So, here's my tribute-to-Grandma scene in its entirety--each of the tiny items reminds me of Grandma Genevieve.
Grandma loved plants, indoors and out. To me she was a link to the past, and helped me feel a connection to previous generations, and to their ways. Grandma was an excellent seamstress and quilter, a thrifty and creative homemaker who made her home a beautiful and comfortable place. She knew how to work hard for things that mattered, and I never saw her idle.
The miniature quilt on the wall is about 4-3/4" by 6-1/4", so in real life it would measure about 65" by 75". The pattern is 'Trip Around the World,' and I strip-pieced it. (You may be able to tell by the colors that I made it in the 80's!) It was fun finding fabrics that made plausible small-scale prints.
When I was learning to quilt with Grandma, we cut out each and every piece for each and every quilt by hand. Of course, accuracy becomes an issue since scissor cutting, no matter how accurate, simply can't rival rotary cutting! Never mind the time involved. Until quite recently I still had an early quilt top I had started with Grandma, completely cut and un-pieced, because I couldn't seem to get it to go together. I finally re-cut the pieces more accurately with the rotary cutter and got it pieced together after about 30 years. Still not quilted, though--I can't decide to go ahead and machine quilt it. I'm pretty sure Grandma would not approve! She and her friends would get together when one of them had a top ready and quilt each morning for a week or so to finish it up.
So anyway, I still remember vividly the time in the late 70's when my mom got her first rotary cutter, ruler, and mat, and her quilting was revolutionized! The mats then were solid green, no cutting lines--lines were only on the ruler. The 'Trip Around the World' pattern was one of the first she tried with the rotary cutter. The fabrics were strip pieced and then re-cut across the strips. It was amazing!
The world of quilting changed, but I like to think it's still one of the constants that links us all together.
Wendy . . . this is a beautiful tribute to your Grandma and I'm certain she would approve. Marvelous detail and a loving look back at a lady who had a great deal to offer in her lifetime. Thank you so much for the inspiration!
ReplyDeleteIt's lovely! Are you going to make one in tribute to your grandfather too? They would look nice together.
ReplyDeleteI'm so touched that you would do this for your grandmother. It's beautiful and lovely in every way.
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