Quilting a Family Tradition.

Quilting has been a part of our family for many years.
My grandmother kept every scrap of fabric, no matter how small.

Nana's thimble and darning needle are
precious things I found in her sewing machine.

When she gave me her antique sewing machine I found all kinds of things that most people would have thrown away.   I think living through the Depression era taught her to cherish everything and reuse it.   Each piece told a story and had special meaning, especially to the person who
was fortunate enough to receive one of her masterpieces.
So I've made it a habit to keep old fabrics that are precious to me.

I still remember the day Grandma and I picked this embroidered denim dress from a catalog.

She wore this dress so much. It has faded from years of wear.

 Some day I'll use it to make a quilt of my own.

My mother found pieces of an unfinished quilt that Grandma left behind. Mom decided to finish what Grandma started. So a part of my Grandmother will live on through the work of my mother's hands. Mom added her own touches, like buttons over a yo yo and prairie points.

The bed cover I have on my bed is faded and worn so I asked mom if

I bought the fabric, would she make me a quilt to match our master bedroom. My daughter lives in Lancaster County where Amish Quilt Shops abound.

We planned a day to go shopping and picked out fabrics from

The Log Cabin Quilt Shop in Bird-in-Hand, Pa.

http://www.lcquiltshop.com/

Mom told me I needed to chose a dark color a medium color and a light
color. I chose dark blue, a lighter blue print and yellow paisley print.

Mom measured and tore the fabric into strips.

Tearing is better than cutting because it keeps the fabric evenly spaced.

This quilt frame was built by my Grandfather.

This is my mother putting some stitches into the quilt.

She made a pattern and added a design to the edges.

The frame is made so that the sides roll and the quilt can be easily

moved to the area Mom wants to work on.

The back of the quilt is a yellow sheet that I purchased.

She is using blue thread so the stitches show.

So little did I know that my daughter has started a new craft. 

She made a rag rug to match the colors of the quilt.

I can't wait to see how they look together!