I could hear the yellow double wedding ring quilt top pleading
to get out of the musty cardboard box. I finally responded and released it from
captivity. Ahhh fresh air! Sunshine! But
wait, it was still an unfinished quilt top, a vintage UFO made by Buddy's
grandmother. I had just finished 4 quilts left from Ms. Thomas when she passed,
is there a pattern here? Sewing for ghosts? I see dead people…
Anyway, my idea for the yellow DWR was to give it to
Michelle, great-granddaughter of the quilt maker. I ran the idea by family
members (do not assume, always ask) and everyone was fine with it. I showed it
to Michelle to see if she wanted it and she said that yellow was her favorite
color. So the process had started, but who will quilt it? Me? I don't know, the size of 102 x 90 was
overwhelming to me.
If only my favorite quilter lady was still here. But I have
just retired and there is really no excuse for me not to JustDoIt. I was still
agonizing over how to attempt such a big project, when overnight I had a light
bulb moment - cut the quilt in half or quarters and quilt the smaller pieces
then sew them back together. I ran this by Buddy, explaining that it is an
acceptable way of making quilts, called 'quilt as you go' which means you could
quilt a block at a time then sew them together, albeit may not encompass
cutting up a perfectly fine large vintage hand stitched quilt top… but it would
turn out fine I am sure. Buddy also had
an overnight idea - why not take off a row or two, making a smaller quilt and
one easier to handle, incorporating the other 'rings' into another quilt or more than
one, like using something old to make something new. He said kind of like that
recipe that was going around for a while, something about a starter? Sour dough
starter? Yes like that.
I really liked that idea! I asked Michelle what size her bed
is - full size - so that helped my decision to cut it down. It started out 5
rings wide x 6 rings long, I cut off 2 rows, now it is 4 rings wide x 5 rings
long, 72 x 90. I had some poly batting 72 x 90, and had a sheet for the backing
(frugal quilter = use what you have). The DWR top was so puckered, I tried to stretch and pull, but never did get it to lie flat.
So I just did some straight lines through the rings and let the curved pieces be
free to fall where they may. Maybe I should have taken it to a professional? But it is out of the cardboard box and will
soon be into the hands of family, for Michelle made by her great-grandmother,
Two Mama.
"Better finished than perfect."
When we first showed the unfinished quilt top to Michelle, it was mentioned
that it was a double wedding ring pattern, and Michelle said, "Well, I will never have a wedding
ring :)" So I decided to name it something else. Just because it started
out in Two Mama's mind as a DWR doesn’t mean it has to stay that. (I also did
this for Jenny's lavender one - called
it the Circle of Life.)
Anyway this one is The
Yellow Quilt Road with this for a label (Michelle recently moved back to
the old homeplace to help care for her dad):
It just came out of the wash and it doesn't look too bad! The puckers look more puffy now, and puffy is good for a quilt! Whew! Check that one off the list. One more thing out of my sewing room and into the hands of family. And hopefully I will stop hearing voices...
