Second Queen-sized Finish

I posted this quilt top two and a half years ago....see that post HERE.  (You can see however that I added additional bordering to it after that).  This quilt has been a long time in the making!  I made the first squares (about 9 of them) when we lived in Texas.  Then later, when we were in North Carolina, and I attended Quilt Bee with Mom in Suffolk, Va every month, I made the rest of the squares. Once we moved here to Tucson, I decided I wanted a center medallion, and I added the appliqued and embroidered parts of the top...when I was done, I took the photos of the top, and then put it in the closet while I made a quilt for my daughter, and worked on some other projects.  Six months ago, I decided I needed to get the top quilted, and I FINALLY finished yesterday!

The center medallion

 

Cathy Geier at Tucson Quilt Guild

At long last, another piece-fulness post! :-)  They are few and far between I know. I missed Quilt Guild in July because we were on the trip, then in August I didn't feel well.  It was great to be back last night.  Cathy Geier was the guest speaker, and oh, was she FUNNY!  Great presentation.  And look at these amazing landscape quilts!

Cathy's husband happened to be sitting on the edge of the stage.  he offered to move, but I told him it was ok. The one on the left is of Havasu Falls in the Grand Canyon, and the one on the right was inspired by a painting.

Here is Cathy during her presentation.

She loves themes that use arches. 

Another one using an arch.

 And then here's what I saw on stage when we first arrived!  Having just been to Monument Valley in July (and my header photo is one of my photos from that trip on A Colorful World) I was just blown away by this!  I will HAVE to do this at some time! :-)  I don't like the three panel idea.  I will do it in one piece, I think.  The photos just don't do it justice.  It was really gorgeous!!!

This is a close-up of one of her quilts.

And this is how it's done...though I have to admit, I'm not crazy about the use of a foundation-piecing method as much as she does.  I don't like to foundation-piece.  So, I will alter the method a bit for my own purposes.  I am planning a landscape quilt for my grandson soon.

 And a parting shot. :-)

Baby Quilt for Good Friends' First Grandchild

Some of our closest friends just became grandparents.  The baby, a boy named Walker, was born on June 3rd.  I wanted to make a baby quilt, and had a pre-printed fabric piece I decided to use.  But I also wanted to add some personal touches to the design:

I appliqued this duck on the top of the quilt, holding an embroidered blue flower.

A duck on either side, and Florida and banner saying "Its a Boy!"

Applique of the baby's name with blue embroidered flowers, and his birth date embroidered above.

This is the watercolor printed in the center of the piece.

On the back I appliqued this present with duck pulling the ribbon as a place to embroider my name, date made, and a "Welcome Baby."

Goldie Richmond's Museum-Bound Quilt Up Close

If you liked what I showed you of this quilt from its visit to the Quilt Guild meeting last month, you will love seeing it up close.  I know we did!  We were able to visit the quilt at Cactus Quilt shop on the corner of Oracle and Orange Grove in Tucson a few days ago.  It's headed to the Arizona History Museum eventually. This quilt was "found" after years of not knowing its whereabouts, and purchased for the museum. The "portholes" each depict an aspect of desert life, particularly of the Tohono O'Odham people on the reservation where Goldie had her trading post.

Top portion of the quilt.  Click to make larger.  Note also that the grape and floral "border" is not part of the quilt but is from one hanging behind it.

Lower portion of the quilt.

All the portholes were original creations, appliqued by hand by Goldie, and embellished with embroidery.  Notice the lariat extending from the rider in one square to the calf in the next.

Her quilts were all made from early-to-late-middle of the 20th century.

The flag of the Tohono O'Odham Nation. They were called Papago in her day, but the name means Tepary Bean People and had been given them by the Spaniards.  They changed back to their original name later.  Tohono O'Odham means "Desert People."

I loved how she created a "crowd" of people in this square.

This is the book written about Goldie, by Carolyn O'Bagy Davis.  I understand the quilt will be traveling with the author as she promotes the book, for the next two months.  It's a delightful read! Goldie made a number of this style quilt that she won ribbons with, and sold to her customers.  She did some Baltimore album quilts as well.

