found treasures

my kids think i am out on a limb sometimes. but that's ok. the older i get the less i worry about being perceived as odd. that being said, my cousin wendy has asked me to help her restore some quilts that our great grandmother "little granny" made. when i brough them home last night and showed my son and "dil" they weren't too impressed with them. i, on the other hand wanted to do a cartwheel, but i know that can't happen. i can read my son's mind at times like this. he is thinking "good Lord, i am going to have to take care of her someday when she finally looses it". i was so excited about these quilts i couldn't hardly contain myself.

the quilts are primitive to say the least, but just looking at them and thinking about the hardships she was enduring while making the quilts just staggers the mind. i can't even think about using my rotary cutter if the blade is dull or if i don't have the right color of thread, my day of quilting is shot. the quilts are made entirely, i'm sure, out of unused clothing and whatever she could get her hands on, but the colors are perfect. they look like they should all be in the quilt together. how did she do it?

i shop for hours at quilt shop after quilt shop looking for just the right fabric. what would it be like to wait for someone to abandon an article of clothing just so you could start a quilt.

hopefully today i will get a few pictures of the quilts posted. this will be a before and after event. i am not going to try and remake the quilts like i would have made them. i want them to look like little granny made them. i just want to repair them so they can make it another 100 years. oh yes, i forgot to say that little granny was born 6 or 7 years after the end of the civil war, she lived to be 93. my grandmother, ethel,, and wendy's grandmother, maggie, were sisters. little granny was their mother. grandma ethel lived to be 101, she died in 1989. i'm not sure how old aunt maggie was when she died. i am going to document all the information we have on the quilts on a label when i am finished.

waiting for "most handsome imperial angel baby" to wake up so i can get home and start the repairs. this is going to be a wonderful experience.

one of the reasons i am so excited was when i took the quilts to show my quilt group they discovered another quilt under one of the tops. it was fabulous. they found a crazy quilt with embroidered blocks. there are birds, flowers, swirlies, and little baby hands with initials. i just can't explain how excited i am do have found this treasure.

construction underway

we are starting a house renovation and add on. i am trying to prepare myself to be completely upside down for a few months. that won't be a stretch, believe me.

my father-in-law, bill, is coming to live with us as soon as his bedroom (the add on) is ready. this will be a learning experience for all of us. i just hope he can get used to the total craziness that is a constant around here.

pam just sent me a quote that says "a spotless house is a sign of a wasted life". can i get this on a t-shirt? happy to say i was not born with the cleaning gene. i have made it 50+ years just fine. rex is also an enabler in this dept.

carol c.