The Stitches That Bind

I started piecing this Drunkard's Path a few months ago, but today I actually starting putting the block together. I only have enough to do this one block, but it's a beginning. I'm doing this one by hand, piecing and quilting. I want it to be for Adam. I saw the design at last year's county quilt show and really liked it. Mother cut out all the pieces, enough for all three of us to make one. She and Grannie have already finished their's...I'm running a little behind.

My inspiration....my Grannie. 95 years old and still piecing at least 30 minutes every day. These stars were in her work basket today. Most of what she is doing now is simply finishing already started quilts and she's got enough to work on until she's 100!

I reminded her of a new pattern that we both liked, Raise the Roof (Miss Rosie's Quilt Co.). A log cabin with stars. She thinks she got enough browns to do the quilt. We're wondering if we can talk Mother into cutting out the pieces again!!

My Barn-Rising Log Cabin. I've been working on it well over 10 years now. All lap quilting, with 1 ince grid in the dark greens. My goal is to have it done for this year's county fair....August!! All I like is a small part of the border and the binding.

Each block was machine pieced and then hand pieced together. Everything else was by hand, including all the quilting using a large, round hoop. The back is more beautiful than the front, showing all the grids. I only work on it in the winter since it's so heavy and large. It gets too hot to work on in the summer. Me and the kids have already taken several naps under this quilt.

This is Sally's graduation quilt, called "Out of the Box". I've always encouraged her to think outside the box...well, actually, she did it on her own. This pattern starts with a basic "box" in the center, with some points trying to get out (or my thoughts when looking at it. It's from scraps, but I started running out of similar scraps, so I through in some reds, just because.

I peiced the blocks at work, duirng breaks and lunch. I quilted it using my grandmother's quilt frame (pictured above - Grannie C.).

The thread that I used to piece it was from my other grandmother. She worked in a shirt factory and she had all these big spools of thread. Grannie L. gave me a spool a long time ago, and it's still a long way from being empty. (She died when Sally was almost 1 yr old).

The quilt frame sits on 2 half, round chairs. The same chairs that always held up Grannie C.'s quilt frame. It meant a lot to me and her to be able to use her frame for the quilting.