Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Grandmother's quilt


















I spent some time today piecing together blocks of fabric I cut from clothes
that belonged to my grandmother. I noticed that one of the blocks had some holes in
it and rather than try to hide the holes, I decided to emphasize them. At first, I just
stitched a circle around each hole and upon inspection decided that it would be fun
to add a little more color to this little group of holes.



CC License View

A little bigger picture of the blocks I put together.
You will notice the slight white spots on the turquoise fabric.
I imagine my grandmother might have been cleaning something,
and bleach splashed on her shirt.
I am just letting the imperfections be a part of my "memory quilt".
The "imperfections" are my favorite part. : )
It brings character to the quilt.


19 comments:

  1. I love that you included the imperfections. It would take away the story of your grandmother, if you left them out.

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  2. I love the imperfections, too. I think it was "textere" blog or someone like that last year who did a complete piece of all stained fabric. It was really quite nice.(anyone who saw or remembers it, list the link here)

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  3. Hi J. kwiatkowski,
    I agree that it would take away from grandmother's life story if I left those little imperfections out too. Those little things make me wonder what she was doing and how it was a part of her everyday life. I imagine her in the kitchen cooking, the way she used to. It makes me
    smile :)

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  4. Hi Helen,
    Jude at spiritcloth has shown me the beauty
    of allowing a cloth to be what it is. I think it would be fun to see the piece that was done with all stained fabrics. If you find the link, let me know. Thank you.
    <3

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  5. Marie, I LOVE embroidering right around those sweet holes. That is so cool. The cloth can be true to itself, thanks to you!

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  6. Hi Woman with wings,
    I was told by a friend that the quilt that I am working on should last a really long time because it is made from synthetics. I am guessing it will gain more character :)
    I love emphasizing the imperfections.
    <3

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  7. Cosmic Arcata,
    It is a labor of love : )
    Thank you <3

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  8. It's imperfectly beautiful, the most interesting of quilts because it has a history. My mom just sent a quilt to Spencer - for years to come he can see where she hand stitched it and thought of him...

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  9. Marie, your grand-mother would love this quilt and the way you preserve every detail of her clothes for your passage or memory quilt. Such a precious piece of art-heart :)I intend to do the same with my mother´s clothes and fabrics.

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  10. Marie, the place that had the quilt out of stained cloth was texere.wordpress.com and go under the archive of February 2010 and she has several posting. I just love your imperfections, too.

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  11. Love your stitches...all of them! I was recently at the Wisley Gardens in Surrey and looked at a display made by children. They had stitched bits and pieces together to represent nature. It was lovely and I took photos. I wondered what to do with them and now I know! I will post them and come back and let you know when I do....I have a feeling you might enjoy them.

    Love to stitch...only wish I devoted more time to it :)

    Best wishes for a wonderful weekend Marle and thank you for showing us your lovely work.

    Jeanne xx

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  12. Hi Marle...I am back :)

    Read here....
    http://jeanne-inoneplace.blogspot.com/2011/03/ancient-cloth-lifelines-and-wisley.html

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  13. Hi Gina, Oh Spencer is lucky indeed to have a grandmother that lovingly stitched a quilt for him. Thank you<3

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  14. Hi Isabelle, It is so touching to create a memory quilt. I will be doing the same with some of my father's clothes when I get them. My grandmother would probably laugh/smile that I am making a quilt from her clothes, but growing up a cotton farmer and raising her brothers and sisters made her appreciate every little thing. Her family was very resourceful and made the most of what they had.
    thank you<3

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  15. Hi Helen,
    Thank you for the link. Her work is just beautiful and the stained quilt exquisite. I appreciate you taking the time to find the link.
    : )
    <3

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  16. Hi Jeanne,
    welcome <3
    I am so glad you stopped by. My art/stitching is my passion and therapy lol! It is a challenge to find time to stitch as I work full time + some, as a merchandising manager of a store.
    I am touched beyond words....thank you for including me in your new blog and especially with the precious children's art. Those little hands, hearts and minds creating art is so sweet <3
    Thank you again<3

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  17. Thanks Marie for visiting my blog and taking the time to say hello.

    I really like the way you stitch your quilts.

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  18. Hi Mary,
    You have lovely ceramic buttons!
    and thank you. I really enjoy stitching my bits
    of fabric. <3

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