The first version of Evangeline was pieced in 2009 from Paula's French Market collection. It sold well as a kit and still sells well as a pattern. In 2018, we made a Christmas version and sold out at Fall Festival. In the spring of 2019, Paula began pulling fabrics for a Fall/Autumn version for Festival, but when it came time to pack the quilts we couldn't find the quilt anywhere.
We racked our brains, searched Paula's house and looked at pictures for recent sightings. We both remembered unpacking it at Paula's house along with other quilts that we had received from the photographer. We both vividly remembering looking at it and assuring each other that it would sell very well at Festival. All those quilts were taken over to our warehouse where we would load for Market and Festival. When it came time for packing up, we sorted quilts into 2 big bins - one for Market and one for Festival. We checked each quilt off a list we had created. When we were done, we had 2 quilts that hadn't been checked off - Evangeline and Baltimore Baskets. And the rest of the quilts that we had brought over Paula's house were in one of the bins.
Panic set in! Where could they be? We searched everywhere again, but nothing! Had we loaned them to someone and forgotten about them? For some reason we were less concerned about Baltimore Baskets and we were able to borrow one from a friend, but we were really upset about Evangeline. Hadn't we just seen it at Paula's house and that's why our thoughts ran to it being stolen or most likely thrown away when we tossed some empty boxes. We were sick over it.
We brought the kits to Festival and sold one, but only because the customer had seen it in an email and came to see it. The rest of the kits sat in a bin. Hopefully they would sell online.
And now, the rest of the story. As luck would have it, I found Baltimore House and another quilt Basket of Stars in a guest room closet when I got home and immediately remembered that I was supposed to have sent them to Paula for Market and Festival. Oh well, missed that! But still no Evangeline. Fast forward to decorating for Christmas. I'm moving quilts out of a table for more decorating room and planning to store the quilts in that same guest room closet. This of course means moving around other stuff already in there and lo and behold, there's Evangeline!! It had been with those other quilts I had found earlier, but I didn't recognize the backing! It had been here all along. Man did I feel stupid! And so much for both Paula and I swearing that we had unpacked it at her house! Apparently great minds do think alike and actually see things alike!! The quilt we remember was probably Second Hand Clothes!
So Evangeline missed her big debut at Fall Festival, but she got to go to the Dallas Quilt Show and hang in all her glory for everyone to see AND they cancelled that show because of the coronavirus! So without further ado, here is our Fall/ Autumn version of Evangeline:
Until next time, stay safe and happy quilting,
Mary Ellen
