While working with Swedish Grandmother's (SG) dresden petals, I noticed something. Look closely at the stitching on the above picture. Can you see that there are two stitch lines? One stitch line is very wonky and doesn't even go all the way to the end. Then the second line is straight and strong. I was so puzzled when I first saw this. Everything about SG's sewing has been so neat and well, perfect. I sat down and just stared at the stitches for a bit. Why in the world? I couldn't believe that SG had made a mistake so drastic...and why leave these wonky stitches there? I never was able to meet SG, but after spending so much time with her dresden petals, I have a feeling she was the type of sewer to 'redo' and 'undo' any unsightly stitches...even if no one would see the seam. Then I started looking closely at several of the other dresden petals. Holy Moly, there were about 7 or 8 (out of 62) dresden 'flowers' that had these double stitches.
Then I started thinking about my little Ladybug. When I first started sewing she was always under foot. She wanted to see what Mama was doing. She played with the fabric and even sewed a few things...I've saved those sweet little wonky stitches...Then it hit me! SG wanted those wonky stitches there!! She must have been teaching someone to sew?! Maybe a grandchild or great niece/nephew? She knew no one would every see the imperfection, but she would know they were there. She would know that whoever helped her that day would be apart of the quilt. Of course, I'll never know for sure, but this is what my heart tells me...what the dresden petals tell me.
Look at this fabric! One of my favorites so far.
I've been busy... cutting squares, clipping corners, making centers for the dresdens.
She's coming along nicely. I just couldn't wait to get a glimpse of what she'll be. So, once I had all the dresden petals sewn onto the background squares, I laid her out on the floor...she's so lovely. If you look closely at the top, you'll see the first row has the corners already sewn in. So exciting.
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| Swedish Grandmother |
I am really loving this story. It is SO special. And what a lovely gift you are giving.
ReplyDeleteWhat a neat project!! I just read back through all the posts for these Dresdens, and I am so charmed. You are putting so much care and love into an heirloom set that will undoubtedly be enormously loved by each sister when they get their finished quilts. I know how fulfilling it is to finish another quilter's work for her. I had the pleasure last year of quilting a Bo-Peep quilt top that my husband's great-aunt had carefully kept from the 1930s that her grandmother had made for her, but never quilted up. Helen's joy and gratitude were unmeasurable. The fabrics in these Dresdens look to be in remarkably excellent shape! The setting corners you're adding to the blocks really make her plates sing. Are you doing the same corner colors on both quilts? [and hey - I've just "met" you through Whoop Whoop link-up, so you might already be in this groove - but don't forget to print out the quilt's story on labels to stitch to their backs, including SG's name and yours, and dates of block construction (even if listed as estimated) and quilt finishing. That's particularly essential for these kinds of endeavors.]
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