My grandfather was a logger. The lumber industry is why he moved his young family from Minnesota to Oregon. I wanted to create a keepsake or memento to honor our heritage.
After a lot of thought, Flicka and I worked on a project to honor the industry that has been an integral part of our family history. I chose a paper pieced block pattern. It is pretty obvious that Flicka didn't understand paper piecing! ;-) She is sew silly!
Those paws and claws of hers could not leave that paper alone! She was "sew much" help while paper piecing, I didn't think we would ever get those eight little blocks done! Uff da! Once we were done with the paper ... she was much more comfortable! We used a wood grained print for the sashing.
This print is from the 2011 Minnesota Shop Hop fabric line ... how appropriate to incorporate it as my grandparents were originally from northern Minnesota ... love it when life's little connections come together like that! We used it for the borders!
Two hours before we had to leave for the airport, I was sewing on the binding. It's the dillydally way! ;-)
Eight trees. The first to represent my grandparents, the others ... one for each of their seven children.
At the reunion, members in attendance from each branch of the family placed their names and birthdates on the tree representing their branch of the family tree.
To determine who received the quilt, we had a drawing. It was given to the family of my Uncle Nate.
It is my intent to make one for every reunion until each branch of the family has one. My hopes are that they will serve as a record for future generations ... many years from now!
Do what you love. Create a heirloom. Do dillydally!
Mrs. DillyDally
Oh! What a wonderful idea. My one grandfather was a coal miner/tv repair man, the other a painter/bowling alley owner. That should make an interesting quilt!
ReplyDeletewhat a great idea! I love how you incorporate and make meaningful your fiber arts with your life...very creative touch!
ReplyDeleteWow - what a cool idea! I can't believe you were still sewing two hours before you had to leave for the airport!
ReplyDeleteVery pretty and love that border fabric. ;) What a great way to record your family history.
ReplyDeleteLove your wall hanging. The material is perfect for your family tree heirloom. I really like your idea of getting signatures on the back. My ancestors were dairy farmers from upstate New York. It would have to be trees and cows. My granddaughter Zoe wants to know who took care of Flicka when you were on vacation.
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