Operation Quilt: Day 2
I know you are all sitting on the edges of your seats waiting to hear how it’s going on the quilting front. It’s an exciting raging battle between me and the threads, let me tell you. Today I pretty much just cut. Cutting cutting cutting… It was hard though!
I hate cutting this fabric up. I feel so much pressure to use it wisely. The patterns are so old. Each piece seems like it holds a story, if only I knew what it was. I bought them in a stack at an estate sale years ago for something like 25 cents a piece. I know they are old flour sacks but I don’t know how old they are. I hope I am doing them right putting them into a quilt. It seems like a better thing to do than keep them away in some dark corner of my closet.
So cut away I did, as carefully as I could. I admit I had to take several breaks because some of the flour sacks were wonkey and not square. It’s stressful (for me) to figure out the best way to cut an odd shape to use every scrap possible. Way too much math for my lopsided brain. I even called my mom in a moment of weakness.
Somehow my mom magically figured out a way to get untangled from whatever she was doing and she came to my rescue! I love my mom. Or maybe she just couldn’t resist all the fun I’m having with this silly quilt. She and my nieces drove down to visit me. Which is great because Bug is bored out of her skull rattling around in this great big house full of toys to play with.
What kind of kid gets bored in a house full of somebody eles’s toys? She is so weird that way. She’s never played with toys much. She has a room full of them and she’d rather bug me. She’s always been that way.
It’s nice because I never have to pick up much after her but it’s a pain in the butt because sometimes I’d like to do my own thing, like you know, make a quilt or something. So I’m very happy my nieces are here to entertain my favorite little monster. Not that I don’t like Bug’s company or anything. I just need some space once in a while.
Once they were here I finished cutting pretty quickly. I did sew a few pieces together just to see how’d they’d look. I wasn’t sure about the strip width but I think I’m settled on it now. It’s actually turning out to be a lot easier than I thought. I don’t want to jinx myself but I think I can totally do this, especially now that my mom is here. She’s not doing it for me, that would be cheating, but she is helping me out of those crazy second-guessing circles I seem to spin myself into.
11 Comments
mereteveian
When quilters (that know quilt-history more than I do) speak of “quilts made from flour sacks” they get stars in their eyes. I really think this is a great way to use them, a wise way, just the right thing to do making a quilt from them. Dis i mention that I wish I was there, getting to buy the fabric before you did? :-) Good luck, – it’ll be lovely to look at and to use!
Penelope
My daughter would prefer to ‘bug’ me too…I know how you feel wanting some time to yourself!
I think I quilt is a perfect way to use that material. Mind you, I probably wouldn’t be able to cut it up either…which is why I swapped from actual papers for scrapping and cardmaking, to digital. I can use a gorgeous piece of ‘paper’ tons of times without feeling that pressure!
Jeannette
The fabric is beautiful and a quilt is perfect.Now the fabric will tell another story, this time about you. I am fortunate enough to have 4 dresses made from flour sacks. A child dress from my grammy and 3 child dresses from my mom. My grammy told me stories how her mother made her dresses from them and then she made them for my mom.
You are lucky to find it for that price.It’s expensive on Ebay.
Jeannette
Forgot to say so sorry.With the scraps you could make yo yo’s sew them all together to make a square for a pillow.
beyond
what gorgeous fabric. this quilt is going to look beautiful. that fabric was made to end in your quilting hands.
Tamara
This is going to be just lovely. Lovely, I say! Enjoy the process.
Gramma
Great to see your progress. Are you going to do a basket weave? Your start would make a great Bargello. Your Mom knows how to do that one, too.
Kate
Oh man, that first picture of all the cut strips of fabric, lined up so pretty….NOT helping my urge to quilt. :)
Ruth
This is inspiring me to make a quilt with my never-ending fabric scraps! I’m sure yours will turn out great, Bug or no Bug bothering you.
Amy
I would love to make a feedsack quilt and love how you are doing it! Strip quilts are the perfect use of them too, historic :)
Yeah, I love my kids to death; more than I could love anything or anyone. But I need breaks from them from time to time and preferably on a daily basis lest I lose my mind! You are human, enjoy the break the cousins give you and spend your time being creative and catching up with Mom. I am envious of your creation and collaboration with Mom :)
Jen
Looks GREAT!!