Progress on my heirloom quilt

I made some progress on my heirloom quilt this weekend.  
As I have been sewing this I have been remembering my Aunty Ellen who taught me to chrochet and to tatt.   There is a linen hankerchief with tatted edges in one of the squares.  I remembered my Gran, and her sister Ester who wore these lacy collars on their evening dresses.  I dont know if they made the lace or bought it, but I do remember how they were both always so well dressed.  When I was little I used to look at the photo of them sitting out in the garden brushing ther long shiny hair in the sun.    Because of that photo I would often catch rainwater to wash my hair in in the hopes that my hair would also grow down to my waist.  Alas it never did.
 When my machine gave me trouble winding the bobbin I remembered the brother sewing machine that I first sewed on.  I began sewing my own clothes at about 12, and my mom gave me a clothing allowance to buy fabric and patterns.  When the machine gave me trouble I used to sing the jingle "oh bother the brother" and it is so firmly embedded in my brain that I think I must have sung it quite often!

The embroidered camisoles were worn by my great grandmother, and the cutwork comes from a christening dress which was worn by many generations.  The skirt was falling apart, but the embroidered sections were still in good conidition.  I now want to create an edging by turning over the back, and have been researching how to do the mitred corners on that.  I have just done "in the ditch" quilting, and it went quite well, so I am wondering whether to do more quilting.  What do you think?

Comments

  1. JoyfulMon Nov 25, 05:38:00 PM

    How wonderful that you are turning clothing from beloved family members into an heirloom quilt. It is turning out wonderfully. If you know how to do fancy machine or hand quilting then that would look very nice. If not, leave it as it is. It is quite beautiful as it is.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. africanaussieTue Nov 26, 10:56:00 AM

      Joyful,
      I hope that is enough quilting to keep the batting in place. I have never been very succesful at free form quilting. thank you

      Delete
  2. VirginiaCMon Nov 25, 07:17:00 PM

    Wow....that heirloom quilt is a fantastic idea....you will always have all your memories in one place to admire.
    You also get to feel warm and snuggly with your past loved ones whenever you use it.
    Now I want to make one too....I've got quite a few old hankies and lace items that belonged to my mother and grandmother stored away.
    You did a great job!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. africanaussieTue Nov 26, 10:56:00 AM

      Virginia,
      Hankies work very well, I am glad I have inspired you.

      Delete
  3. JennyTue Nov 26, 08:06:00 AM

    What a wonderful way to remember your loved ones. So beautiful all in white.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. africanaussieTue Nov 26, 10:57:00 AM

      Jenny,
      Yes I am happy at how it turned out, just have the edging to do.

      Delete
  4. Veronica RothTue Nov 26, 10:28:00 AM

    That's really lovely and reminds me that I made a quilt top from the skirts of my dear departed grandma, aunts and mother in law. Now you've given me inspiration to go and finish it. You've done an amazing job. All I could figure out was simple squares. (I'm not much of a quilt maker) :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. africanaussieTue Nov 26, 11:00:00 AM

      Veronica,
      That sounds awesome - I have seen quilts like that - just the same size coloured squares? They look so pretty,and even better if they hold memories. I am not much of a quilt maker, but enjoy the process, and my corners dont all match....

      Delete
  5. Thistle Cove FarmTue Nov 26, 10:34:00 AM

    that quilt is beautiful and loved the history behind the work of your hands and heart.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. africanaussieTue Nov 26, 11:01:00 AM

      Thistle cove, thank you, I love crafts that tell a story.

      Delete
  6. AnonymousTue Nov 26, 02:51:00 PM

    How lovely to incorporate some family vintage pieces into this quilt :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. TaniaTue Nov 26, 03:24:00 PM

    Beautiful, great job!

    I love heirloom quilts, they look so Victorian.

    I have a double bed heirloom quilt sewing pattern that was given to me, I really should have a go!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. africanaussieWed Nov 27, 12:40:00 PM

      Thanks Tania,
      the fact that this is just a baby quilt has made it much easier. When I made a double bed one before I ended up quilting it with little wool ties.

      Delete
  8. orchid0324Thu Nov 28, 07:15:00 PM

    Dearest africanaussie;
    Wow, your aunt taught you the quilting♡♡♡ Your heirloom quilt sewing look SO great and wonderful done. I don't have much talent for sewing, I wish I had (^^;)

    PS> Thank you SO　much for your sweet comments for me!!! I REALLY appreciate these. My blog friends like you really comforted my heart♬♬♬

    Lots of Love and Hugs to my dear friend in Australia, xoxo Miyako*

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

I love interacting with all my readers, thank you for your comments. Have a great day!

Popular posts from this blog

Up-cycling fabrics

Image
   In our hot and humid climate, jeans are not big movers in our op shop.  We had a $1 a pair sale rack, and still have full racks..... so I decided to make up a few different bags to see if we can somehow save these items from landfill.  Re-fashioning those items into something useful.  I made a few variations just to try out the market and sold this one on the first day they were put out! Each one is individual, depending on what fabric I have available. I tend to lay things out, and then just play around a bit.   Here I am laying out all the options before I start sewing.  I have joined a facebook group which is so inspirational and supportive.      Up-Cycled Cloth Collective | Facebook So often, it is just a case of seeing what is there, and then using it in the best way possible.  I was excited to find this tote bag, which was perfect as the lining of a bag for a teenager. this was also snapped up quickly. The bags were hu...
Read more

I have something to tell you.....

Image
Come on in to my garden.... I have something to tell you  Sit down in the comfy chair  for a little while, and listen to the tinkling of the wind chimes - are you relaxed? Good!  Remember how I entered that garden competition, and the judges came, and they wandered down my paths, taking photos?  Yes! I won runner up! a Fifty dollar gift card ........ from a real nursery, not the big box store that I normally shop at.  Oh gosh, how exciting.... I wonder what I will buy? Thank you Cairns Regional Council!
Read more

Garden share collective June 2014

Image
Once again another month has rolled by and it is time to link up with  Lizzie at   strayedtable  for our monthly collective where we share what has happened in our gardens for the last month and what we hope to be working on for the next month.  Wrapping up May and heading into June. Last month I wanted to work on: Seed tape .... I did make seed tape, and did a tutorial on the processs - you can see it  here.   It was fun, and worked well, expecially with kids. Mostly though I see a space and throw a few seeds in.  I can see myself doing it at the beginning of a planting season. Worms . .... I have been adding a little of the worm castings every time I plant something, and as a side dressing when plants seem to need a bit of a boost.  It does seem to help. Sitting .... plenty of that - I like the new (original) location of the swing where we have a long view of the garden. - veggie garden is just around that corner.... Eat veggies ...
Read more