Saturday, March 19, 2011

Flower Basket Quilt

For some reason I felt the need for a mostly red and white quilt.  I don't know why I chose white...  Until we move in to the new house we are building, the pipes in the old house make all of our whites in our laundry rust or yellow...  But regardless, I loved the red and white maple leaf quilt that my mom's cousin Betty gave me around 1993.  I hope to recreate that quilt some day.  I am finding little projects in which to build my skills and practice before I do something like that.  Here's some flower basket pictures of what I have started.

Again, the reds in the picture don't look like the real reds that I have used, but you get the idea. 

This is the very first flower basket block I ever made.  I'm pretty proud how everything fell in to place:


Don't you love the antique kitchen table that we have?  I LOVE IT!  We use it every day.

Since I am new to quilting, I am trying to build up my red stashes.  Most of these were purchased at JoAnn Fabrics in February/March 2011.  Just a few of them were from things I made over 10 years ago. 



I need to find a place for the fabric with the roses and checks on it.  It was something that I found in my grandmother's things.  My grandmother passed away when I was about 12 years old.  She broke her hip in her early years and had numerous surgeries.  She walked with a walker.  But this didn't stop her from working in the garden and getting out and about.  My grandmother (Dora) was very talented in quilting, crochet, sewing, and other various crafts.  Each of her four grandchildren have grand champion quilts and tablecloths from the Ohio State Fair.  There were more champion items too!  Her quilts were so special to me because all of the applique were done from scraps of dresses that she made for herself or us.  I was so young when she left this world.  I remember she would ask me what I liked.  If I said "kitties" she would make me a cat quilt...  If I said "butterflies" the following year she would make me a butterfly quilt.  Some day I will have to post pics of these vintage quilts that are packed away for now.  Hopefully I will have sentimental quilts like this as well some day.  She would be very proud of me that I am starting to quilt and loving the art.  Maybe that is why some of my seams match up when they do... because Grandma is looking down on me and guiding me.

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