Grandma Rose was a wonderful grandma. She enjoyed when the grandkids came to visit and she would always cook excellent meals and bake pies. She also liked to sew. When she learned that I loved to sew too, she gave me a bag of already cut squares to make a quilt. I was in high school at the time and was excited to make a quilt and give it back to her. She became ill in the early 80's and I thought to myself that I had better hurry up and make this quilt. I started sewing all the squares together, which wasn't easy because I couldn't get the squares to match up right. I did get a lot done before Grandma passed in 1981 or maybe it was 1982. Since she wasn't around for me to give the quilt to, it went into a drawer with all my other unfinished projects.
I would see the unfinished quilt and squares from time to time when I would be digging in drawers for something else. This always brought back memories of Grandma, and how I should have tried harder to finish it. Once in a blue moon, I would pull it out and sew a few more squares onto it. I had planned to make it a puffy quilt by putting our waterbed bed spread in the middle and then sew some buttons here and there to hold everything in place. I had it all planned out. Every time we moved, I would see those squares and also the shiny blue bed spread. I think I even put the unfinished quilt in a couple of garage sales thoughout the years. I guess people didn't want another unfinished project either, so it never sold and the shiny blue bedspread ended up in the garage and became a moving blanket to protect our treasures whenever we moved.
After moving to Davenport, I decided I was done hauling so much fabric around and having it take up so much space. Yes, I was a fabric hoarder, and maybe still am. I went through all my fabric and there I found the bag of squares along with the quilt. I left it out so I would remember to ask Molly if she would be interested in this quilt. The squares were her colors, the colors she likes to decorate her bedroom in. Molly was interested in a quilt so I was back to sewing.
I pulled out the squares and found they were not cut square! I thought back on when I first started this quilt in 1978 and believed all I would have to do is sew the squares together and have a beautiful quilt. Now, after watching hours of videos on how to make quilts, I realize I should have squared all of the squares. I was having trouble all those years ago because they were not cut correctly! I found that I had started to make a back to the quilt with the left over squares. I don't really remember doing this. I had started a design but didn't have enough of the floral squares. This must have been when I became frustrated and put it back in storage. But now that Molly is interested, I headed to the fabric store to buy material for the back. I wouldn't be using the shiny blue waterbed bed spread but had decided to make a duvet for a comforter. I needed blue fabric to finish this project.
 |
| I ran out of floral squares for the design I was creating for the back |
The fabric store didn't have the exact blue I needed to finish the back so I chose a darker blue. Once I had it all sewn together, I really didn't like it. Plus, I cut the quilt too small for a queen size duvet. Molly and I went back to the fabric store so she could pick out what she liked. I was excited about the sale they were having. After getting the fabric home, realized it was not the best choice of fabric for a duvet.
Even though I haven't fixed the back, fixed the size, or completed the bottom, I threw it on the bed where it has been for awhile now. Some day, I will pick this back up and finish it.
Let's see, it has taken me 43 years, what's a few more, right?
