chickenscratch Posted December 31, 2006 Report Share Posted December 31, 2006 HI All, Happy Holidays. I hope you all got what you wished for. I have been busy, but wanted to take a few minutes to show you this quilt I just finished. It took longer to quilt than anything else I have ever done, and it has quite a few mistakes. But, it is the first one that I have truly done custom quilting on. Instead of quilting to the pieced blocks I really made an effort to fill the spaces, positive and negative. It is a very special quilt, because my Granny started the log cabin blocks back in the 1970's sometime. If anybody can date the fabric I'd be very happy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickenscratch Posted December 31, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2006 Here is the story that will be on the label: The Story of the Granny/ Daddy Quilt The center log cabin blocks with the dark centers were originally made by Granny, a long time ago. These blocks were found in a box full of fabric that came from Granny?s things. I took those blocks and reworked them. Then I completed the rest of the log cabin blocks, but there wasn?t enough of the dark fabric, so some of the log cabin blocks have lighter centers. The rest of the quilt is mine, but each section has a special meaning based on memories I have of Granny and Daddy. The Log Cabin blocks, started by Granny, represent the house on top of the mountain where Granny lived. I remember there were pigs there, and it had an outhouse full of spiders. The Log Cabin Star is because I?m sure Granny is one of the stars in Heaven, watching down over us. The Blue Saw-tooth Star border represents the saw blades Daddy used to create his wonderful wooden projects. It also has the peaks and valleys of the mountains where Granny lived and Daddy grew up. The next layer is off white with Chickens and Roosters stitched on. Daddy has enjoyed his chickens so much that I had to include them. The Maple leaves are there for three reasons: 1- Maple leaves in the fall are the most beautiful thing in the world, 2-Maple is a good sturdy wood that will always be there when you need it, just like Daddy, and 3- When I see fall leaves I remember going hunting with Daddy. The Deer between the Maple Leaves are all the ones that did and didn?t get away. Each one is different, none are perfect, but they are all beautiful. The large outer border blocks are a pattern called Granny?s Choice. The 4 outer corner squares are a pattern called Johnnie in the Corner. I figured that as a boy Daddy (Johnnie) probably had to stand in the corner a time or two. The quilt is not perfect, but it is filled with love and memories of Granny and Daddy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickenscratch Posted December 31, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2006 I will do the binding and then wash it and hang it to dry. This quilt will go to my father who just turned 65 years old on Dec. 2nd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myrna Ficken Posted December 31, 2006 Report Share Posted December 31, 2006 Teresa, You did good. Myrna Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandra Darlington Posted December 31, 2006 Report Share Posted December 31, 2006 Lovely quilt and quilting, and such a beautiful story, from the heart. This quilt will be a real family treasure for generations to come. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PennyStreeter Posted December 31, 2006 Report Share Posted December 31, 2006 Very nice quilt. The quilting is lovely. What a treasure. Penny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dixieqwv Posted December 31, 2006 Report Share Posted December 31, 2006 I was looking at all your designs .... DH came up and said "WOW what a neat quilt" .... I quite agree. It's very nice and thanks for sharing the story. Congrats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary Beth Posted December 31, 2006 Report Share Posted December 31, 2006 Teresa, What a great quilt and great story. It must be wonderful to have a quilt with so much meaning and history. I love it when a quilt has a story and is not just thrown together to get on to the next one. Thank you so much for sharing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lizziesgirl Posted December 31, 2006 Report Share Posted December 31, 2006 Neat. The story brought a tear to my eye, my Daddy was a Johnny also and I miss him dearly. Please give your's a New Year hug from me. Sheryl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judi Posted December 31, 2006 Report Share Posted December 31, 2006 Teresa - You did a beautiful job on this!! I LOVE the deer you have running around the quilt - and the chicken and roosters! Great!! You Grandmother would be ( is!! ) so Happy with with how you completed this for her and you! I loved the story too! Miss my grandma with all my heart too, she is the one who taught me how to sew and bake, she was the rock and the best source of love in my life when growing up. I have a project on paper that I am working on to do in honor and memory of her. If - no WHEN I do that, I will be sure to share it with you too! Hey - by the way - how are you making your label? With all of that writing / words are you printing it off , or doing an emboridery?? Just curious...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiltmonkey Posted December 31, 2006 Report Share Posted December 31, 2006 Teresa, Your very special quilt and the even more special story that you put with it, are the exact reasons why I love quilting so much. It's all about the heart and soul that goes into every part of it. What makes it extra special is that your Granny started it and you finished it, and that you're giving it to your dad. How sweet is that?? I adore your beautiful quilt. It doesn't matter that it's not perfect, or whatever.... What matters is what I said above, and that it's all about the love of family. Some of the loveliest quilts I've seen are the really old (not so perfect) ones. Frankly, the slight imperfections are endearing to me. They tug at my heart. The speak to me! Your quilt is a treasure to be passed on to the next set of generations in your family. They will read the story you put to it and treasure it even more. You made your Granny proud and gave her the highest honor finishing this quilt in her memory. Thank you so much for sharing it with us. Shana Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickenscratch Posted December 31, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2006 Thanks to all for your wonderful comments. This quilt does mean a lot to me. Actually, when I put it on our bed last night to make sure it would be the proper size, I joked with my husband about keeping it, but I won't. I'm working on hand stitching the binding right now. What a tedious job, especially on one this big. Shana, You're right. The love is the important part. This one has a lot of love in it. Judi, I typed the whole story in Word, set it in a pretty font, and printed it on a piece of Printed Treasures fabric. I rinsed and ironed it and it's ready to attach. I want to make sure everybody knows what the blocks mean. I like the deer too, but they are definitely the most non-perfect thing on the quilt. That stencil was hard to follow, and each one came out a little bit different. By the way, I am working on the sampler for you. After I got it all done I found that one of the hens doesn't have a wing. I debated whether or not to put it back on the machine and fix it, but I think I'll leave it. It'll be a conversation point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Linda S Posted December 31, 2006 Report Share Posted December 31, 2006 I love it Teresa! The quilt, the quilting, the whole story behind it. You did such a good job and this is one special quilt. This is what quilting is all about. Linda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickenscratch Posted January 5, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2007 I talked to Daddy last night and he loves his quilt. My mother said he cried when he opened the box and saw it. He doesn't want to put it on his bed because it might get messed up. My mom is trying to talk him into making a quilt rack to hang it from. I told him to put it on the bed during the day and then just fold it on the blanket chest at night if he wanted. I'm so happy!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonnie Posted January 5, 2007 Report Share Posted January 5, 2007 Oh, Teresa, I have been away on vacation and then down with a nasty sinus infection and am just now getting caught up on posts....WHAT A BEAUTIFUL quilt.....I just loved the story....so much like my own story growing up. Outhouses are the main reason I'm so scared of spiders.... We had a three hole, and I would bang on the walls and door before entering so the spiders would go and hide....I HATE SPIDERS...even daddy long legs. I would have loved to see the look on your Daddy's face when he opened the box....I bet he is so proud of his baby girl. Just tell everyone that the wingless chicken donated her wing for supper a bit early.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickenscratch Posted January 6, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 6, 2007 I would have loved to see the look on his face too. They live in Maryland, on the Eastern Shore. I live in West Tennessee; not exactly right next door. Thanks Bonnie for your kind words. And I can totally relate to the spiders in the outhouse. Granny's also had a snake or two from time to time. My worst fear was crickets. I hate to this day to have a cricket anywhere near me. One jumped on me once when I was little and it scared me really badly, and I'm still scared of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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