Creative Life Sampler

A Closer Look    (3 of 3) An expert could examine the fabric patterns and its condition in order to date the center of this quilt accurately. I believe the original quilter had sewn on a machine, so it can't date too far back...  A lot of these four square blocks contain a plaid, and I would guess that they are all cottons. But my teen-aged self didn't really seem take that into account when I chose scraps to construct new blocks. Apparently, I just used what was on hand in the scrap box. (I don't think I even considered fiber content.)  I may not be able to say when the quilt was started, but, because I recognize fabrics from my clothing projects, I have a pretty good idea of when this was finished.  I remember having to problem solve when the pink ran out- it was impossible to match exactly. So, I switched to white solid blocks for two rows. The remaining original squares were interspersed with the new four square blocks. It is a...

Picking Up Where a Quilter Left Off   (2 of 3) For several summer vacations, we would make the long drive from the DC area to visit my grandparents in Connecticut. Their home had been in the family for quite some time, so it held all kinds of personal treasures-turned-antiques; the accumulations of one life passed to, or left for, the next generation.  It was on one of those trips that I ran across an unfinished quilt in my grandmother’s upstairs hall closet. Some of the top had been pieced together but there were also loose four square blocks. She clearly had no interest in it. I'm not sure she even knew where it originated. So, I eagerly inherited it. This quilt has been stored in the chest for years. I think this may have been my first effort at quilting... a project that some relative, I know not who, started, but never finished. At that point in my life, I thought it was quite an accomplishment to finish it , and somehow it connected me to the origi...