I first began making quilts with my Repliqué technique in the early 1990s. We were living in Sun Prairie at the time and I had numerous people in the Madison area commission me to make quilts of a building or vehicle that was important to them.
One of these clients owned the local Dairy Queen restaurant. Here’s the 1994 photo:
They said it was the last original DQ shaped like a barn in the State and they wanted to have it made as a quilt to hang in the restaurant. I made the quilt – 26 years ago! This photo is of a photo because we didn’t have digital back then :-).
I was so pleased to have it hanging where many could enjoy it, but I was a bit concerned about how well it would hold up – simply hanging from a dowel in an ice cream shop.
Well, we moved away and when we went back to visit my brother and his family over the years, Dairy Queen just wasn’t on the agenda.
This past week Mike and I had business in Madison and, on a whim, we decided to stop for a sweet treat. I was so pleased to see that the quilt was still hanging there – and they had it framed to protect it! It still looked great!
And it’s still in the original barn building!
Here’s a detail shot. The signage was done in satin stitching, ink, paint, and cross-stitch.
Our Blizzards™ were delicious and the woman behind the counter said she’d been working there for 29 years. She even remembered my nephews, who worked with her while they were in High School.
What a wonderful trip down memory lane!
Patti A. says
Oh my gosh what a fun trip down memory lane. I will have to look it up when we get to Madison sometime. We used to have 3 in our town all we sold and torn down. What a sad day that was.
Dodi Becker says
Just had a cherry dilly bar from that Dairy Queen. Spring just may be here!
Valerie says
Excellent post! Thank you!
Tomi Fay Forbes says
How do you get the wheels on the car round, so they don’t look like they have a flat tire? I’m pretty good at machine applique, but I sture struggle with making a wheel look good.
Judy says
That was an amazing quilt and it looks as good as when you gave it to them. That had to be super satisfying for you.