::the oldest daughter:: block of the month

Well, I signed up for a block of the month quilt at my local quilting shop.

I've been interested, but I always a little shy about getting involved because I'm afraid I'll be way over my head. When I asked and found out that it only cost TEN DOLLARS, though, I jumped at the chance. I'm too cheap not to. These fabrics are more pastel than I would ever normally choose, but it's a good way to get out of my comfort zone.

Of course I waited till the very last moment to get this done. I had all month - and waited till the last night I had possible!

The instructions that came with this were horrible! As in, there were no instructions! They gave me a pattern for "Thangles" which I couldn't figure out, so I finally just looked online for instructions on sizing the two triangle squares. And it worked, more or less.

A little messy down there on the corner, but I'm not ripping it out. No way.

(I hate the seam ripper.)

::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

::the mom:: monthly applique block

It always makes my day to do some hand sewing. It takes me a while to choose the fabrics (but really is fun) and prepare to sew the applique.

Here is the finished project. This is my December block for the "A Tisket, A Tasket" pattern from Bunny Hill designs.

-Vickie

::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 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 gramma:: feedsack quilt sneak peak

These are patterned feedsacks from the 1930's and 40's which was the depression era. The ones we used came with chicken feed. The fabric is 100% cotton and a little bit thicker and courser-looking than the 100% cotton we get today. It is very durable and was used for dresses (if you were lucky enough to get the amount needed), aprons, bonnets, backings for quilts (with four sewn together and un-matched) as well as pieced quilt tops. The quilts were usually "tied" rather than hand quilted. In working on my feedsack quilt I am surprised how easily the needle glides through the fabric.

You will notice a dark strip across the top sack in the stash pic. That is a strip of the brown fabric which I was "auditioning" for the sashing. When I complete the quilting for the row of the shown block, the quilting will be half done! Watch for the finished project.

-The Gramma

::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