::the mom:: for october (cont'd)

I tried to find a block that would go with the pumpkin blocks. I finally found this white picket fence pattern in an old Thimbleberries book.
I pieced them all together and made a Table Runner with pumpkins and a picket fence. Do you think they go together?

I worked feverishly to finish this table runner to take to my Jane Austen meeting in Sept. We always have a raffle at the end of the meeting to make some money for a speaker once a year. This fall table runner was to be my contribution. I only needed to sew on the binding. Can you see the green fabric with little bees that I chose for the binding? I took the table runner to the meeting and decided I would sew the binding on during the meeting and add it to the raffle at the end. Our meeting focused on excerpts that illustrated the wit of Jane Austen. We met at a tea shop and I drank water, but had the best cherry Danish pastry that I've ever tasted. It was fun and I sewed that binding like crazy, but at the end of the meeting only half was finished! Sooooo, I just folded it up, placed it in my bag, brought it home, and placed it on my table!

-Vickie

::spotlight:: boo boo quilt

This is the second of two identical (almost) wall hangings - Vickie has the other one. They are 46x37 inches and were made from "charm squares". I made them here in Walters in 2009 and hand quilted them using the shell pattern. Vickie's was the first one and it turned out very well. I named this one my Boo Boo Quilt because there are so many mistakes but probably only I would be able to recognize them. Believe me, ghosts really were present!

-The Gramma

::the gramma:: feedsack quilt finished!

Failed to tell you all that the prints are feedsacks. The solid colors are "thirties fabric". As far as I remember, I never saw a solid color feedsack. There were white flour sacks and sugar sacks. I auditioned one of my sugar sacks for the pillowcase but it did not suit my taste - it seemed a little on the flimsy side. This quilt covers the top of a standard mattress - in those days I never saw anyone with a queen or king size bed.

I decided to go one step further and make a pillowcase, too. Enjoy!

-The Gramma

::the mom:: Santa's Parade of Nursery Rhymes

I have added the quilt label and finished the binding so that means it is officially finished!

I chose the yellow fabric with red polka dots for the sashing and binding, because it seemed to go with the mood of the nursery rhymes.

The name of the quilt is "Santa's Parade of Nursery Rhymes" by Jeanne Poore which is a historic redwork quilt from The Kansas City Star. Each square represents a nursery rhyme or story. Of course, there is a picture of Santa, too.

Another favorite is the blue fairy. (mmm, guess she is really the red, blue fairy) Do you remember which tale she was in? Yes, the story of a little wooden marionette who got his wish!

This jack in the box is the last block that I embroidered and I went a little wild...adding colored thread for the balloons.

Now here is the whole quilt. All finished and ready to display at Christmas or sooner.

-Vickie

::the gramma:: wedding ring quilt finished

Visiting my mom (the gramma) never finds us without projects to complete. I just got back from visiting her and came home with this cute Cheaters Wedding Ring Quilt. A friend of hers gave her the fabric. While I was visiting, I tied it and added the binding. Mom made the sweetest matching pillow sham and table mat. Then when I left she gave the whole set to me!! It is such a beautiful set and so fluffy and soft. Just the perfect quilt to snuggle beneath.

-Vickie

::the mom:: spotlighting my grandaughter!

Since this week is my grandaughters' birthday, I wanted to star a quilt she made this summer while she was 11 years old. She did a great job and was intent on making a quilt for her stuffed bear who she calls "Beary Bear". She stuck with the project which took a little over a month, while she also enjoyed swimming, reading, hoseback riding, painting her fingernails, doing lots of other crafty projects and making new friends. It was such a fun time having her and her family so close for the summer. I put off getting the photo till I finally realized outside the airport was my last chance!

She named her quilt "Friends for Beary Bear" which is written on a label on the back of the quilt with her name, age, and year. She embroidered each little 5 inch white square with a simple animal from Anne's free pattern called "A Tisket, A Tasket". You can find it here.

I think she inherited some quilting genes! ...maybe from me, but probably from many grandmothers going back many generations on both sides of the family because she is a natural! (Her mother is also a quilter! She made a quilt in high school!) Happy Birthday!

~Vickie

::the gramma:: sisters four finished!

Your parents are here and we are sending these pictures of a quilt which I call "Sisters Four". The blocks were embroidered by me and my three sisters in the early 2000's. The picture of the single block was taken before it was completely quilted. The sashing fabric of tiny pink roses (around this block) was repeated in a very narrow bindnig around the final scallops of the quilt.

This is my last hand-quilted quilt which was finished last week. With Vickie's help we already have another quilt in the frames which is made from "feed sacks" of the 1930's.

{{edit by alison: Gramma told me that to make the scalloped edge, she placed a dish on the cloth and traced the edge, and just repeated it around the quilt. When it came time to quilt, she didn't cut the scallops out, but quilted up to about an inch away to give it a real pretty look once the scalloped edge was finished.}}

~Gramma Faye