Quilts

 My love of quilting started here.  I have very few things of my maternal grandmother's.  This quilt and a charm is just about it.  My grandmother's name was Susan.  Her sister's name was Sue.  My middlename is Susan and my daughter's name is Susan.  Nothing more to say on that subject!  My grandmother was born in Bavaria.  She married my grandfather at somewhere in the teens in the 1900's.  She was 16.  I think he was 18.  She was a really good baker.  I don't know when she made this quilt.  I have a feeling it was before all five of her children were born because after that she probably had time for nothing.  

This quilt pattern is so unique I haven't been able to find anyone who knows the name of it.  I love it so much.  I love the colors and especially the way it is machine quilted.  I want to make a quilt like this someday.  Through the years I have only had to mend a few tiny places.  It is still holding up beautifully.  She would be surprised to see it is still here.  This is another one of my treasured possessions.  All of my memories with her come flooding back when I look at this quilt.  I wish I had had more time with her.  I was in high school when she died and probably didn't even know what a quilt was.  I'm glad my mom saved these things for me.  The charm came off of my grandmother's charm bracelet.  It is not bright and shiny.  It was worn so much the charms clanked together and caused damage.  I love it all the more...

This is my Dear Jane quilt.  I bought the fabric at Quadrille Quilting over ten years ago and never finished it.  I didn't have a sewing room at the time and it was just too much to keep taking the project out and putting it back.  By the time I did that I didn't have time to work on it!  I finally got my sewing space when my girls no longer needed all of the rec room in our basement.  Over the last horrific snow storm this winter when we were snowbound for a week I took it out and finished it. When I brought it in to Marianne who owns Quadrille and showed her she couldn't believe it.  Now she knows I do aim to finish things but it may take longer than expected.  Life just keeps getting in the way!  If I had known it matched my bedroom so beautifully I would have finished it a long time ago!

I was born with a craft gene.  As a girl I liked to knit, crochet, embroider and work on cruel kits along with my doll making.  I did not become interested in quilting until I was pregnant with my first child.  I had a lot of fabric scraps left over from doll making and decided to applique squares of teddy bears and make a quilt.  When I was pregnant with my second child I decided to use fabric scraps to make a quilt of our life.  I quilted our house, car, my daughter watching Sesame Street, my husband working at his computer and me sewing, etc.  It ended up being a king size quilt.   

I never had the urge to quilt until about ten years ago.  I went to fair and met a Sue, who was displaying her beautiful quilts.  I liked her so much I decided to join the quilt group she founded in our town.  Since then I have been having the best time quilting with my buddy and everyone in the group!   Our group now meets two times a month because we couldn't go that long without being together.  Madelyn, Jennifer and Anne are part of the original group.  Madelyn is a fabulous machine quilter and embroiderer.  She is a genius when it comes to figuring out a pattern.  She hasn't been to group in a long time because of illness in the family and I miss her every time I walk into the meeting room.  I keep hoping things will get better and her beautiful smiling face will be there there someday again.  Jennifer is a master quilter.  She doesn't know how to make anything that isn't perfect.  She loves Batiks and has an eye for color.  She was with me when I chose the fabric and backing for the first quilt I made in Eileen's class.  She steered me toward great fabrics and something clicked. The first time I met Eileen I told her I couldn't pick out fabric that matches-I just can't see what goes with what. She said "you will" and I didn't believe her! Thanks to Jennifer I caught up to speed quickly and now am pretty confident on my own.  Although it's good that she's only a phone call away because sometimes I need to check in to make sure I'm on the right track.  Anne makes the most amazing quilts, all by hand.  She outlines her sewing patterns in light pencil.  Sometimes the quilts are enormous and we say "Anne, are you going to quilt that whole thing?" and she just shakes her head and laughs and says "of course!"  And she is done quicker than we could have quilted it by machine.  Her stitches are perfect too-I've checked.

