::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 oldest daughter:: shhh, it's a gift...

Just kidding. I know that only the four of us look at this blog!

I finally finished the little baby quilt that I started way back when I first showed my turquoise and orange quilt. Chad started harassing me last week about unfinished gifts, namely a baby quilt I started when another sister-in-law was pregnant. The baby was walking and talking before Mom took the quilt home to finish for me! So, his teasing got me in gear and last week, I finished it up.

I tried to do some machine quilting, wonky style. It was definitely wonky. I made squares like snail shells, does that make sense? One inside of each of the blocks in the strip down the middle, three down the narrow side, and two huge ones on the wide side. There was nothing quilted in the solid brown, and though I didn't notice it before, this picture tells me that was NOT a good idea! I also still don't know how to do a binding, so I did a cheater binder with the back of the quilt. Soooooo many flaws that I was tempted to point out in a letter, but I refrained.

I finished it just as our nephews were coming to visit, so I washed it up, hung it out to dry, and enlisted their help for holding it in the picture. Not as good as I would have liked, but still pretty cute. (The back is a pink with brown polka dots, just like the front).

-Alison

::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

::the oldest daughter:: star quilt in progress

Well, here's the latest... which doesn't feel like a whole lot of progress. I do have all of my star blocks complete. I have all my four patches complete. I almost have all of my sashing cut out. The best news is that I still love how the quilt looks... it will be fun to see it actually come together. You can also see over there on the side, I started working on a quilt for my sister-in-law, Lindsey, who's having her first baby this fall. It'll be more of a modern design... translation: no pattern. I had Chad call her sister and found out that the baby's room is going to be pink and brown, so hopefully this fits in all right.

I ran out of white (I'm using Kona cotton in Snow...) so I went to the hardware store to get some more... (??? I know, funny, huh?) and I bought 2 more yards of Kona Snow... when I got it home, it looks different, darker! I was so bummed because I was afraid I'd never get to match it, but I think I'm kind of over it. I'll probably be the only one who ever even notices it.

~Alison