Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Utility Quilt Started and Sarah's on the Frame

HAPPY NEW YEAR!


Thank goodness for Blog inspiration -- Bonnie Hunter (Quiltville) has been working on scrappy string geese blocks. I immediately thought of a huge bin of string blocks waiting for a project.  


In April of 2000, our 86 year old Grandmother (Nana) moved 400 miles from Columbus, Texas to South Louisiana.  Diagnosed with the early stages of Alzheimer's, Nana moved in with my sister Phyllis and her family.  Faced with this huge adjustment, Nana was always looking for something to keep busy with.  Sewing was her life, therefore sewing became her mission.  In the beginning, she made various pieced blocks and finished her own tops.

Eventually, as the disease progressed, the blocks became simpler.  Every morning, at least 8 bobbins were filled before work and a box of strips were left with Nana and her sitter Nicole.  By the end of the day, there were empty bobbins and very few strips.  We shopped all of the sales to make sure Nana had enough fabric to make her string blocks -- 5 strips across  -- and all about 10 inches long.  After two years, all sewing had stopped.  It was just too hard for her to concentrate on the machine - but she never tired of playing with her stash.

Needless to say, we were left with several large boxes of blocks.  Over the years, we have finished a few utility quilts but we have 100's left.  Every so often, we pull them out and work on them.


On Monday, I showed Mary's quilt top for her niece Sarah.  Here it is on the frame with feathers starting to cover end to end.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

So beautiful and sweetly enduring! Lovely.

Dar said...

What a nice memory. I know these are some special quilts, at least they would be for me. I do more scrappy type than kits or planned quilt colors. They are so unique and full of stories. Kudos to you for continuing to finish up all those strips.