In my home I have a pie safe that was built for one purpose…..to store my quilts. Now this was early in my quilting career and the small cabinet could hold all of them.
Not ANY MORE!!!
Anyway, each month I change the decorating to reflect the flavor of the month and over the years I have created or acquired a quilt that specifically fits over the cabinet.
Here are the decorations that are up right now…..
This is special for two reasons….
Firstly, I highlight my Dad’s veteran status, displaying his army insignia and papers, and
Secondly, I love the quilt that I made for this month.
It started with a pattern in one of my Mom’s quilting books. But the pattern was for a BIG quilt….. I wanted a small (36″) quilt.
So, I decided that I would simply reduce the pattern size and make the quilt anyway.
Now, this was back in 1995, and my skills were a bit less developed than they are now.
I remember finding it to be a stretch to piece 1/2-strips and keep them straight!!
And when I began the quilting process, I started having issues with my sewing machine (a Singer School model).
I would start out fine, but the foot would stick and I wouldn’t be able to stop when I needed to…..YIKES!!! Fortunately, I learned to kick the pedal really hard to make it stop!!
This was quilted with monofilament thread and that was the only saving grace…..you couldn’t SEE the quilting!!
Anyway, it is now a favorite quilt and I love when July rolls around so that I can enjoy it hanging in my home……
I hope that you have a wonderful day of celebrating the Red White & Blue!!!
This July 4th, Michael and I have teamed together again to present both quilt and words that honor our defenders of freedom……
We often think of the 4th of July in terms of freedom, and rightly so – our Country’s freedom from oppression, from control by a distant, foreign power intent on exploitation. What we don’t as often remind ourselves of is the cost in lost freedom, lost health, lost lives of men and women who served our country from the 18th Century until now. This quilt of valor reflects the sacrifices from love – represented by the staggered heart blocks – by our service men and women who chose to lose their freedom and go where needed to protect each of us, and their Country. This quilt reminds us of those who returned and those who did not. We wish for no more conflicts, but know that until that Day when peace reigns, there will continue to be those special individuals who place others above themselves by moving into, not out of, danger.
Since it is July, let’s throwback to a patriotic quilt that I made in 1995.
For MANY years, I have had a pie safe (built to specifications by a good friend) that has held all of my smaller quilts. I use the top of it to display a vignette for the current month and the “quilt of the month” hangs above that.
These quilts are all about 36 inches wide with most being in a square format.
I started looking for patterns for my “God Bless America” quilt and finally found one in a book that my Mother owned. For the life of me, I can’t find it now but I remember that it was a hardback book that had lots of quilts and patterns in it.
The problem with this pattern was that the quilt would finish at 80 inches square…..way TOO big for my pie safe!!!
So, I cavalierly said “I will just cut the pattern in half”!!!! Little did I know that would involve pieces cut to 3/8’s, 5/8’s and 7/8’s inches, and we all know how much of a pain that can be.
But, I persevered and this quilt was born……
Now don’t look too closely because there are TONS of mistakes!!!
The one memory that I have of making this quilt is that I was having problems with the pedal on my old singer machine, and that at unexpected times, it would just take off and fly. I either had to stomp the pedal really hard or turn it off to get it to stop!!!
Fortunately, back then I was quilting with Monofilament thread so you cannot see the places where it took off and my TINY stitches are stacked on top of one another.
I look forward to July each year so that I can pull this old friend out.
This is my vignette……
….which features pictures of my sweet Dad and some of his WWII papers…… sweet memories all the way around!!!
