Tuesday, January 06, 2009

Quilts on Tuesday-Old Quilts in a New Year

For Diana's birthday my dad and stepmother gave her my grandmother's cedar chest. At that time I acquired most of the quilts which were stored inside the chest. I'm not entirely sure who made most of them but two that were inside I know my mother made. This first one I remember her working on. My grandmother was a cat lover. She always had a cat in the house. She also had a large collection of cat figurines. When my mom offered to make her a quilt she naturally wanted cats on it. In case there was any doubt that this was a quilt enjoyed by a cat lover, when I opened it up I found it covered in cat hair. I took a picture of it and immediately put it in the wash. Some of the old quilts I have I'd be afraid to wash but this one seems to have held up pretty well.



Here's a close up of one of the appliqued blocks. You can also see the hand quilting around the edge of the block and a little on the backing peeking out underneath where I folded it back.


Next is the quilt Mom made for my grandfather, who was a WW2 Navy vet. I only took this close up because it's unlikely the quilting would have shown up very well in a shot of the full quilt. The top is simply solid blue with most of it quilted in the anchor motif. The border is waves. The corner folded over shows the backing. I don't remember Mom working on this one but I do remember Pop-Pop tearing up when she gave it to him. Once he composed himself he talked with her about the techniques she used (he was fairly skilled with a needle himself) and praised her skill.

24 comments:

Balou said...

What special memories these pieces of fabric hold. I enjoy Quilt Tuesdays.

Bijoux said...

And here I thought we'd seen all your quilts.....glad Tuesday Quilts will continue.

Anonymous said...

That's impressive quilting - all that intricate stitching. How many quilts do you have?

lime said...

balou, the memories are what make them so special

cocotte, well like i said, these old quilts are new acquisitions

citizen, i think it was 7 that i acquired over the holidays, in addition to all the others i posted about already.

Hilary said...

Just lovely. I can't imagine the patience and skill involved - particularly with the stitching of the anchors and waves. What a keeper.

furiousBall said...

one of my guitar students makes amazing quilts (she's a blogger too) i need to introduce you two at some point, her name is Carolyn

NYD said...

Just how many quilts do you own???

So many fabulous stories.
Hope your friend gets better. Sometimes amazing things happen. Keep the faith.

Elle Dubya said...

i need to have about 4 hours added to each day because i would love to have time to do a quilt. at the pace i'm working, i'll probably make it to the fabric store by april. actually - i've got to go today to get some thread to sew girl scout patches, i'll look in the bins while i'm there! sweet!!

S said...

Someone has to say it...those are funny looking cats.

:P

Remember everyone, it is ok to machine quilt in these modern busy times so go for it. I wont tell grandma!

:P

KFarmer said...

There is a "quilting bee" at a church down the road. I've been hankering to have a lesson or three. Your quilts, not only are lovely to look at, have been an inspiration to me. You are one fortunate woman to have time etched in stitchery. :)

Ed & Jeanne said...

Did you know that quilt is only one letter from quit? Given my crafting talents, I've opted for the latter. I'll just read about your adventures...

lime said...

hilary, yes the idea of doing all that hand quilting intimidates me.

furiousball, how very cool!

nyd....uh....quite a few more than I think even I realized. and thanks for the well-wishes for my friend.

ella, i get worried about this project I intend to do for my oldest. now that the holidays are over I have a massive pile of fabric waiting to be assembled.

s, yes, even my mom machine quilts now since her has developed arthritis

kfarmer, if they inspire you to try your own hand at quilting i am tickled and would love to see what you do.

ve, sok, i'm only willing to read about jumping from one ship to another during massive storms in the ocean rather than participate in your activities as well.

Carolyn said...

I'll just introduce myself...Hi, I'm Carolyn! These quilts are such a treasure, you are lucky to have them. I love the anchor quilting, even more since it made your Pop Pop tear up. Having that story makes it that much more special.

Anonymous said...

I love these quilts and the stories behind them!!! I'm particular to Pop-pop's :)

Happy Tuesday!

Craver Vii said...

I see that NYD already asked my question. I too was wondering how many of these projects reside in your land of quilts.

Let me come up with another question then... are you one of those (us, really) people who needs to stack a whole slew of sheets, blankets, comforters, quilts or whatever in order to sleep? We set the thermostat to 62 at night, and I'm right next to a window, so I do socks in addition to the bunch of layers.

Logophile said...

Oh wow, Limey,
awesome!

What are you going to do with them?

Lulda Casadaga said...

when i was up in PA recently and I was stareing at a quilt my mom made for my brother & pillows to match...I thought of you lime! :D

I thought, will we see anymore quilts featured on your blog? Well, lo and behold here they are!! :) And what special quilts they are...just lovely!

I hope your friend pulls through...thoughts & prays sent her way.

barman said...

What I love about these quilts is the wonderful stories behind them. It is just like you blogs, always a fun story attached. Yep, you are your families story teller.

I love the quilt for Pop-Pop. She obviously got the reaction she wanted ... it was something that was special to him.

Glad you brought back a quilt again.

G-Man said...

Loved the pussy cat quilts...G

Mona said...

Gosh, I wonder how many Quilts you own! & Where do you keep them? It must require one room for storage!!

Its raining quilts on your blog!!

Lime, Charles has written a post about free protection system (anti virus)for computers & has provided links. You could use some if you want!

Jocelyn said...

I can think of no better legacy than something warm that was worked on for hours and labored over by a loving touch.

Happy 2009, btw, you lovely.

lime said...

carolyn, glad to meet you1 yes, the stories are part of what make these quilts so special

mssolitaire, his is kind of lovely in the simplicity :)

craver, yes, i am inclined to use a heavy pile of blankets/quilts to keep warm at night.

logo, i'm not entirely sure what to do with them all. some I will save for my kids when they grow up. some are in really fragile condition.

lulda, glad you're enjoying the quilts and thank you for the prayers for my friend. it continues to be a dire situation

barman, the storyteller comment is high praise. my great grandmother was the true story teller and i loved hearing her.

gman, *giggle

mona, i haven't counted them all. i have a couple of chests and a big linen closet

jocelyn, i quite agree!

San said...

Those are simply beautiful. I believe I've mentioned before--my grandmothers left me a stack of quilts and I cannot display them in my home because it gets so much strong high desert light. They fade. I must devise a way to enjoy them. I treasure them, as I know you do these--hand-made things of vision are true heirlooms, especially when made by one's own family members.

Kittie Kate said...

I like quilts. Quilting is nice and they keep you warm.

I like cats but I'm allergic to them. Wish people would put bells on them though so they don't kill birds. I love birds.