Meeting a Friend and Remembering Grandma

The best thing about our drive through Oklahoma two weeks ago today, was finally getting to meet a friend in person.  I first met Saska  four or five years ago on Block Central.  While she doesn't live that far away (six hours or so), we've never found the time to get together.  Last Sunday we remedied that and spent a couple of very enjoyable hours chatting in our motel room.  Saska is just as warm and delightful in person as she is on her blog and I'm so happy we've finally officially met!  I hadn't realized she is so tall.....or maybe it's just me that is so short!!!

When we arrived at my son's house in AZ I was thrilled to see on their spare bed, the quilt that inspired my Remembering Grandma quilt. 

 My Grandmother, Esther, made this quilt for Mike when he got married in 1982.  I hadn't seen it since then, but drafted a pattern from pictures of my Grandmother working on the quilt.

It felt so good to see and touch these fabrics that are now 50 years old or more.  Grandma's blocks were bigger than my later version.

I was particularly surprised to see this corner block.  The print fabric was one I used to make an apron in 4-H about 1960 or earlier.  I still have that apron and every now and then I consider cutting it up and using the fabric in a quilt block.  But it is the only thing item I have left from my 4-H and Home Ec sewing days so I have hung on to it.

More neat fabrics.  I remember Grandma wearing a dress from the lavendar print in the bottom right corner.

One last view of blocks

It was so good to be able to confirm that Grandma was a pretty good hand quilter.  I wasn't paying a lot of attention to the process at the time she worked on this in a frame in my livingroom. Now I really appreciate her work and the time she put into this and it felt good to touch it again. I know she would have been so proud and happy to have shared Mike's events last week and somehow it felt like she was there with this quilt on the bed.

I also was able to see and take a picture of the round crocheted tablecloth I made for Mike as a wedding gift in 1982.  It was made from #30 thread and took 3 months of pretty much constant crocheting.  It has survived with one small rip and I was able to mend that so that even I can no longer find it. It's about 46" in diameter.