Lucinda's Block

There isn't much I can do, no words of comfort I can offer, this is my very small contribution to beautiful soul who has had to  faced unbearable tragedy this year.

Our hearts go out to a long time Etsian

My Grandmother's Memory Quilts

I've been mentioning in various posts over the year that I was working on Memory Quilts made from the dresses of my grandmother.  My grandmother also known as my Nanie was a vibrant and colorful woman and her clothes reflected her personality.  Bright colors, patterns and florals were her favorites as well as the color blue.  Many of her dresses were handmade by herself and my mom, and others that were store bought were also altered by hands.  The process of deconstructing her dresses was the hardest part of the process.  It was during the deconstructing process that emotions and memories surfaced, however once that part was over, I was able to progress with the cutting and sewing with a much emotional stable mindset.  When my Nanie was alive, I had conversations with her telling her of my intentions and plans for dresses and I hope she is pleased with the results of those long ago chats.  I also hope that the quilts provide comfort, solace and pleasant memories for my mom and aunt.

I would like to thank Beth Anderson of Sew Bee It for her machine quilting and help making these quilts a cherished heirloom for years to come. 

A Sneak Peek

As you may know by now, I am making memory quilts for my mom and aunts out of my late grandmother's dresses. I am happy to report that I have completed my portion of creating the quilts. Since these are heirloom quality quilts, I didn't want to risk the chance of ruining the quilt top with my amateur skills, so I outsourced the job. My local quilt shop guided me to a wonderful woman who is using her longarm quilt machine to quilt the three layers and professionally bind the quilts for me. I will blog again after I given my aunts and mom their quilts and share the full finished product, but here is a sneak peek of the tops as I finished piecing them together.

The Nanie Pillow



My Grandmother's Dresses



As some of you may know, I've taken on the task of commemorating my late grandmother's life by using her dresses to make quilts for my relatives.  When  I first started this project, I had very lofty ambitions and planned to use the fifty or so dresses in unique block patterns.  However once I actually started, I quickly realized that it would take me years to make the quilts.  I would also have the challenge of trying to coordinate all of these different fabric prints and types, which could be difficult sewing, so I had to bring my ambitious plans down a notch.  With the plan changed, I had five blocks that I had finished using the card trick pattern that I wouldn't be using on the quilts.  Of course I didn't want to just toss my handiwork and scraps and knowing that my mom and aunts were getting together, I made them pillows:

Card Trick Using Four Dresses

I used a solid light blue fabric cut in 4 strips to border the block and make it into a 12 inch square.  I added overlapping panels on the back to create the pillow cover. 

Special Thanks to demossdesigns for her tips on how to showcase the dresses and not spend so much time on each square.  This wonderful quilter on Etsy freely shared her ideas and quilting expertise with me. Thanks to her I'm now making good progress on the quilts.