One of the first things I saw when I got home last night, sometime after 9 p.m., was a tower of laundry the same height as me in the bathroom. It was impressive - not only for the fact that it materialized during the 12-hour period I had been gone, but for the skill that went into its creation. It's not just every teenager that could get a final bath towel on top of that pile without knocking the whole thing over. It took one of my highly skilled teenagers. Rather than showing off their creation, I thought you might rather see a picture of some old quilt squares.
These came from the estate of a woman whose family has been friends with my family for generations. A few of the blocks were appliqued onto backing fabric, but most of them weren't. And three of the blocks explain the original idea for the project:
A friendship quilt.
I recognize all of the names, since they were all families from the area where I grew up.
And although I don't know why this particular project was put aside and never finished, I can imagine that Mrs. Saul just got busy with other things. She and her husband lived on a farm and raised three children. She had a family to feed, a house to clean, a garden to tend. When she had a pile of laundry to do, she used a wringer washer machine and a clothesline. Still, she thought about making pretty things, and sometimes she got them done, and sometimes she had other priorities. We can all identify with that.
The friendship quilts really are a treasure. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could all meet for a quilting bee and embroidery our names on a square!
Posted by: Lavender Dreamer | February 26, 2009 at 10:29 AM
Oh my goodness! What a lovely treasure! All that work that when into something like that...your post brought tears to my eyes.
Blessings to you,
Jenn
Posted by: whit | February 26, 2009 at 10:40 AM
I just love vintage quilts and knowing that someone spent many hours working on them. I can not leave them behind when I find one:) The blocks are so lovely!
Posted by: Jen | February 26, 2009 at 11:49 AM
I'm chuckling over your creative description of the laundry pile. I love these quilt squares. It reminds me of when my grandma turned 80 and my mom held a ladies luncheon for all of her friends. Each of the ladies signed the table cloth and then my mom and aunts embroidered all of the signatures as a keepsake for grandma. I have no idea what happened to it.
Posted by: Kim | February 26, 2009 at 11:51 AM
Those quilt squares are a total treasure! I hope you can work them into a finished quilt or have a bee or something. Imagine, it's kind of local history!
And teenagers and laundry??? Ours can program TVs while loading I Pods and MP3 music, while debugging a computer....But I still think I'm smarter than them because I am clearly the only one who can figure out how the washer and dryer work.
Posted by: Linda B | February 26, 2009 at 02:15 PM
That description of the laundry pile is very reminiscent of the pile in the bathroom wastebasket that occurs whenever our daughter is home from school. It definitely involves many aspects: gravity, architecture, etc.
Those quilt squares are so precious! It makes me think of the quilt that is hanging in the town hall of my Dad's hometown. It has his name embroidered on it, along with other WWII vets. I hope you do something with those squares. Maybe frame them?
Posted by: Carol | February 26, 2009 at 03:31 PM
Oh how I love the stars. And the fabric. I am hoping to add a star quilt like that to the collection this year.
Posted by: Sarah | February 26, 2009 at 04:41 PM
That is the coolest friendship quilt..loved how a couple you showed signed their names as Mrs. (husbands name) blankety blank. such a different generation. I hope you come up with some great project for them
Posted by: laurie - magpie ethel | February 26, 2009 at 06:11 PM
ooh, i thought of a project you've probably already thought of (but just incase you haven't),
what about thrown pillows? I have this dear ol' friend here that has a 2 bedroom home just for that purpose--the 2nd bedrm is for arranging all her guest linens and antique quilts in. (of course, no guest would ever be able to use them-grin.) When a bedroom becomes availible in your home, i could just see this quilt and the matching throws on it, just for show.
Fondly, Mrs. Michael Mactutis :o)
Posted by: whit | February 26, 2009 at 06:58 PM
My great-aunt Carrie has a quilt like that, made in the 1930s, with dresden plate patches, all signed in the center by the women who pieced them. My grandma, my two other great-aunts, and my great-grandmother each made and signed a patch. It's truly a treasure!
Posted by: Janelle | February 26, 2009 at 07:06 PM
Those are so cool! I think they'd make great throw pillows!
Posted by: Vintage Whimsy | February 26, 2009 at 08:58 PM
Oh Barbara....this quilt is just lovely. I think
it is even more special because you know the
background and some of the people involved. I'm
happy to see it and all that wonderful fabric...it makes me happy just to look at it!!
Posted by: belinda | February 26, 2009 at 09:07 PM
The laundry keeps getting stacked higher and I still never have anything to wear....
Isn't the idea of a friendship quilt wonderful- I think its so neat that you actually know the names of the "friends".
Posted by: Beth Leintz | February 26, 2009 at 10:35 PM
I have a bag full of quilt squares a lot like yours - all embrolidered with names and dates. I am not a quilter, but I'd love to see them used someday. I'll think of a use someday.....
Posted by: Shara | February 26, 2009 at 10:37 PM
Antique quilts are Hugs from the past, I too have trouble walking away from them, I tell my husband the quilts come to me, which is true now to justify my collection I give lectures on Women and their quilts and teach how to lable and honor the makers of these treasures, when my quilts talk you can hear a pin drop everyone loves to hear the stories--Any the money I receive is donated to gigharborquiltfesival.org we have raised 157,000 for local support for women with breast cancer check our site out
Posted by: Delaine Gately | February 27, 2009 at 02:11 AM
The fabric on those stars is tdf...and add it with the embroidery, priceless! Have fun coming up with the perfect project to honor them.
My teenage girls prefer the horizontal laundry pile, covering every square inch of their floor with clothes. I keep having to remind myself to embrace the chaos, cause before you know it they will be off on their own.
Posted by: Amy S. | February 27, 2009 at 12:57 PM
I have a respectable collection of old quilt blocks, and also a large collection of vintage fabric from the 1st half of the 20th Century. At least 2 of your star blocks appear to be feedsacks -- in fact I think I have a complete sack made from that blue fabric (2nd one down in the stack). If I have nothing new on my design wall, I pin up some old blocks, linenes or potholders. I also made a valance for my sewing room windows out of vintage aprons. Love that old stuff!
Posted by: Jan Masenthin | February 27, 2009 at 02:48 PM
I think that it was waiting for you to cherish it and complete it.
Posted by: Connie | February 28, 2009 at 06:52 PM
My Grandmother had a tablecloth embroidered with the names of all her friends that she drapped over a trunk of her treasures. All the names were embroidered in different colours that reminded me of a garden. The cloth must be atleast 60 years, maybe over 80 years old and I am sure that my aunt has it. I will ask her about it next time I write to her... thanks for making me think about it.
Posted by: Jenifir | March 01, 2009 at 07:29 PM
I so loved seeing these squares, and hearing Mrs. Saul's story. It makes me think of each of these women, and what there story was. I love the connection that needlework provides us with women, past and present.
Posted by: Lena | March 07, 2009 at 01:13 AM