Series Four: Family Quilts

Family quilts is a photo-page decades in the making...that is I made quilts long before this but do not have any photo-documentation as evidence.

After DH and I married in 1987, I found myself decorating a New York city apartment and I began to think about getting back into the patchwork quilting craft that had been pushed far to the background for too long. You can tell this was a hasty example as I choose fabric, cut strips and began piecing helter-skelter, and then without time to do the top stitching I called Aunt Gladys [lower left photo]. While the top was being quilted I completed the pillow shams and a throw (not shown) for myself.

Thinking I wanted the strips to look more like mosaics than blocks (this was my glass history phase), Aunt Gladys undertook to hand-stitch each patch around the perimeter, about one-quarter inch from the seam line. When I say Aunt Gladys who was then about 88's, I mean my aunt and the quilters of the First Christian Church of Rosendale, Missouri. The quilting group there had long been quilting weekly and would take on outside work (for which I made a donation). Naturally Gladys (my father's older sister), was the founder and leader - nothing organizes like a Bledsoe woman. To that fact the quilting frame that was used was a walnut, handcrafted, quilt frame made by Gladys' grandfather Bledsoe, for her wedding present (1930), that was until lately used by the church group.
Quite soon afterwards my sister Jan decided that she also wanted Aunt to quilt a top for her and thus we each have a quilt with our aunt's handwork. And just in time, for dear aunt died just before reaching age 95. At the time she was glad to take the work in order to raise cash for the church, but much too late I realized that had we waited much longer neither of us would have the quilts we treasure so much.

The center-lower photo is almost as much of a lucky find story, this one-patch pieced top was discovered in a bin in Durham's World Thrift shop several years back. My first mistake was to launder the work and ended up with a thread-ball of knots and tangles. Threads clipped and ironed out, I discovered that I really liked the fabrics and the scrappy look, so I added borders to fit a queen-sized bed and headed to Jan Struble's studio for the long-arm top-stitching to complete the quilt.
You may remember this quilt from the 2008 DOQ Quilt Show (un-judged), where there were many comments about the assorted vintage fabrics. I have no idea how old the top is, nor where the squares came from, some unknown-un-named maker had a great idea going that never got finished. I appliqued "Ragtime Dreams" for the title as DH was in his ragtime-jazz phase and I figured with a quilt like this on the bed we could only have sweet dreams.

The two holiday quilts belong to sister Jan (lower-right), and myself (center-right). The crowning glory of my quilting is the Juke Box Quilt, now hanging in DH's loft/music room. Sometime back I wanted a real juke box but DH thought six-thousand dollars much too much (his story, not mine), for such a frivolous trinket, so without $$$ I did the next best thing - I made one. You might think that seeing it every day he might relent and buy me a juke box - hasn't happened yet!

Other quilts made for various family members are missing, one not pictured was made for niece Meghan when she was an under gradate student with a horse print and patches. But that was photographed BEFORE we entered the digital age and while I have the icons, Photoshop will not recognize the program (bummer). Another quilt found on E-Bay was mended and given to Mother for her 85th birthday, a vintage quilt made plus/minus World War I. No Photo.

There will not be many more of these treasured quilts as I am downsizing the fabric stash, giving away lots of fabrics and will not be spending my life bent over a sewing machine in my old age. BUT I am glad that I have made, found, rescued, recycled and gifted every piece of patchwork found. My belief is that someday, someone will notice that textiles have multiple uses, can solve multiple problems and that the perceived, simple geometry that underscores each quilt is not nearly so simple as first glance might tell you.

Adding to the scrappy-family treasures, come June each of the girls in the family (ages 12-90), who attend Mother's 90th birthday reception will receive a BB-Original Sun Glass case for carrying those big summer sunglasses. The purpose was to use up many precious scraps, but somehow I seem to have just as many now after making 18 cases, as I had before. The phenomena of quilting is that scraps are forever endless.



Endless also is the art of downsizing; there is always too much and too little time.

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Can I boast? Please? I am so proud of the result with "Ragtime Dreams."

Jan Struble did the top quilting and it is magnificent. Binding was tedious but went faster than expected; plus there was binding leftover. This is a source of anxiety when quilting as you expect at some point to run out of fabric.






Speaking of running out of fabric, did a trip to Thimble Pleasures, Carrboro, this morning to get one-and-half yards of a binding fabric for number two quilt. Still have to bind, label and attach hanging sleeves to the second. Both are entered in the October 17-19 show.

