Bloggers' Quilt Festival - A Tale of Two Quilts

There are so many reasons for why we quilt. Isn't there? There is therapy, money, recognition, need, love... I received a gift, a while ago, that got me started on this quilting thing and here I am. I will share my grandmother's quilt gifted to me and my first quilt.

This quilt was my grandmother's creation. Now, that I quilt, I can appreciate the treasure.

Look at that binding technique. She blindstitched the front to the backing!

All of it was handquilted. The hand stitching is about 12 to 14 stitches per inch.

Are you in awe of the borders? Can you see the stitching in the ditch? I love that I can see her sketching the designs that she later quilted.

It laid on my bed when I was in high school, no damage, except where my favorite pen leaked on it my sophomore year. I love how the label was cross-stitched. Yup... she did that too! I realized my grandma misspelled my name, but there were almost thirty of us grandchildren. She died a couple of years ago at the age of 95.

When I got the bug to quilt I had to hand quilt it. With this as inspiration, how could it be made otherwise? My first, as with many of our first quilts, was simple squares. The reason to make it was love of a new baby.

Anna at 6 months?

I didn't have anyone to teach me and I pulled out so many stitches to make it just perfect. I didn't realize how hard it was to make the back and front the same length like my grandmother's! There were so many starts, stops, callouses, and pricks of the needle until it was done.

It took me until she was three, had a little brother and was already in a big girl bed.

The whole crew helped to take the pictures today. Her little sister had to get in the photo.

The neatest part is everyone gets into the quilty action and I wouldn't have it any other way!

 

Thanks for the inspiration Grandma!