Thursday, October 15, 2015

Quilts Past and Present

Felix's Aunt Lucy had passed away a few months ago at 96 and Cousin Dianna blessed us with two quilts from her household. You will see one today.

These were utility quilts to keep you covered! They were made from 1930's and 1940's scraps from cotton shirts, dresses, and bed sheets with no labels.


This one is nominally a nine patch design, but Lucy even strayed from the beaten path on that idea, with some 12 patches and some 6 patches.


The quilt is all cotton and so worn that there was one rip near the edging that allowed me to peek inside to find an old white cotton sheet that had been used as batting.


Bubble gum pink abounded, and the fleur-de-lis sashing gave tribute to Aunt Lucy's fiercely proud French Canadian heritage.


She was also proud to have been a hairdresser to be able to afford to buy her fabrics for the quilt with her own money.


More likely, as frugal as she was, she just cut up shirts of Uncle Michael's and used her old housedresses, too.


The quilt was all machine quilted in straight lines in white thread. Can you make out that Stitch-In-The-Ditch below?


People and beds were smaller back then, so the 60 by 80 inches quilt was fine for a double bed. Here you see that it looks skimpy laid out on a queen sized mattress.


I love this quilt and I loved visiting Aunt Lucy when she was alive, so I'm delighted with this treasure!

Our fall foliage is at peak color this week! I snapped some pictures in yesterday's gentle rain as we came home from the Senior Center. Felix and I had gotten our flu shots there.


If Wentworth Pond, across from the Alton, New Hampshire, Fire Station, looks familiar to you, well, yes, it has appeared on this blog before.


A tiny pondside park was deserted but colorful.






In other quilty news, Carol joined us again at The Sunshine Club on Tuesday at the Alton, New Hampshire Senior Center. Carol brought in some show and tell of some of her sister's quilts that she had inherited when her dear sister had passed away.

This lovely wall-hanging featured four Friendship Star blocks.


There was a mini quilt that had lost it's teddy bear but still looked wonderful!


Being as biased as I am about beautiful Civil War reproduction fabrics, I was thrilled to see the Civil War re-enactment quilt!


It was also heart-warming to see that the maker had taken the time to make a label before she passed away.


I have two or three quilts that are not labeled and all this has reminded me that we are not promised tomorrow.

"Not enjoyment, and not sorrow, is our destined end or way,
But to act, that each tomorrow find us farther than today.

Art is long, and time is fleeting, and our hearts, though stout and brave,
Still, like muffled drums, are beating funeral marches to the grave."
                   
                   -excerpted from "A Psalm Of Life" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

What I did work on was getting my Scrappy Jacob's Ladder center all pressed and measured through the center of it in preparation for it's borders. Below I am proudly holding up all 72" square of the top.


Sue was there and worked steadily on her Hourglass blocks and made great progress. You go, girl!!


Lastly, I'll leave you with one more lovely image of pastoral New England. Be inspired.


Happy sewing!
















3 comments:

cityquilter grace said...

vic what lovely heirloom gifts you have received there...and the photos of foliage are gorgeous....driving down 295 here is sooo beautiful....it has been a beautiful fall so far...

Janet O. said...

Wish I was there enjoying the colors (and especially my far away grandbaby)! They do look especially vibrant!
What a treasure from Aunt Lucy. Thanks for sharing details. I find them so interesting.
Love the CW Tribute quilt, and the mini, of course!! : )

Samplings from Spring Creek said...

Such a treasure from Aunt Lucy--am sure having the quilt brings you sweet memories. Beautiful fall colors--our colors are going to be very late this year

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