Sunday 4 November 2012

My Family Heirloom



I've been saving this post for a rainy day (i.e when I have nothing else to write about). I made this patchwork quilt a lot of years ago, and until recently it has been hidden in a chest. But finally my kids have passed the years when I have to worry about little accidents, so I thought it was time for it to come out of hiding.


I started making it when I was about 13 years old, and it took the good part of the next 8 years. Part of the reason it took so long was I kept running out of material. The original plan was, I think, to have no repeated fabrics, but if you look closely I do have two or three diamonds of some fabrics. I guess you would call most of the fabrics vintage, like me.


The section I like best is the middle. Partly it is because some of the stitching there is not very good. I got better as the years passed. A lot of the fabrics were from my mum's material bits and bobs box. 

It makes me realize how much sewing my mum did. I can remember most of the outfits that the fabrics came from, and it makes me nostalgic. Can you see the teddybear fabric from my sister's and my aprons? The purple flowers were from a little dress I made at school. Little turquoise flowers on white seersucker was a nightdress. I could go on for hours .... 

I have just remembered that my mum used to make us pretend bills, whenever she had finished a make. We would find the finished item of clothing on our bed, wrapped, and either with a bill from Anna's Dress Shop, or Nancy's Knitting Shop. She did this for years. I think she was trying to make a point ...


So there it is, my family heirloom. Every stitch was done by hand, even attaching the backing and edge ribbon. I slightly regretted using such a simple design, and have a hankering to make another quilt one day, perhaps with a more complicated pattern, and a colour theme. But this quilt was a labour of love for my children, and I'm sure I will not make anything handsewn on this scale again.






44 comments:

  1. This is AWESOME. Congratulations. I am pleased that you are able to display it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. wow!!!! that really is a make of a lifetime :) utterly gorgeous and well worth being proud of, i'm sure it will be treasured by many generations x

    ReplyDelete
  3. What a lovely heirloom. I think it's amazing that you have hardly used any repeat fabric. I wonder what your 13 year old self would think of the finished quilt. Have a crafty week.
    Ali x

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wow - I am impressed. It's lovely that there was a learning curve and that some of the stitching isn't perfect - I love that. I also love the staying power you exhibited. That is one very special quilt.

    ReplyDelete
  5. What a wonderful quilt, it's lovely that fabrics can trigger so many memories :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Gorgeous quilt I love it. So many memories in each patch.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Fabulous quilt, with heaps and heaps of lovely fabric memories!

    ReplyDelete
  8. wow it's absolutely fantastic and I love that there are so many memories in each piece of fabric

    ReplyDelete
  9. So very beautiful! What a amazing family heirloom to pass on. WIshing you lovely day :) x

    ReplyDelete
  10. The quilt is beautiful and will be treasured for years to come, a memory to keep. I also remember Mum making all my clothes, coats the lot and they were all different. Cousins would come and visit and she would whip up some dungarees in an afternoon, no pre bought pattern just her own design.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Just WOW! The amount of work and love that went into this quilt is astonishing! Can't believe you were only 13 when you started it. It definitely shouldn't stay any longer in a chest and should be showcased :-)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Amazing. That's the only thing I can say! Thank you soooo much for sharing this beautiful piece. Joining from Inspire Me Monday - http://allthoseartsygirls.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  13. Really, really lovely. I can only imagine all the work which must have gone into it!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Absolutely stunning, you should be so proud. How wonderful to have created something so special that will be passed form generation to generation - just wonderful.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I can hardly get over how beautiful this is. Visually stunning but also the story of how you started it as a girl, how the pieces of fabric have meaning to you, and on and on. I just love the whole thing in its entirety. What an amazing thing this quilt of yours is. An heirloom in every sense of the word. Wow. I also love the story of your Mom and the bills. I hope you saved at least some of them. :)

    ReplyDelete
  16. Such a beautiful quilt. I love the idea of using bits of left over fabric. I have lots of scraps and I know the feeling of looking at them and remembering what was created from them.

    While I can sew clothing, I'm horrible with other projects. I started a quilt back in the 80s using bits and pieces and the poor thing is still waiting for me to finish it.

    ReplyDelete
  17. This is just FANTASTIC. The design is wonderful, you don't need complicated patterns- just perfect and so full of memories- more evocative than a picture. Enjoy it now!