Other fabrics were purchased for the Gayle Bong workshop coming in September 13-15. I have restrained myself to only one of the three workshops offered. "Thirtysomething Crash Course" is about working with thirty-degree angles and cuts is Saturday, September 13. I need that course.

My current frustration (there's always something), is working with a sixty-degree angles for a table runner. This is part two of a two-part quilted ensemble; teapot, tea cozy and runner for an engaged niece. Cozy is done and I am using scraps and more to make an angled-table runner. My sister had the bright idea to make one side like the cozy and the reverse in holiday colors for entertaining. I did not quite tell her I hate the idea of cutesy holiday prints BUT I did decide that red-white-green and some bold brights would work and look close enough for entertaining.

My first mistake was to machine-embroider their names on leftover scraps. Uneven and odd shaped I embroidered "Her Name," and "His Name," getting hers on the grain and his slightly off. I trimmed to straighten, them pressed and trimmed some more. The result is 'her' block is about forty percent bigger than 'his' block and now I have un-equal blocks to fit into a runner shape with an angled, pointy ends. Why did I do this?

Yesterday I finally gave up and made nine-patches, paired with a red polka dot (tiny), to make larger four-patches and now it really does look like Christmas. Too late to start over, I'll muddle through somehow. ALL of this is paired to fit a Red Fiesta Ware teapot (my sister's contribution), giving me fits in fitting fabric scraps together. I will post pictures if and when something begins to look 'done.'

Meantime I have visited Sherwin-Williams, several times. Remember the damage to the garage doors? The carpentry is done and now painting to match the garage is needed. I found a spec sheet from '05 with paint number/names and DH bought a quart of what we thought was the door color. Not so.

Being the 'colorist' in the family I headed back to S-W to collect samples of neutrals (weathered greys) to match the door. Taking the door off and carrying it to S-W would have been quicker.
Finally, this morning I pulled a swatch that matches the door only to learn that the color was not, and never had been, on the spec sheet in the first place (???). Someday I have to get organized! Now I have a folder with paint chips, notations, dates and receipts of all paint purchased for future reference. I thought I did this once before.

My tutorials with Windows MovieMaker and PowerPoint continue. My ambitious plans to offer a lecture series on "Dance in American Films" may or may not happen. I have until DH begins band class in September to prove that I can do it, or not. At that time I have to announce the January class or decide to make it next year instead. DH is having the time of his life searching and solving the technical problems of what will copy and what will not. Me? I'm just trying to keep up!

And the friendly folks at Harris Teeter are not helping. I know I am sliding into old age but I thought I was doing it more slowly. Friday after walking 30 minutes and doing a 30 minute weight workout (with a lot of leg lifts), I showered and dressed, heading to H-T to food shop. I felt great and thought I looked like a pretty fit woman. Trying to develop the habit of taking my own shopping bags to the markets (instead of using plastic), I was all ready to carry out the groceries, when a staffer (just a few years my junior), said to me "shall I carry that out for you?" What?

How old and pathetic do I look? I just did chin-ups in the gym, do I look like I can't make it to the car? I am not sure if I had been insulted or some one was just trying to be helpful. How do you tell?

DH is due home from the dentist soon. Got to make soup.
b

Ragtime One-Patch Lives Again

This week was devoted to preparing the backing fabric for and tweaking the patchwork top of Ragtime Dreams, making all ready for the Monday meeting with Jan, the long-arm professional quilter, who will put it all together. Final size for the quilt: 96" wide by 104" long - way big enough for our queen-sized bed. Yea!

This is the vintage fabric, one-patch, quilt top found in a thrift shop over a year ago for a ridiculously low cost (that I could not pass up). At first I thought it was ugly, poorly made from scraps of nothing special. Now that I have come to know intimately the work and the fabrics my attitude has reversed and I believe that maker had a method, organized the rows to balance and must have had a purpose in mind.

Looking at the fabric prints and patterns I have begun to think that this top is likely about the same age that I am (that old!). I should only hope for a such a revival and rejuvenation in my next life. What was the original intent is another question; as is the question why was it abandoned.

More to the point, I realize that my studio is full of many such abandoned projects and the day will likely come when some unknown shopper will find my work (the day after my spouse cleans out my studio), and may finish work I did not see to completion. I like to think they will come to appreciate my efforts as I appreciate those of my thriftshop finds.