This quilt hangs in Cactus Quilt shop and is a kit that can be purchased to make a "Goldie-style" quilt like this.  I bought the kit, but think I would use muslin and feedsack material to make mine instead of these more modern fabrics.  It also wasn't as large as a bed-sized quilt, so I thought maybe I'd make several squares of my own design to add to it as well.

A wall-hanging in Cactus Quilt shop that would also work well as a square.

And of course, I would have to do one of the San Xavier Mission!

A HOT sun and cactus...and I think somebody likes cats. :-)

Goldie Richmond Quilt Found

I attended the Tucson Quilt Guild Tuesday night, which I always enjoy immensely.  Our speaker was Jane Sasseman, and her talk was so interesting.  There were a few items of show & tell, and the regular business.  Our guild does a lot of work for charities and there is always something going on.  But what thrilled me to no end was when Nancy Landon of Cactus Quilt Shop (I've featured Cactus Q S on here a couple of times...it's my favorite shop!) came forward and told about an amazing purchase for the Arizona History Museum.  Our Guild donated half the cost of this historic quilt, found after years of searching, and the Museum is raising the other half.  But the owner was moving to South America so they had to move fast and Nancy and another shop owner went in together to pay the other half so the quilt could be acquired immediately.  The Museum will reimburse them.

This is one of 6 "porthole"quilts, as Goldie called them, made by Goldie Richmond who documented Tohono O'odham life.  She and her husband tried prospecting but during the Depression decided to buy a Trading Post on the Reservation where they sold goods to Tohono O'Odham who came to love them.  After her husband died, Goldie continued to run the Trading Post.  She made and sold quilts for sale to supplement her income.  She was 6'4" tall, and learned the Tohono O'Odham language.  She died in 1971.  This quilt was one of two that were "missing" and has recently been re-discovered.  It will be displayed at the Arizona History Museum but for the time being will be on display at Cactus Quilt Shop.  I plan to go see it up close and get more photos!

Behind the quilt you can see some of Jane Sasseman's wonderful fabric designs.

This is Goldie standing in front of one of her quilts.

Goldie's Trading Post

A different Goldie "porthole" quilt.

She also made Baltimore Album Quilts and this is one of hers.

A book written about Goldie's life, by Carolyn O'Bagy Davis.

Tucson Quilt Documentation Project

On Saturday my hubby and I attended the Tucson Quilt Documentation Project.  Every November and April you can bring up to two quilts to be documented on a nationwide database.  Though you can bring some of your own work, I wanted to document two of my older family quilts.  It was a fun and interesting process!

This is a Jacob's Ladder variation called Footprints in the Sands of Time.  It was completely hand pieced and quilted, made of clothing scraps.  Since it has some polyester and wool in it as well as cotton and even silk it must have been a top that was pieced by my great grandmother and either my grandmother or my great aunt  some time in the 60s.  My mother then hand quilted it and gave it to me in 1975.  She wrote her initials and the date on the back corner.

This pattern was called Fifty-four Forty or Fight, and is an older quilt, the top hand pieced by my great-grandmother and great aunt , probably in the 30s based on the fabrics. My mother then quilted it and gave it to me also in the 70s.  This one is all cotton, and has some interesting triangles in the stars that were pieced from two different bolts of the same color green fabric.  One bolt completely faded, and the other bolt retained its color. 

Here are the ladies examining the first quilt.  Everything from history, to square size to quilting stitches per inch is recorded.  The information is then sent to Michigan State University (along with a photo) and is listed by number which can then be searched by anyone on the database.  It is a wonderful American history documentation project!

Here is a closeup of the Fifty-four Forty or Fight quilt, with its new label.  The labels are given to you to whip stitch on the back, and contains the number.

Close-up of the label.

I will be documenting many more quilts in the future, some old and some newer.  It took several hours, but was well worth it, and someday someone may look up one of my quilts on the database and learn something about quilt history in this country.  My great-grandmother, Emily Joella Pruett Butler, and her daughter Annie and my mother, Latane Barton will all be listed as quilters and their work can be seen.  That makes me feel great.