Sue is a very generous loving friend.  If she only had a dime to her name if someone asked her for a nickel she would give it to them without hesitation.  She is very calming person.  Not a lot bothers her so she is mostly in a good mood.  She is also always up for an adventure.  We have the best time when we are together.  Last year Sue's great Aunt Emma's farm was sold.  Sue's cousin offered her  family many quilts her great grandmother made dating back to the 1920's.  Sue's mom and sister took what they wanted.  Sue took some and invited me over to take anything I wanted out of a mountain of quilt tops.  Sue says "ggmom" as we call her never threw anything out.  You can look at the fabric on these quilt tops forever.  The material probably came from shirts, aprons, blouses, tablecloths, just about anything.  Sue's great grandmother's name was Olga Mueller.  She had five kids Emma, Gertrude, John, Ernie and George. She immigrated to US. from Germany. The farm was on Blanchard Road in Schenectady New York.  Her great grandmother was born in Meriden CT but went to live with daughter Emma in the late fifties early sixties and died
in the seventies.  Below are photos of the farm.  There is a story here.  I just need time to write it!

Below are the 2 quilts I made so far.  I have a few more to go.  I will post them when they are finished.  I wanted to keep the vintage look so I tyed them.  I used a low loft batting because years and years ago quilts were used as blankets.

I am using 50's fabric to back and bind these quilts.  They are my treasures.  Sue found a beautiful big old quilt rack somewhere and gave it to me.  She and her husband Roy love to go to tag and estate sales.  I would find only junk-they find all the treasures.  I display them on that rack and they are my most prized possessions.  I am just starting another one.  I told Sue I would finish every last one of them.  They are so enjoyable to work on because there is no fuss.  Aunt Emma did all the work.  All we have to do is put them together!

As with all of my crafting I love to mix all mediums and try new patterns.  Just like the recipes I am a quilt pattern junkie so if it’s out there I can find it in my closet of patterns!  Please let me know if you can’t find something – I probably have it! 

This is the first quilt I ever made.  I was pregnant with my first child and decided to try quilting.  I appliqued the teddy bears and then embroidered them.  I love to embroider so that came easy.

The wallhanging above is Redwork from the book "Bonnet Girls" Patterns of the Past by Helen R. Scott.

Above is one of the projects we made in Eileen's quilt class.  It was so much fun!

Patriotic wallhanging.  I was born on the 4th of July so I always like to hang this on the inside of my front door in May, July and August for the Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day.

The quilt is called "The Susan Quilt".  My friend Sue loves Sunbonnet Sue.  She made this quilt first.  I copied her and made it for my daughter Susan.  It is made from 50's fabric.  Colored in crayons and hand quilted using a cross-hatch pattern. 

This Sunbonnet Sue is a panel.  Easy just to handquilt!

This wall hanging is a Thanksgiving scene from "The Bonnet Girls" book.  It is applique and embroidery.  My favorite thing to do.

The above wallhanging is of White Rabbit from "Alice in Wonderland".  He is colored with crayon and embroidered.  The fabric is from Susan Branch.  I got it at a little quilt shop I used to haunt in Martha's Vineyard.  Susan Branch lives in Martha'sVineyard.  This shop had a lot of her fabric and every year I would buy more and more.  I have a good stash.  I miss that shop so much!

Another little Easter projet from Eileen's quilt class.  Applique - so much fun!

This is a table topper.  My own creation for spring.  I love the colors.  Applique and embroidery again!

Spring wall hanging.  When I put this out I know winter is over and it is time to get planting!

This lap quilt was the first quilt I made in Eileen's quilt class.  The blocks are the basics - from left.  Pinwheel, Dresdan Plate, Fan, 9-Patch, Rail Fence and Churn Dash.  Who could forget.  My friends and I took Eileen's quilt class for one year.  We had so much fun and learned so much.  I begged her to teach an advanced class but she never did.  Maybe she knew that after that we were all good to go.  We certainly all turned out to be good quilters and use all of the techniques she showed us to this day!

Valentine's door wallhanging.  The doll dangles from the door knob.

My St. Patrick's Day wallhanging.  My mother-in-law was an O'Hare from County Cork Ireland. 

My laundry room wallhanging.  I am in there so often I need to look at something inspiring to get through the mountains of it.  Just finish a load and here comes another.  There is something to be said about being too clean!

Winter door hanging. 

Below are my table runners.  Since I am a Crafter for All Seasons I have runners for all seasons! 

Winter

Summer

Fall

Oops!!  I stole Spring and put draped it on my living room coffee table!  It has a Paris theme to it and went perfectly there.  Now I have to make yet another runner.  I will try to get it done for Spring '14!