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Sunday, January 18, 2015

Quilts

 
The cleaning project goes on. This will take a while. But part of today's bit was getting out some quilts my grandmother, Emily Fisher Rowe, made.

I had been afraid to look because I knew mice had been in those drawers, but it wasn't the disaster I had expected. Things were dirty, but nothing had been chewed.

Two of the quilts have been washed and are drying. These two still need to be cleaned.

Granny was an amazing craftswoman. She could do all kinds of things, and the number of projects she completed in her lifetime is rather mind-boggling. Eventually, she got bored with making entire quilts and just did quilt blocks- one of every pattern she came across, all hand pieced- she didn't think you could get the precision needed unless done by hand. That collection went to Cornell University when she passed away.

I think she gave a number of finished quilts away. Even so, I ended up with several. We've never used them because dogs on a bed just aren't compatible with handmade quilts.

I'll show you two today, but one of the ones Granny was proudest of is drying. Maybe you'll get to see that one another day.

handmade quilt

handmade quilt

I just have too much stuff!

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6 comments:

The Furry Gnome said...

Beautiful looking old quilts! We have too much stuff too - in my case it's books.

Duxbury Ramblers said...

Lovely to look at Joan but you are like me would never use them, my mother and her mother etc were the same - I had a full cupboard of memories to sort when my mother died and yes they are with me unsorted.

Ann said...

I've always been in awe of people who can turn out an entire quilt. These are beautiful.
I know the feeling about having too much stuff. 27 years ago when I moved in to my house it seemed so empty and now I wonder where all this junk came from

Lin said...

Oh, you can never have too many quilts! Those are really pretty--I especially like the two-color one. I love a two-color quilt--red and white, blue and white....

I used to quilt a LOT when I was home. Now, not so much--no time. And this darn computer takes up what little time I have. I have a few quilts that I need to finish--your post is urging me to finish them. Thanks, Shark. Thanks a lot.

Rick (Ratty) said...

It's always amazing to me how somebody can make stuff like that by hand. I can only imagine machine made stuff sometimes. I'm glad I got to see my grandma make so much stuff so I can believe it at all. Craftsmanship like this is mostly lost today.

rose AKA Walk in the Woods - she/her said...

I *adore* that she thought you couldn't get the precision needed unless done by hand.

So many folks say the opposite these say.

But ya know what? Emily was right!