that her son married you! Great job, Robin!
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