Saturday, October 12, 2013

Max

Maxine

Maxine, Max, Mamma Max, Gramma Max, GiGi, Mother, Mom -
I'm pretty sure she answers to all of them. 

She is my mother. 
She used to be a very good seamstress, making clothes and dresses for me when I was little, 
and even into college. (I remember one frantic call on a Thursday evening saying 
I HAD TO HAVE a long black dress for Saturday - that Saturday.
And yes, she came through for me. )
I'm not sure when she decided to stop sewing, but she did.  

It was my grandmother who actually taught me how to sew.
Max was a working woman after her divorce, so there wasn't much free time to sit down
and teach, but my Nonie, God Bless her, was patient and passed on her love of sewing to me.
She's also the person who taught me how to crochet, but that's a blog for another day.

No matter how many times I've tried to convince Max that she should start 
sewing again and join me on this quilting journey, she has declined.

Of the many things I've made for her  - 
payback for years of babysitting services - there are two quilts. 

This one is small, lap sized, and faded from years of being in the 
sun on her back porch. (No, the quilt does not have feet.)

There are chickens on the fabric - 
"Chicken" was her pet name for me when I was little. 
It stuck - not so much that people still call me that (thank goodness), 
but I seem to have quite a collection of "chicken" things around the house, 
as well as a drawer full of chicken fabrics waiting for yet another quilt.

This is the second quilt I made for her. It's a little larger and finds it's home 
on the back of a chair in the den. Again, this is the Turning Twenty pattern. 
It's a quick and easy pattern, but I can see now that 
I've over-used it through the years. I've lost count...



This was a FQ bundle from a fabric collection. 
It's so nice to be able to use fabrics specifically made to go together. 
None of that angst over which fabrics go together and which ones to use.


Presented to Max in 2005. 
And this time - I remember to put the name of the person who quilted it on the label. 
Thanks Karen H.   Nice all-over meander. 

There have been other things over the years, table runners, tote bags, fleece 
blankets, but there are the 2 quilts I've made for Max. 


Friday, October 11, 2013

Lauren & Natalie

Lauren and Natalie are sisters, and my brother's daughters. My nieces.

Forgive me if I'm repeating myself, but I made a promise that I would try to have a quilt for all my children, including my nieces and nephews, by the time they graduated from highschool. 
I'm not quite finished yet - 7 down and 3 to go!!

Lauren
Lauren received her quilt  in 2006, well before she graduated from high school. 

This is the Turning Twenty pattern, using 20 FQ's (fat quarters) for the quilt top. 
I believe this was a FQ bundle, where a manufacturer puts in a cut of all the fabrics made to go in a certain series. They are then re-cut and pieced, and randomly sewn back together for this scrappy look. 

(I think she's hiding behind the quilt, on the stairs...)

The label says it was given to her on her 16th birthday, in 2006. The back is stars - on black. 

The border on the front matches the fabric on the back, and the binding. 
I didn't quilt this particular quilt, and unfortunately, I don't remember who quilted it for me. 
There are cool stars and swirls throughout though. 


Natalie
 Natalie received her quilt in 2008, also on her 16th birthday. 

This fun quilt was the result of a class I believe I took 
at a quilt shop that is no longer in existence. :-(

(Again, we're hiding behind the quilt...)

I'm sorry I didn't put the name of the pattern on the label. 
This quilt is so fun I think I'd like to make it again, but I can't remember the name, 
and haven't been able to track down the pattern. 
So sad. Lesson learned - always put the pattern name on the label!

You can see the quilting on the back - and yes again, I'm clueless as to who did the quilting for me. 
That information should also be on the label!!

(Just so you don't think I'm not really making the quilts because I'm not quilting these myself - it's nearly IMPOSSIBLE to wrestle a full sized quilt under a standard sewing machine to quilt it. I have done it, and it's no fun. You could actually hurt yourself trying to maneuver all that heavy fabric under that small arm. 

I know, some people do it and they do it very well, but not me. I'll stick with the smaller ones for now, thank you. Besides, the gals with the long-arm sewing machines have to make a living, too.)