Quilt Blocks

QUILT   BLOCKS:
(I was in a Quilt Block Club.  We were given a design and one small piece of material for one part of the design.  We were to create the rest of the design.)

  

 

Some quilt squares were found with some extra pieces of the same material.  Using additional material and some thoughtful design this quilt was created.  It's cotton with a light blue floral back.

Memory Quilt

My parents passed away in February 2009, ten days apart.  It was a true love story - to be in your ninety's, be married for 75 years, and live together in your own home. Yes, I still miss them but I was so fortunate to see them go quickly and to have enjoyed them for so many years.  I took their personal belongings and made quilts for all the grandchildren, myself and my sister-in-law.  Yes, I did eleven quilts, but it was a wonderful way to heal.  I can do this for you, too.  Here are some pictures:

Dad loved bib overalls, Mom wore black polyester pants. 








The quilt is made with various materials cut into quilt blocks, the back is flannel, and it has been quilted by machine.

2009 Christmas   ~~~   The Quilt

This quilt is a memory for each of us from items closest to my parents: their clothes.

I took Mom and Dad’s clothes and cut them into 8 by 8 inch squares and put them together to make this memory quilt for each of you.

~ The pictures are self explanatory but they were printed on Dad’s white shirts and some material I found that Mom was making white pillow cases out of.

~ The sayings were some Dad always used and also were spoken of at their funerals by Garth and Trent.  These are also on white shirts or pillowcases.

~Dad’s clothing items:

          Red and blue plaid flannel piece was housecoat, lightweight, thread bare, shirt material, bib overalls, grey, sage green and heavy levi pants, plaid material shirts, striped and plain blue material pajamas, and a pocket from his bibbed overalls filled with handkerchief, toothpick and mint.  (In every pocket I found one or all of those things, sometimes the toothpick was literally imbedded in the seam.)

~Mom’s clothing items:

          Floral print was her long lounge dresses, flower or print shirts and dresses, black polyester pants, thinner material levis, beige pants, pink checked dress, some apron material.  I tried to add some of the mended items she had done with the bib overalls and other pieces of clothing.

~I added some flannel that identified Dad, the tractors, and of Mom, either hearts or pink roses.  I also used some plain flannel to complete the corners.

It has been a work in progress since April and I have been so excited as I began to see the finished results. 

Much love has been sewn together here for our memories……  Diane

A Thought with Mom & Dad's Quilt

  This is a lot of reading but after I created the quilt, I found this and it added such peace to my life, I gave it to all the family with their quilts.      

I've been reading a novel by Julie Wright called "My-Not-So-Fairy-Tale Life". I found several thoughts in the book that really struck home with me and were great thoughts to live by and ideas to remember when we become too hard on ourselves.
          The main characters were having a discussion, telling about their past, both good and bad and this thought evolved.
          "The events in people's lives are just patches; every event is a different color or texture that gets sewn into a big elaborate quilt. I think it would be sad and very boring if all of us had perfect, uniform quilts. The color and variety is what makes us interesting people. That one patch in your past isn't who you are. It's just a part of the quilt. The whole quilt is who you are."
          "The character goes on to say, 'My dad wrote me that in a letter after I'd had a few failings on my mission. I was feeling pretty bad about them and was completely down on myself. What he said made sense, and I knew he was right.' Those few bad days didn't define the kind of missionary (mother, father, person, friend, daughter, son and so forth) I was; they were just patches. And tomorrow there will be a different patch. The goal is to someday edge the entire quilt with the gold thread of understanding and growth and hand it to God and say, 'This is what I got out of life.....thanks.'"     

          As I’ve been working on these quilts for everyone that thought has continually come to mind.  This quilt symbolizes Mom and Dad’s life (grandpa and grandma).  I didn’t add good patches for their good times and bad patches for their bad times but I did make the patches from their past times.  These are the clothes that they wore while they created their examples on earth and helped in the service of others.  I found the sayings that they often shared and were quoted at their funeral.  I wanted each of us to have this memory.

          Now our job is to honor their example, serve others, and become ready to meet them once again in the eternities.  As one of the speakers said at Fall conference, “I don’t want any empty chairs when we meet as a family in heaven.  If Mom and Dad could talk to us right now I know they would say the same thing.  They thought so much of their family.  They were always talking about their grandchildren and great-grandchildren and great-great…… They wanted our lives to be one of ease but I guess they forgot that we need the struggles and trials so we can enjoy the blessings and be prepared to meet them again.

          Now we are here on earth as a family to honor their name and respect our family heritage.  It would be my hope that we each singularly and as a family are able to stayed united, serve each other and continually grow so that we will each be there filling the chairs in the Hadley Family Kingdom. 

          I felt honored to be able to touch their things one last time as I prepared the quilt squares and put the quilts together for each of us.  I feel honored that I was able to have my mom and dad for so long and I was able to learn so much from their example.  I hope you too can feel that special opportunity we were given to know and be taught by such great people.  No, they weren’t perfect but they knew how to ask for forgiveness, step it up a notch and then move forward.  They were a great example for each of us to follow as we grow and serve others.

          May we all remember who we are and honor our heritage.  We are the Hadley anchor.  They are waiting for us to return to them.

        

                                                                 January 2009      75^th Anniversary Party

Crocheting and Quilting for Baby Kacelynn

 I was looking forward to having another granddaughter to make my favorite quilt.  It is a flannel quilt on both sides with rosebud print and a hot pink flannel.  I made a pompom tie with white and pink yarn.  This is my favorite little girl quilt.
 
I also crocheted a blessing shawl using white baby yarn.  I used some ideas from various patterns but the end result was something I made up.

I also made some booties for her cute little feet.  I have made these in blue for boys, too.  I didn't make the boy's set so lacy.

WHAT IS THIS ALL ABOUT???

     Since retiring from teaching 4th grade students for twenty six years I have discovered a hobby that I enjoy doing.  As a left-handed person everyone had trouble teaching me crosscutting and knitting but a dear friend, Terri Moser, hung in there and with a lot of patience was able to get me started.  I have found that I enjoy crocheting more as I have made baby shawls, booties, dish clothes, and hats.  My most favorite thing to do is create quilts.  I love to experiment with colors, different styles, and different methods of quilting.  I have fun creating rag quilts for babies and some adult throws.  I also like to tie quilts and quilt with yarn.  I can also do quilting with my sewing machine.  Never say it would be boring to retire!  I'd like to have more hours in my day to create all the projects that are still in my head waiting to me made.