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G is for Grandma.
My Grandmother Della Bollibaugh Oldham, photo taken by my Dad in 1928
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G is for Grandma and no, I haven't lost track of my quilting theme. Though I never saw her in the process of quilting, my Grandma Oldham was the original inspiration for my interest in quilting.
My older cousins, who lived across the street from her, talk about the quilt frame suspended from the ceiling in the front corner room and the ladies from the Methodist Church who would come and sew regularly. We lived 90 miles away--a formidable weekend drive in those days. And I am the "baby cousin", knowing her only much later in her life and after her eyesight began to fail.
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Now being the baby cousin did not mean that I was left out of the quilts from Grandma. At the age of 78 and going blind, she made me this Single Irish Chain--also known as Double Nine Patch. The work is all by hand.
The squares of the nine patch are 3/4 inch across. (So is a penny.) The quilt, which is roughly double bed sized, has at least 4000 of them.
I don't know if the flow of the colors through Grandma's quilt just happened, or were carefully planned. In my interpretation of Grandma's Double Nine Patch, I tried to follow the spirit of that flow of color. Using a black background, very bright squares, this was done by machine with modern strip piecing methods. The squares are a whole inch across.
G is for Grandma's inspiration--with modern methods.
21 comments:
Impressive for a Grandma of 78, but the Grandmas are impressive (at least the only one I knew was)
That is a great picture of your grandma.
One of these days I am going to get my ancient family shots on site(s).There is particular quality to the old pictures imparted by the cameras of the time,or should I more correctly say, the film.
The link to the quilting is fortunate.
Talking of links, your ABC Linkey link isn't working.
How wonderful, Katney! You are so fortunate. I'm glad she made you a quilt! I was the youngest grandchild and didn't even know that my grandma had been a quilter until long after she was dead. I have one runner she did and have never seen a quilt that she made. Your grandma was very special :-)
Lovely tribute katney, a wonderful inspiration I am well sure.
Dx
That is some work for a lady of that age, you must be very proud of your grandma.
Beautiful! I was expecting to see an Grandmother's Garden quilt this week, but this is better!
Both are beautiful ..
:-Daryl
great post for "G"
very nice! I love the old photos....
Mine is here.
I can't imagine making those 9 squares so tiny! I got some 9 squares in my quilt that is blue and green but they are about 3 inches in diameter. I made them first in order to know how big to make the big blocks for the rest of the quilt. lol I do just about anything.
Blogger finally allowed my photo to post after trying all night and part of the morning so my sunflower is up.
How I hate those letter verifications. I know I need new glasses but typing the words three times is nuts!
Your Grandma's quilt is amazing.
And how wonderful for you that she made it just for you.
Bear((( )))
What an inspiration! The quilt she made is still in perfect condition by the looks of it - testament to excellent workmanship and great care afterward.
Wonderful post for the letter G. Really love the quilts. I'm a quilter - but only log cabin pattern. I have fun with it though. Thanks for stopping by my site. You're welcome to come anytime. Love your idea about printing the recipes and giving THOSE to your husband. Paper adds wonderful fiber to the diet! Cheers!
I love the photo of your grandma as well as all the quilts, including your's. My grandmother made us quilts also which I guess is why I like patchwork so much.
Fantastic! I love to quilt but can't imagine 1 inch blocks.
Usually I tie my quilts or do them on the machine.
This is a wonderful post about your Grandma.
Oldham is a town in Northern England, was your Grandmother from England.
What a great tribute to your Grandmother& wonderful quilts.
And TY for your thoughtful comments on my blog - they were much appreciated, I'm sorry I'm late coming over to say so.
Blue
x
OuthouseCOC, Grandma was an Oldham by marriage, of course, but the Oldham name goes back to Lancashire (where the city is) of the 1400s or thereabouts. A venturer, John Oldham, was at Plymouth colony, having come on the ship Fortune in 1623. He was kicked out of the colony for pulling a knife on Miles Standish, and later killed by Indians near Rhode Island. His murder was the trigger that set off the Pequot War--the first Indian War. Whether he was actually our direct line ancestor or an uncle or cousin along the line is not proven. Some say directly, but the connections are a bit tenuous.
A beautiful quilt hand-pieced by your elderly Grandma ~ what a precious treasure! The penny showing scale really helped drive home (in my mind) the hours and hours of love and labor poured into this priceless heirloom. Wonderful stuff.
PS ~ Enjoyed the interesting bit of family history in your comments too.
Oh my word! She must have worked so hard on that! How wonderful.
Did I tell you about the book I read about a group of quilters? It's called The Persian Pickle Club.
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