My "Grandmother" quilt

This is NOT an "Old Crap" post. It might be about my Grandmas, and it might be about a quilt, but it is NOT "old".

Not when I worked on this quilt...

With my grandmas...

20 some years ago.

That does NOT make this quilt old...



Grandma Woodruff made quilts. She made each of her great grand children a baby quilt. I'm sure that when she decided to do this, she never realized that she'd make over 40 quilts before she died. But, she did. Andy has a baby quilt she made. Kat doesn't, since she was born a year after Grandma died. But, Kat's Great Grandma Berends DID make her a quilt, and it is next to Andy's quilt in my ceder chest.

Anyway, Grandma W. bought this kit to embroider these quilt squares sometime in the late '70's. She embroidered 4 squares and then asked me if I would like to finish embroidering them. I said yes, so she gave me the paper bag of floss and all 12 quilt blocks. I embroidered 4 before putting it aside.

During the early '80's, my other Grandma, Grandma B, offered to stitch up the remaining 4 blocks. So, I passed on the sack of floss and the blocks to her. She finished the remaining blocks. By this time, I had finally graduated from college. Grandma W. told me that if I would piece the quilt, she'd quilt it for me.

So, I "borrowed" my sewing machine from Mom and took it to Colby with me to piece the quilt.

I wanted to piece it with green fabric, but everyone else thought I should use pink. And, pink fabric was easier to find than green was, so we went with pink. Mom helped me figure how wide to make my strips of fabric, but I tore them and sewed them myself. (and, I hated every minute of it.) Then, I brought the finished top, and the remaining fabric to Grandma W.

She sat up her quilt stand (that Grandad had made her years before) and quilted this for me. All hand quilted. She used the leftover fabric for the binding and she decided on the design for the quilting. She traced it on the fabric with a pencil and then quilted away!

I used to have it on my bed, when I was single and had a double bed. But then I put it away. Some of the embroidery work was pulling loose (probably because I didn't tie as good of knots as either of my grandmothers did.) Now and then, I lay it out on the guest bed so that it doesn't develop permanent fold marks, and so the fabric doesn't break down as quickly. The dogs are not allowed on this quilt. Neither are the kids. For that matter, Kevin isn't allowed to use it either! I will, however, allow overnight guests to use it...if they are responsible adults.

I love this quilt because it's the only project that both of my much loved Grandma's worked on and shared with me. Both of my Grandma's quilted. But, it's one craft that I will never do. I really disliked piecing this simple quilt. I can't imagine piecing anything more complicated. I think I'd rather stick nails under my fingernails!

But, this is my quilt. My special quilt that no matter how old it is, it will never be "old crap."