In doing the prep to ready the Ragtime project, I am reminded of another thrift shop find early last year that became a bonus for my step-son, David. The photos are of a twin sized, Rail Fence block, with a floral-print backing that was tied w/yarns.

After a through laundering, I re-cut and re-bound the edges, hand quilted the green border, re-did most of the ties and added buttons for interest and accent (mainly and to keep David from using the top-side (?)

The pillow was a fusing-workshop-exercise that I knew I was never going to use.
Costs: the quilt was $10 and for the pillow, some scraps and a few cents for a fusible-web with 1" grid that I hated using. The idea was much better than the actual application. Never again.
Keep sewing....b

HOT, JUNE SUNDAY

Where's my ice? Dinner's in the fridge, cold soup for DH. He bit into a nut Friday and broke off part of a tooth, so he gets liquids and soft foods. First thing Monday morning: emergency call at the dentist.

BBQ AT UNC Wellness Center, Saturday June 7.

Everyone in the Triangle knows that one of the top pulled-pork purveyors around is Allen & Sons. The recent feature on Oprah of her best friend, Gayle’s hunt for the ‘Best Sandwiches in America,” found Allen & Sons to be the 'best of the BBQ category.' Not that I have missed it, we have been many times but since the nutrition-fitness program began, BBQ has become more infrequent. When UNCwellness announced that the annual member-picnic would be catered by the best, I immediately got tickets.

Yes, it was hot outside, hotter than usual and the shade was minimal but we survived with lots of iced tea and making the most if pulled pork, green beans and cole slaw. Forget the rest - all fat. Beside, I had less than an hour left to walk and get ready for the 2 o’clock Aqua-fitness pool class.

Except that did not happen. At the last minute a substitute had to be found for Noriko. If I have not mentioned her before Noriko is the MOST fit person in the North Carolina, after twenty years of teaching aquacise, aerobics and a roster of private clients. What happened?

THE NEWS OF NORIKO'S BROKEN WRIST WAS SLIGHTLY EXAGGERATED.
Noriko was in the gym today, left arm in a sling. She was accidently injured yesterday by a weight-machine just before her regular 2 o'clock class at UNC Wellness. The class was led by a quick-substitute as Noriko spent the afternoon in the ER-UNC.

No bones were broken, but the left arm is well iced to keep the swelling down. She appeared this morning at the Wellness center, with her daughter, to do a one-armed workout (?). Noriko said nothing about her class schedule for this coming week but do not be surprised to see her doing a one-handed routine for the next few days.











PROJECT UNDER WAY
That one-patch, thrift shop find from last year is now looking rather nice. “Ragtime Dreams” is working our sooner than expected, though not without some problem-solving. For one, making a mitre corner fold between two borders of unequal width is not simple. The top-bottom borders were purposely made deeper than the two side borders - except getting the corners to match at the mitre-fold is a problem I had not faced before. The trick is to fold into a slight curve rather than a straight line. And then top-stitch the mitre in place.

The photos show the work in progress on the lettering applique - the most tedious and so far the worst part of the work. Next phase is fusing and stitching the stars and crescent moon. My dilemna about the moon is scale. Working out the dimensions in CorelDraw9, I though I had it perfectly but sizing the paper cutout over the patchwork, it looks much too big. So-o I’m in the process of printing out various moons in decreasing sizes until one of them seems right.



The hard press for this job is that I need to have it ready by Monday, June 16, the date of the next quilt guild meeting when I can hand it off to the long-arm quilter. After that I can resume working on jackets, plaids and other “UFO’s ” in the studio.


Why "Ragtime?" The scrappy look of this quilt could go anywhere but I rather like the fact this is not my personal color choice. So, I searched for something that would connect the patchwork, DH and me. Since he is into jazz and ragtime music playing the saxophone; and "rags" are street talk for fabric; and quilting being my passion - the only overlap I could think of was "Ragtime." Too obscure,no?

Sister Jan is driving to New Jersey this day. Her mother-in-law died yesterday, her brother-in-law lives alones in the NJ parental house, a sister-in-law living in Virginia, all will be back home for the week. The family must now tell Dad who has been in a VA hospital for nearly four years. The news will not come easily and may prompt his demise as well.

Jan and husband, Rich, have been dealing with the family stresses for years and this will not be the end. My hope is that Jan will cope with the heat and not re-injure her foot (just recently out of a boot from heel surgery). This will not be a happy time for them but as in all families, this is part of generational aging.

Dancing Wednesday at 3 pm as usual this week. Pray that the temp will not exceed 90. Please.
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