the decade quilt

 I started this quilt in April of 2009, back when sewandsowlife was just a baby. You can read about it here.

I finished piecing it this summer (2019!) and had it professionally quilted by a friend in my guild. This is the very first time I have had a quilt done by someone else, and let me tell you, it was a joy!  It's a queen size quilt and there is no way I would have been able to lug that thing through my conventional machine. I know, I know, people do it all the time...but it would have made me mad with exasperation! So thank you very much Karen Abrahamovich, of Machine Quilting Services of Vermont. Her suggestion of a citrus peel pattern was spot on.

Anyhow, the whole point of the quilt was to use sentimental scraps. The nine patch (above) is stitched with scraps from a dress I made for Lindsey in 1986. Here's a picture of Stewart and Lindsey (wearing the dress) playing on the shore of Lake Arcadia in Michigan.

This block is made with scraps of kettle cloth (do you remember kettle cloth?) my mom used to made me a skirt and matching jacket set that I think I wore in the third grade.

These flowers on blue were bits of kitchen curtains I made for the very first house we owned in La Grange  IL. The wallpaper was in reverse, white background with blue flowers.

This chintz green and white was from a dress my mom made for me when I was in college. I have very funny memories of wearing it when I had dinner with Peter's parents in NYC (when we were just college sweeties) and I got a wee bit tipsy by mistake.

These beautiful batik birds came from a blouse I wore the day Peter and I shared a fateful train ride in 1974. xo

Other bits came from quilts I've made over the years, more kid's clothing I stitched and gifts I've sent off into the world. 

My word for 2019 is "productive" and I've been determined that some of that productivity would be used to finish up some UFO's* It was a relief and a true pleasure to put this quilt on our bed. 

Thanks for following along with this sentimental patchwork. Tuscan Tuesday will turn up again next week.

* UnFinished Objects