An American Tradition...Quilting

Greetings from Ten Gables Cottage,
It is another nice hot day here in Florida, a perfect day to stay indoors in the air conditioning and read, quilt, paint, etc. I thought I would show you a quilt I made plus one I am working on. First here is a painting I did of my grandmother as she worked on a quilt. I remember how at one Christmas, she gave every grandchild a quilt she made THAT YEAR! That would have been 10 quilts! All hand made! What a wonderful treat that was and I still cherish mine!














I decided to make a vintage hanky quilt, as my mother and grandmother owned many hankies and of course, used them very little, as disposable tissues seemed to take their place. I made each square separately and then whipped them all together, so it was easy to take a square with me where I went, to work on it.

This square is one made of Irish hankies! There are hankies from Paris and from London in this quilt.

Hankies are so pretty! It is fun to hunt for them in antique and thrift stores, at yard sales and flea markets. My stash numbers about 100 that I haven't used yet. I have already made 4 hanky quilts and have another started!

The squares are quilted before they are sewn together , so these quilts are fairly speedy to make.

I don't always just lay the hanky out flat. Sometimes I fold them in different ways, making an angel or a butterfly or just folded over to hide a tiny hole or spot. Many times I will put more than one in a single block.

Now here is the current quilt I am working on. It has lots of applique of vines, flowers and leaves with small blocks pieced together on each side of the vine strips.

I have it on the round quilting frame and try to quilt a small bit every night.

This will be a king size quilt. I plan to scallop the edges and bind it with a pastel color. The backing is white.














Quilt making is a tradition in my family. My grandmothers on both sides of the family were quilters and my mother was a wonderful quilter. I feel like I am just beginning to learn, but it is a rewarding thing to do and something to pass on to future generations.