something stitched

The birds are so happy.  They are singing such a happy song and have been since before dawn.  A sure sign of spring along with the fact that we are sleeping with our windows open the last few nights (in our south Teas winter home).  But, we are packing to head back north and look forward to seeing the bluebonnets peppering the pastures of Texas and are betting when we get to northern Arkansas, southern Missouri we will start to see the dogwoods blooming with the early warmth.

What I look forward to are the redbuds blooming.  We live on a dead-end road that happens to have quite a sprinkling of redbuds throughout the timber surrounding our property. Looking at my fabric stash last spring I realized I had quite a collection of bright magentas and pinks along with the huge tote of greens. A quilt plan was percolating, something easy, using a pattern I already had designed.

I cut 10-1/2” squares of all the magenta and pink I had gathered. Next, cut lots of green strips. Here comes the easy part of making improvisational blocks. Cut magenta square vertical and insert green strip. (No, you don’t have to find exact center, just make a straight cut.) Cut horizontal and insert green strip. Cut diagonally and insert green strip. Cut diagonally in opposite direction and insert strip. Trim block to 10 ½” square. I love using the Creative Grids ruler for doing this because of its center markings making it easy to balance the resulting wonky block.  Because the blocks are improv each is very different but to add to the variety. I made the first cut in several blocks and then alternated to have differing magentas in each step of the cut and insert.  However, I still like nice, neat finished look so added brown sashing to tie all the blocks into a throw size quilt.

This whole improv process is a fun way to use a precut package you might have in your stash as well.  Precise measurements rather than improv also make a great throw.

Enjoy the photos to get the idea.  A fun workshop, retreat or guild challenge too!!

I love making quilts that are inspired by nature especially in rural areas. A drive through some very rural back roads near our home a few days before Memorial Day revealed an old cemetery that is sure to inspire some artful quilt designs.  The lichen covered wrought iron fence attracted our attention indicating it was on the verge of being abandoned.  As we stopped to explore further the grass had been carefully mowed around each headstone so someone was still taking care to respect the souls resting there. According to dates on gravestones no one had been laid to rest there since the 1970’s.  The majority of stones were from the 1800’s. Some were broken or had fallen from their base. Some were still standing although in precarious positions.  Inscriptions were fascinating to read and made one wonder about the rest of the story. Many headstones were commemorating the death of babies and very young children causing one to wonder the cause. One stone recognized a private in the infantry during WWI. One modern stone was engraved with a birth date of 1901 but no date of passing had been recorded.

I’m sure every stone had more to tell just as our quilts have more to tell than the first glance reveals.  The brief information on a headstone give us a glimpse of the life lived Our quilts are labeled so that generations to come will have a small glimpse of our life.  Perhaps we can share more so those who come after us have fewer unanswered questions.  The premise of my book, Hand Me Down Quilts, was to help you share your quilts and the family stories that preserve our heritage for future generations.