Grrr, Wanting Something for Nothing & No Appreciation for Fine Hand Quilting....A Rare Speckledhen

[speckledhen]

After days of torrential rains, I finally got the other quilt out of the CRV. It's smaller than the other two, about 63x73, and very definitely used. I photographed some of the bad spots on it, which also show up the very neat fabrics used in its creation. I'm betting a lot of shirts were cut up for this one.


An attempt to repair a hole in this tan fabric with white thread-it's like a rat's nest of thread, not sure what they were doing here.



This white piece is flannel. Odd choice, only one in the entire quilt that isn't plain cotton.

 

[NanaKat]

Cynthia, I have just finished reading this entire thread! How did I miss this incredible picture of your quilting history!
Your quilts are beautiful and your sentiments show how frustrating it is to have beautiful works treated with such indifference.
It is encouraging too to see how resilient you are at maintaining your fabric art creative processes...adding machine quilting to relieve your hand pain. My hand numbness results from degenerative disks in my neck...so I know how it affects the time spent hand sewing.
As a sometime quilter, I've enjoyed seeing your projects and family quilts. I love the quilts from your father's family and they can be dated by those fabrics and hand quilting...looks like a lot of sacking fabrics!
Yes, Thousands of Bolts is a wonderful source of fabrics...I still order from them for the great 100% cottons and flannels. You might check out Fabrics.com as well. Several friends have recommended it to me. I'll be making a small order to check out the quality.
Your thread is a teaching tool about respecting handmade works as well as inspiring your followers to share their ideas and love for quilting.

 

[speckledhen]

Cynthia, I have just finished reading this entire thread! How did I miss this incredible picture of your quilting history!
Your quilts are beautiful and your sentiments show how frustrating it is to have beautiful works treated with such indifference.
It is encouraging too to see how resilient you are at maintaining your fabric art creative processes...adding machine quilting to relieve your hand pain. My hand numbness results from degenerative disks in my neck...so I know how it affects the time spent hand sewing.
As a sometime quilter, I've enjoyed seeing your projects and family quilts. I love the quilts from your father's family and they can be dated by those fabrics and hand quilting...looks like a lot of sacking fabrics!
Yes, Thousands of Bolts is a wonderful source of fabrics...I still order from them for the great 100% cottons and flannels. You might check out Fabrics.com as well. Several friends have recommended it to me. I'll be making a small order to check out the quality.
Your thread is a teaching tool about respecting handmade works as well as inspiring your followers to share their ideas and love for quilting.

Oh, Kathryn, you are so sweet! Thank you! You helped me, too, I never forget that. The sweet folks who donated fabrics when I was having a hard time finding the right ones for certain projects, trading me fabric for hatching eggs, even, I never forget a one of you wonderful ladies. There is a small business that is run by one woman in South Carolina called Handful of Fabric, limited selections but you might see about her quilt backs--only $8 /yard and a flat rate shipping on everything. If you sign for her email updates, she sends you a 10% off coupon on your first order, too. http://www.handfuloffabric.com/ Most others are $4/yd. Haven't ordered from her yet, so can't really say about the quality but might be worth checking out.

I have some fabric from Fabrics.com and the ones I've gotten have been of good quality, but it's been awhile since I purchased them.

 

[speckledhen]

Pillaged one more quilt from my late dad's home, done by his mother, I think, though it could have been by my maternal grandmother, not really sure. It's in perfect shape, I think never used.





And I'm trying to machine quilt this simple, summery twin/full size quilt while waiting to get larger batting for our fall quilt I pieced last last year.







This is the Fall quilt I will be quilting next for our own bed.


And the backing fabric I got at Walmart for $3.97/yard. Amazing what they have now, actual good quality fabrics.



Just after I pieced our fall quilt, I made this one for my friend, Ellie, in CA. who owns two other of my quilts, though the other two she has were hand quilted and this one is machine quilted like most I do nowadays.




After these two are complete, I may not do another bed quilt for a long time, just lap/crib quilts and table runners, bed runners, etc.

I did these two to use up some of the blue fabric I had, the first one was purchased by a BYC member, the other is still for sale.




But, I love this one that has fabric created by someone who must have snuck into my barnyard. The likenesses of Isaac, Rex and Deacon are uncanny (plus one Lakenvelder rooster I don't have).

 

[robhuncor]

Cyn, all your quilts are amazing - wonderful colors and great patterns. I particularly love the one you are making for your own bed - exquisite! The old quilts you found at your Dad's are so interesting - pieces of history actually and lovely.

 

[speckledhen]

Cyn, all your quilts are amazing - wonderful colors and great patterns. I particularly love the one you are making for your own bed - exquisite! The old quilts you found at your Dad's are so interesting - pieces of history actually and lovely.

Thank you, Robin! I am very proud of that Fall quilt, designed it myself. I hope I don't mess up the quilting on it.

 

[fisherlady]

Thank you, Robin! I am very proud of that Fall quilt, designed it myself. I hope I don't mess up the quilting on it.

I am sure you will do it justice! Don't ever sell yourself short!
I am loving that the colors seem to have stayed very nice on the old quilt, it must have been stored well...

 

[speckledhen]

I am sure you will do it justice! Don't ever sell yourself short!

I am loving that the colors seem to have stayed very nice on the old quilt, it must have been stored well...

Thank you, Karen, you're a peach!

You know, I found all those old quilts in Dad's attic tied up in black garbage bags. Certainly, no light got to them!

 

[fisherlady]

Thank you, Karen, you're a peach!

You know, I found all those old quilts in Dad's attic tied up in black garbage bags. Certainly, no light got to them!

Glad they were very dry and in a dry location or the plastic would have drawn damp, though I guess it is a toss up, if they are in cardboard or similar then they are at risk for insects...not sure what the recommended long term storage method is for fabrics? Though the plastic bags worked just fine for yours.

 

[BlueBaby]

Hello, speckledhen! I just found this thread of yours. I love your quilts! You do such beautiful work! I enjoyed looking at your work here. I wish that I would have learned how to make some. It seems that for the most part, quilting like you do has become a lost art.