Saturday, November 30, 2013

This one just makes me happy

This quilt has been a *very* long time coming.

I began it in the early 1990s, not long after my maternal Grandmother moved out of her house & into nursing care. As the families emptied her house, all of Grandma's fabric came to me. I was just then rekindling my love of sewing & patchwork, so my Mom suggested that I make a quilt for Grandma -- which I quickly did. A cute little throw-sized quilt using some of my new-to-me feed sacks & old solids.

feed sack 9 patch

But Mom said it was too "good" & might be stolen -- so,  I began another quilt using polyester double knit scraps & yardage. Unfortunately, this was at the same time that Shug & I were planning our wedding, I was packing to move to Texas &, well, the quilt didn't get made. I put the pieces in a wash basin, stowed them in my parents' basement & there they sat for 20 years.

quilt to be

Forward to 2011, when I re-found the basin. By now, those kind of creepy double knits had acquired the Glow of Nostalgia. I began piecing together the parts in the summer of 2011, finished the top in October, then it sat for another couple of years.

This summer, I got Roderick Kiracofe's Blurb book, Quilts & saw in it a charming double knit charm quilt tied with little polka dot-like pompoms. I loved it! I finally knew how I wanted to finish my quilt!

I had begun referring to this project as Sunday School Stars because so many of the fabrics had been or were going to be simple A-line dresses for one or the other of my Grandmas or my Mom -- all good Church Ladies. But the addition of the pompoms (or scrawny pompom-oids, you pick) has kind of taken it in a different direction. I loved the top, but I REALLY love the finished quilt! It brings giggling smiles to my face when I look at it!

sunday school stars

So maybe Sunday School Stars: Joy Joy Joy?

joy joy joy

9 comments:

Karamat said...

Oh Beth, it is beautiful!! And a beautiful story to go with it.

Tonya Ricucci said...

cute - love those pompoms. both are great.

Rachaeldaisy said...

I love both of these quilts. The poly knit one is so striking and fun. The wooly pom pom ties are such a brilliant touch !!! I like Joy Joy Joy as a name for this happy quilt.

amy and the bad cats said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
amy and the bad cats said...

so fun! and i love either of your names for it!

O'Quilts said...

I just loved the first one...till I saw the next one. I surely needed this lift today. You did a great job!!! I am giggling too:)

Nifty Quilts said...

LOVE this! The brightness and stiffness of the polyester along with the little pastel pom-pons just makes for fun. I want to run my hands over it all day.

Nifty Quilts said...

Oh, and I love the feedsack quilt too. Too bad it was "too good" for the occasion.

safieh said...

i LOVE this quilt. Will you bring it on Saturday so I can admire it in person? SO COOL!