Friday, August 19, 2016

outside the box


600" of quilt binding, slow and steady

I have these original hand pieced quilt tops, two Double Wedding Rings made by Two Mama. They have been living in this card board box, but my wish for them is to live outside of the box.


They need to have a home with family that will love them. Originally there was 3, the pink one being liberated for a family wedding. 

Jenny is the oldest of Two-Mama's great-grandchildren and she picked out the lavender one. The edges of this one are defined by the rings, making the edge not straight but scalloped. Jenny chose one of the pink sheets also in the cardboard box for the lining. The unfinished top measures 96 x 112! It will make a great family heirloom to be passed down through the generations. 


I took this one to Peg the Quilt Lady who worked her magic once again, handing back to me another masterpiece. She said, "Are you going to keep this one?"

No ma'am this goes to another of the granddaughters, share the love you know.

I was worried about the scalloped edges stretching out of shape, but of course Peg handled it, going around the entire quilt with stay-stitching to keep it in shape, such a professional.



Now for the binding. According to my guesstimating it will take about 560" so I cut about 600" of binding, on the bias, folded and pressed, ready to go. I watched a YouTube video on how to do scalloped binding and practiced making the scallops on a scrap piece. The fabric used for the binding was in The Box along with everything else, it was meant to be.

Just because these quilt tops ended up at my house does not mean they are mine to keep, but belong to the collective family and heirs of the one who made them - Two Mama. So now I am trying to get them out into the rest of the family, Lord knows my kids and grandkids will have enough quilts to divide up some day.

Precious memories boxed up, out of sight and out of mind. We all have them. Every once in a while we take them out, relive the memory they invoke, whether it be smiles or tears, and then pack them away again. But at some point in the process it is time to share them, give them to your kids or grandkids now, instead of later when they are dividing up your estate with heavy hearts. Do it now, so that you can share the stories that go along with them. Now, so that you can see for yourself the smiles or tears in their eyes too.


Thanks Two Mama for the heirlooms, I will get them out of the box and into the hands of some of your favorite folks. It is an honor to finish up your UFOs for you.


spring