Meet Gigi ~

Thursday, May 13, 2010

I thought it might be fun for you guys to meet my Grandma, Delma (affectionately known as Gigi by her grandchildren).


Today my little sidekick and I stopped by my grandparents home to get some pictures of my grandma and some of her quilts. These are just some of my favorites, but I've got lots of pictures to share, so let's get started.

First up - she just had to show me this new purchase that she made a couple of weeks ago:


Isn't this quilt fabulous?!?  She got it for $100 from an antique store while on vacation in California!  It had only been in the booth for two days when she found it.  $100 dollars?!?  That is a steal of a deal if you ask me.  It's in great condition and is hand quilted with a scalloped border.  She's got it on her bed for Spring.  I just fell in love when I saw it.

Then we ventured into her sewing room to see some of her works in progress.

These blocks on the chair above are for her most recently started project.  A replica of an antique quilt.  She definitely likes scrappy quilts, which I know has rubbed off on me too.
I love the scrappy flying geese on this border.  They're tiny (2 inches wide)!  What a great way to use up scraps!

When my grandma was a little girl she learned to hand sew when she was about 8 years old.  This is the machine she used when she started on a machine at the age of 10.
The basket to the right of the machine is full of her yardage stash.

Here's some more of her stash.

Now this is what I really went over there to see.  Her red work quilt.  I love this quilt and I remember seeing this on the hoop in her front room as she has been hand quilting it over the years.


These red work patterns were originally for tea towels, but she decided to use them in a quilt.  She only had 7 patterns [and really wanted 8] so she found another pattern similar to the little girls. 

The one in the top right-hand corner is the one that was not part of the original set of patterns:

 
[This is Gigi!]


 
My grandma referred to this kind of echo quilting as "Hawaiian quilting" because it's all "eye-balled" [if that's a word?].  None of the quilting was marked on there except for one of the little waves that you see in the big four patch blocks in-between the red work blocks.  Amazing!

The embroidery is so beautiful on this quilt.  My grandma learned to embroider as a young girl [you know, when they didn't have t.v.'s and such.  That's how they entertained themselves.  I'm pretty sure my kids are not doing anything that even closely resembles that right now :)]  The embroidery that is on the red sashing is a pattern that my grandma had kept from the 40's or early 50's.  She was so thrilled that it worked so well with this quilt.

I absolutely ♥ that quilt!

Another quilt that absolutely boggles my mind is this one:

 

Does anyone recognize this?.  The pattern was in an American Patchwork and Quilting magazine from a few years ago [I'm sorry I don't know which volume.  Mine are lent out right now, so I can't look it up right now.]


This quilt is crazy!  There are 12,600 3/4" squares in it and it only took her 4 months to make.  Absolutely amazing!!!

One last thing I want to show you is another antique quilt that my grandma keeps on her kitchen table:

Look at the curved piecing and the flowers hand quilted in the circles!
She purchased this quilt for about $300 many years ago.  [Wouldn't you agree that the other one at the top of this post was quite the steal at $100!?!  That one fits their queen or king bed - not sure what size it is, but this one just fits over this table.  Your latest purchase was a great find Grandma!  But I really think they are both beautiful!]  

Well, I do have more pictures from our visit with Gigi, but that will have to do for today.  Thanks everyone for staying around long enough to see why my Grandma is so amazing.  I love having her close by.  It was a treat, Grandma!  Thanks again!

Oh, and thanks to you too Grandpa~
[for the songs and coloring!]

24 comments:

  1. I enjoyed this special post about your Grandma and her wonderful quilts!

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  2. It's so cool that you can share this with your grandmother! Her quilts are incredible. She must be so proud of you!

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  3. I have wonderful memories of me and my grandma with quilting. I also loved looking at all the beautiful quilts my great-grandma hand quilted. There are tresures for sure! :) I am lucky enough to have several! :) I LOVE THEM! :)

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  4. They are beautiful. You have a real treasure in your Grandma. Hope you have many more years of quilting together.

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  5. Thanks for sharing a wonderful grandma and her quilts with us! You surely have a treasure in her and her quilts!

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  6. Oh I just loved looking at all the pictures of the beautiful quilts and your beautiful Grandma! She is quite the quilter. Looks like she imparted those genes to you!

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  7. You have an amazing Grandma! All the quilts are gorgeous, talent definetly runs in the family! Sharonj.

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  8. Thank you for sharing your wonderful family and your Gigi's fabulous quilts. What lovely memories and inspiration you have.

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  9. Awwwww!!! I'd like to borrow her for a day. What a fun bond you have.

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  10. you are so lucky to have a quilting grandmother near you. I had to teach my grandmother how to knit and crochet when I was young. She wasn't the most domestic granny!!! Gigi's quilts are amazing, love them.

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  11. Firstly, is Gigi fabulous looking or what - that bone structure! Secondly, with all this chitter chatter in blogland about what is new and modern, take a look at that tablebloth, put that on Fresh Modern Quilts and everyone would go NUTS and think you'd started the new thing!

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  12. Thank you for sharing your lovely Gigi with us, she is a beautiful and talented lady! Aren't you blessed to have her gifts floating around in your genes!?!
    :-} pokey

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  13. Wow, what a talented lady Gigi is !! Absolutely beautiful quilts. Thank you for sharing these with us. We can see where your talent comes from!

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  14. Beautiful quilts, wonderful grandma! Both are such treasures.

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  15. It's so funny to see them on your blog cause I see them every Sun. Such a small world. Your grandma is AMAZING! That circle quilt on her table is my favorite.

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  16. This is a great post, Amber. Gigi is sitting here so I can show the whole thing to her, and she approves. Love from us both!

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  17. Love your post! Makes me miss my grandma who also influenced me in my sewing. The quilts are very beautiful!

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  18. Your grandma is a talented woman and smart shopper! Thank you for sharing the photos! I'm going to add you to the list of blogs I follow.

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  19. How wonderful to meet your GiGi. She has passed down to you the love of quilts. That is so great to see in someone as young as you are.
    I loved seeing her quilts and have quilt envy for many of them, especially the Red Work. Her work is fantastic. I love handwork and really appreciate someonw who does such a good job ob embroidery and quilting.
    Thanks for sharing, Amber.

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  20. Amazing, amazing quilts. Love them. But that first one - double wedding ring. I WANT IT!!

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  21. I loved reading about your grandmother. My own grandmother is in her 90's and had been legally blind for nearly 20 years. The last thing she was able to sew was a blanket when I was 11, I've cherished it ever since.

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  22. You are so very fortunate to have your Gigi. I loved meeting her through your blog. She should become a blogger too!

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  23. Thank you so much for sharing those quits, I love them all.
    The DWR quilt was a bargain and is a dream of mine to own one some day.
    I wish your grandma could go shopping for me... big grin

    cheers
    Christine

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I ♥ to hear from you so please feel free to leave a comment. I read each one and try to respond as often as I can. Thanks so much for stopping by! ~Amber