A "New" Old Quilt to Cherish

We returned late yesterday from East Texas, where we attended my grandmother's funeral.  I returned with a treasure! My grandmother made this quilt and quilted it by hand. It appears to be of scraps from whatever she had - feedsacks, clothing, scraps from sewing, perhaps even an old curtain or two. This quilt makes me want to cut up old clothing and make a quilt!

 She most likely made this during the late 20's or early 30's. This quilt was made to keep her family warm. If a piece wasn't big enough, she pieced it. She didn't worry too much about mixing colors and prints. The batting inside was made from East Texas cotton that she carded herself. One year I picked a little cotton that was left in my brother in law's field and after spending HOURS picking seeds out, I decided I was no purist. Buying commercial batting is just fine with me!

My grandmother became an excellent seamstress.

 I also came home with two photos of myself in new dresses. Do you remember the thrill of new clothing when you were little? 

Me, in 1955, showing off a new dress. I was 5 years old.

My sister, on the left, and I showing off new dotted swiss dresses. I remember twirling around in these until my daddy made us stop! We're probably about aged 5 and 8 here. (The date on the back of the photo is 1958 or 59.)(Isn't my sister adorable!) We were beside my grandmama's garage here, I believe.

I'm going to go cuddle up in my Grandmama's quilt now! Stay warm!

My Grandmother and a Giveaway Winner!

Congratulations  to Sandra who won the Birthday Banner pattern in my recent giveaway! I was giving it away in honor of my sweet grandmother's 105th birthday!

My grandmother is a sweet, serving lady. She was a twin born in a family with many children. When they were teens, her twin eloped. To prevent her from doing the same thing, her daddy nailed her windows shut and locked her door at night. She ended up eloping with my granddaddy anyway by getting married after a church service and leaving in the preacher's buggy. They lived in Boulder City, Nevada while my granddaddy helped build Boulder Dam. Their house had been a duplex, so to get to half the house you had to go outside on the porch and enter an outside door. When constant requests for an indoor entrance between the two halves failed to get results, my grandmother knocked a hole in the wall with a hammer so that a door HAD to be installed in the wall! This is the same lady who once chased a burglar out of her house with a broom! I have a tab at the top of this post for my grandmother's chocolate cake. This is the cake we make for almost every birthday! Below is the Little Dutch Girl quilt that inspired me to be a quilter. I used to sleep under it and loved to trace the lines and look at the fabrics. Every little dress has socks that are colored to match. For some reason, that thrilled me!

 I'm off again to California in the morning to grandmother my own little grandchildren. Again! What a blessing! (I just look forward to when my husband can retire and come along!)