Talented Tuesday - A Family of Quilters

Quilting is a skill passed down in my mother's family.  My grandmother, Mary Steinmetz Hoag, was a quilter out of necessity.  She had 7 children to keep warm.  My mother quilts out of enjoyment.  She made quilts for most of her grandchildren upon their graduation from high school or marriage.  She started this tradition after my children had passed both milestones.  I guess this just goes with being the eldest daughter.  She also makes lap quilts and donates them to a cancer treatment center for children.  She was able to convince her NSDAR chapter to join her in this cause.  Her group makes and donates many quilts each year.  I have helped with many quilts in the passed ten years.  Our community raffled a quilt at their come on home celebration and I joined in making blocks for these quilts.  When my daughter announced her engagement, my mother suggested I make a quilt for their wedding.  I asked my daughter which pattern and colors she preferred.  She requested a Double Wedding Ring in red, gold and black.  So, I set out to the local discount retailer to find the fabrics I needed.  Well, gold wasn't in their selection but I found some yellow fabric in different hues that would work.  The black I found had chickens on it, subtle but chickens, indeed.   She wasn't thrilled with the fabric choices, she was thinking satins.  If you quilt, satin fabric is not what you typically would choose.  It took me many years ( six I believe) to piece the quilt top and one year to hand quilt it.  It turned out to be Queen Size.  She liked it when I finally finished it.  My mother has several quilts that her mother made and this are hanging on the wall in one of her guest rooms.  I enjoy looking at quilts and going to quilt shows.
To say the least, quilters are among the most talented people on earth in my opinion.  I have a very active Pinterest page full of quilts and a folder on my computer just for quilt ideas.  I am a free thinker and do not like to follow directions.  I think of quilts as works of art, left up to the artist to create and the public to enjoy.  I am amazed at what I see other quilters create!  I have to remind myself, I am only limited by my imagination.  I am in awe of the talented ladies who are dedicated to this art!

I set out this fall to clean up the fabric remnants hiding in a dresser drawer.  So, I retrieved them from their hiding place, laid them out on the guest bed and started putting them in groups of coordinating colors.  I told myself, I would have all of that fabric used by New Year's Day.  Ha!

As Christmas approached and with it the grandchildren coming to visit, I had to put away all the fabric that was covering the guest bed.  I thought ahead on this one (I am so proud of myself) I bagged it in coordinating fabrics so I can pull one bag and I am ready to create!

I made one lap quilt this last fall.  I intended to make more but I turned instead to making doll clothes for my granddaughter's new doll.  That was a lot of fun, too.  I plan to make lap quilts this year for the veterans' project in my NSDAR chapter.  My goal is to make one each month...wish me luck because genealogy takes me away from the sewing machine.   What's a quilting genealogist to do!