GrandmaLKB Posted December 4, 2011 Report Share Posted December 4, 2011 An elderly friend from my quilt group brought me a quilt to do for her and it is a mess. Several missed seams or they start at 3/8" on one end and go down to next to nothing on the other end. She didn't square up her blocks before sewing together either. I loaded it on the machine and was in the process of basting down the edges to keep the size "square". There were some full places, but nothing that couldn't be worked out with the quilting. Then, as I get farther down, it gets fuller and fuller until there is way too much to fudge or quilt out..........So, (thankfully for zippered leaders) I took it off the machine and laid it out on my big table and started ripping that lower corner (about 30 x 37" space) of the quilt apart. By the time I got all the blocks out that were way too full, I had over 2" of extra border along the bottom. Thankfully, this is a simple pattern (disappearing 9 patch) and I can re-sew the blocks and make it work. I will never tell her what I had to do. She would be mortified. I feel so bad for her, but then again, I have spent an entire afternoon "fixing" this quilt top. I should have had it all quilted by now. Oh well............I keep thinking that maybe someday when I am 85, some kind soul will fix my poor workmanship, too. It's just so sad, as she was a fabulous seamstress and very meticulous about everything and won blue ribbons at the State Fair. :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cblevins Posted December 4, 2011 Report Share Posted December 4, 2011 That sounds so much like my mom!!!!! She was still piecing at 98 but her sight was terrible...and so were her seams. We would take huge tucks in some places and rip out in others. Nothing compared to her smile when she saw the finished result though!. Bless you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quilting Heidi Posted December 4, 2011 Report Share Posted December 4, 2011 You can know in your heart that you did a good thing. :P:P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beachside Quilter Posted December 4, 2011 Report Share Posted December 4, 2011 Oh, Linda, you are an angel, for sure! How sweet of you to take the time to fix up this lady's quilt. ((hugs)) to you for all your efforts, put a big smile on my face :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
o2b Quilting Posted December 4, 2011 Report Share Posted December 4, 2011 :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrandmaLKB Posted December 4, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 4, 2011 She is such a sweet lady and it breaks my heart to see her failing like this. I've known her for over 10 years and to watch her slowly progress downward is so sad. My Mom is about the same way. She is 85 and her sewing/quilting skills are fading, too. It will happen to us all I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pam elab Posted December 5, 2011 Report Share Posted December 5, 2011 Bless you for your annonymous Christmas good deed. I'll bet it will give her such a lift to see it all beautifully quilted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Linda S Posted December 5, 2011 Report Share Posted December 5, 2011 What a sweetie you are. You know, depending on the type of machine she has (if she pieces by machine), they make a lot of feet for machines now that have the 1/4" guard on them. It's pretty hard to mess up a seam (at least I think so) if you have that 1/4" foot on and keep the fabric against it. You might mention one to her when you think you can work it into the conversation without hurting her feelings. Like, 'I'm so glad I got that new foot for my machine -- makes it so easy . . ." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CWBowser Posted December 5, 2011 Report Share Posted December 5, 2011 You are a good person and she will love the quilt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Della Posted December 5, 2011 Report Share Posted December 5, 2011 You are an angel! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyLake Posted December 5, 2011 Report Share Posted December 5, 2011 Failing from old age is hard to accept. One can only hope that when we are there, another sweet younger soul will help carry the wind under our wings, like you did for your friend, Linda. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandra Darlington Posted December 5, 2011 Report Share Posted December 5, 2011 You are an angel! I have a sweet old lady who has brought me 2 quilts, both in bad shape. Last year it was a queen size quilt and a few weeks ago it was a twin size.The queen was a nightmare - all pieced blocks, all different sizes, fraying seams, and holes where many of those seams had frayed open. This one was just strips of fabric sewn together horizontally. The alternate strip was either a curtain or a sheet because she left the hem on the one end of a strip. It was almost gathered at all of the seams. I had to take them out and re-sew them. Forunately, there were only 12 seams in the entire quilt! After I quilted it, it really didn't look too bad. It is a Christmas gift for her great-great nephew - 3 years old. I hope she puts a label on it so he can remember her when she's gone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiltmonkey Posted December 5, 2011 Report Share Posted December 5, 2011 Aww Linda you did a good deed. A few hours of your time is all that was spent. And you can reflect on this knowing you spent your time well. I have a couple of elderly customers, too, and I just "handle it" without them knowing. Some things are better left unsaid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barbara Conquest Posted December 5, 2011 Report Share Posted December 5, 2011 How kind of you...may we all be so lucky as to have a friend like you when we need one. Barbara Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s.waits Posted December 5, 2011 Report Share Posted December 5, 2011 There are special blessings for those who care for our elders. Yours will include the smile on her face when she sees her beautiful quilt. May we all share such blessings when we are her age! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReisingStarQuilts Posted December 5, 2011 Report Share Posted December 5, 2011 God Bless you for caring for her!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisquilter Posted December 5, 2011 Report Share Posted December 5, 2011 You know Linda, this is the heart of the quilter. I am always filled with joy when I see, or hear of the giving heart on a fellow quilter. I truly believe we are hardwired to respond the way you did. I just was watching the morning news and was beginning to feel so down about what is going on in the world. Your post was just the right thing to click my brain back to what is good in the world. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gator Posted December 5, 2011 Report Share Posted December 5, 2011 Linda, good things will come to you. This warms my heart early Monday morning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DL Semmens Posted December 5, 2011 Report Share Posted December 5, 2011 I was going to say tis the season, but then I realized that it really has nothing to do with the season. Chris is right, a quilter is just hardwired differently...... Small deeds of kindness can warm our hearts. Your a great friend! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CindyT Posted December 5, 2011 Report Share Posted December 5, 2011 What a kind gesture. It's hard to put in perspective the aging thing sometimes. You did the right thing. Yep, it's a feel good Monday thing to read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RitaR Posted December 5, 2011 Report Share Posted December 5, 2011 It's so sweet for you to do that for her. A few hours of your time and ability, brings her many days of pleasure.. Thanks for caring enough to do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anette D. Posted December 5, 2011 Report Share Posted December 5, 2011 Linda, I don't know you, but I feel (and have felt) your pain. But, YOU DID THE RIGHT THING. You are an ANGEL and she will be so proud of her quilt. It may be one of the last "good" accomplishments she has. YOU have honored her and the best part is--she'll never know. What a blessing on you. Anette:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrandmaLKB Posted December 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 5, 2011 Thank you all for your nice comments. I got all the fluffy blocks I ripped out squared up and will re-sew them today and get them back into the quilt top. After that, the quilting will go fast, as she didn't want anything fancy. I had to walk away from it yesterday, but this morning I am ready to tackle it again. Thankfully she is in no hurry for it. Linda S........She has a Bernina machine............not real new, but not old either. I think she does have a 1/4" foot. Her space to sew in is so dark and dreary and tiny. I think she has trouble seeing ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bekah Posted December 5, 2011 Report Share Posted December 5, 2011 Linda what an angel you are to do this for her. You have blessed her and in the process I am sure you have been blessed to. Thank you for sharing this story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustSewSimple Posted December 5, 2011 Report Share Posted December 5, 2011 You did exactly what a quilty angel should have done. This will be such a treasure for her and for her family! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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