Around the World
This T-Shirt Quilt is a WIP (Work In Progress). My husband, for whom I'm making this, won't let it become a UFO (UnFinished Object).
The sashing is cut from his old Army dress shirts.
So far, this is machine pieced and hand quilted.
I've purposely arranged the blocks so there is no "top" or "bottom" to this quilt.
I'm piecing this together block by block, backing each block with additional knit fabric, as you can see. I want the back to be nearly as interesting as the front. The blocks are stabilized with used and washed dryer fabric softener sheets. Since this is to be simply a light throw quilt, I didn't bother to use batting.
Around the WorldThis block was made for a member of our quilting group as a going away gift. She left in July because her husband had joined the Army, so in the months before her departure everyone in the group secretly made a block using a Red, White & Blue motif. We presented her with all 12 blocks at her final meeting. As an Army Wife myself, I've spent many years living by the motto expressed in the center square!
Back in April 1998 the following plea was posted to RCTQ: "Hi everyone,
Would anyone like to make one of the blocks for the play "The Quilters"?
Two wonderful young women I know (one of them, my oldest) are staging it at Knox here in Galesburg next month; the costume shop's busy with
"Macbeth," and I'm the only quilter they know. (Help!)
Pretty please, with sugar on top? For thanks, they said they'll put our
names in the program. . .
(From a message dated 23 May 98)
Hi everybody! The play was a success! Between the two acts, there was even a barndance with a live band, fiddle, bass viola and piano, in which the audience was encouraged to participate. I did, for all of us, carrying my new two-year-old on my hip.
Each vignette began with a character stepping forth, unfurling a block, then saying, "Scene Three--Double Wedding Ring" or such, then the scene would begin and someone would pin the block up on a curtain in the back until all sixteen were placed in a straight 4X4 set. At the end, the main character, an "old" quilter, and all of her daughters unfurled a huge quilt with blocks from all the scenes.
The play brought tears to my eyes more than once, and seeing that huge quilt and hearing the audience applaud was one of those times.
The young women sang beautiful old songs and hymns, and the play was funny. If you ever get a chance, do please see it!!
Afterwards, they included me in one of the cast pictures. As I was gathering all the blocks and quilts to take home, a woman came up and asked about all of us doing the blocks and meeting via the internet, saying that was remarkable, in her own words.
I'll tell you this--we were thanked many times over by the members of the cast and crew of "Quilters"----they couldn't have done it without all of us: Kathy Ross, Marian McQuaid, Deb Richardson, Roberta in Florida, Gwyneth Johnsen, Letty Barnes, Allie Ruth Cross, Carolyn Bottomley and others.
Tracey Winbigler
A few months ago a woman was offering this Maple Leaf top for sale and, on a whim, I bought it sight unseen. It's completely hand pieced and looks as though it may have been the first try at quiltmaking for the original owner. Best guesses from my friend Sandy place the fabrics in the '40s. During my visit to the Dallas Quilt Show in March 1998 I purchased some '40s reproduction fabric. Now I'm handstitching replacement blocks for the ones that fell apart in the wash (see below).
The top had several stains of all kinds on it, but these (in the white brackets, top left and lower right) concerned me most of all. Thinking it was wax, I very nearly tried removing them with a warm iron and paper toweling. Fortunately, my sanity came back in time and instead I gently soaked the top in my bathtub, using cool water and "Orvus" brand soap. It took a couple of soakings (the water was brown), but all the stains (including the "wax") came out. Only 3 blocks fell apart when I soaked the top, but it was the same fabric in all 3 blocks that disintegrated (the gold plaid that can be seen in the lower left corner of the full quilt).