    ReplyDelete
  18. What a wonderful ideas - all those fond memories packed into a great big beautiful quilt. I am sure it will be a treasured family heirloom.

    ReplyDelete
  19. gorgeous and I love the simple pattern! thanks so much for sharing on Craft schooling Sunday!

    ReplyDelete
  20. what an amazing quilt and with it's own story too...lovely. :)
    plant you daffs, it's not too late, mine were in a while back which is why they are so far on!...vivienne x

    ReplyDelete
  21. Your quilt is the epitome of quilting- sentimental, practical and nostalgic. Love it. Thanks for popping over at my blog too and leaving a lovely comment on my humble quilt. I'm honoured. Blessings, Fi xx

    ReplyDelete
  22. That is gorgeous. Glad you finally have it out to appreciate.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Well done - not just the work over time, but the getting it out. I've been toying with that, too, but none of mine has your quilt's rich history.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Wow to start something like this when you are 13?! Really cool. I love it...so colorful.

    ReplyDelete
  25. It's brilliant! I have a blanket I started when I was 13 or so, too. It's crocheted, and I just finished it in the past year, in time for my son's birth. Love it.

    ReplyDelete
  26. It's beautiful! I love handmade quilts.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Hand made labours of love like this are precious. Congrats!

    ReplyDelete
  28. That is a work of art. I adore quilts, and have tried making them, but I don't have the patience - I'll stick with embroidery, crochet and a bot of knitting. My Snapshot is at http://goo.gl/CQuKI

    ReplyDelete
  29. What an amazing heirloom! And it looks so cozy too. So full of wonderful memories. My mother made my sister and me a quilt with knitted squares when we were young. I loved it but alas it did not survive, although I think my sister still has a portion of hers.

    ReplyDelete
  30. What a treasure; it looks so warm and comfy as well. Love how colorful it is as well. great job.

    ReplyDelete
  31. I absolutely LOVE quilts...and while I've never made one, my mother also did...and I enjoyed some of the finished works. I also took pleasure in recognizing the fabrics from items we had worn. Thanks for sharing!

    Here's MY SATURDAY SNAPSHOT POST

    ReplyDelete
  32. LOVE quilts!! And, the fact that you made this yourself makes it that much more special! What a treasure!

    ReplyDelete
  33. Around here the Amish make handcrafted quilts that are gorgeous like yours. I have always wanted one. Maybe someday. I'm sure your quilt will be a family heirloom.

    ReplyDelete
  34. I am in AWE!. What a great heirloom for you and your family. That's what quilting started out as, a way to use all the fabric. Waste not, want not. These days we quilters buy new fabric, cut it up, sew it back together. But your quilt is so personal so nostalgic, I love it!!! And all hand pieced too!!!!! Amazing!!!
    Here is my Snapshot Saturday post for today

    ReplyDelete
  35. What a lovely project! I don't quilt, but my mom made us a lovely one for our wedding present.

    Here's my Snapshot.

    ReplyDelete
  36. Being a quilter, I can truly appreciate the level of variety in all the fabric! It takes forever to get a stash that big ... just beautiful! And ... I'm glad it has come out of the closet to grace your bed! That's where quilts belong! XO!

    ReplyDelete
  37. That's a beautiful quilt and was obviously made with love. It's great that you can use it now and enjoy it.

    ReplyDelete
  38. Wonderful that you have an heirloom with so many memories attached! I always wanted to do something like that but didn't have the patience (and hate sewing). Instead I crocheted a blanket for my oldest and a scarf for my youngest (it started out being a small blanket and when I realized it wasn't getting finished after years, I turned it into a scarf).

    ReplyDelete
  39. What a wonderful heirloom. So lovely that you can remember what your mother made with the fabrics too. Great that you can start to use it. I'm not crafty at all, but still have a crotcheted rug that I made as a teenager, I loved it when my son was using it on his bed.

    ReplyDelete
  40. What a beautiful quilt! I love the story behind it as well!
    Thanks for sharing this at Inspire Me Monday at

    Create With Joy
    http://create-with-joy.com

    ReplyDelete
  41. Ordinary Words....one of the original recycling ideas! Love your finished project♫

    ReplyDelete
  42. That quilt is just gorgeous. I love the simplicity of it and I'm in complete awe that it was done entirely by hand.

    ReplyDelete
  43. This is a memory quilt, I love how you remember what the piece was before you used it. Great job!

    ReplyDelete