Thursday, April 25, 2013

Quilting Family Treasures ... A very large Lone Star and unfinished Signature Blocks

I come from a long line of quilters.  Dad knows that three generations worked on this Lone Star quilt ... his mother, grandmother and great grandmother.  He thinks it is very possible that his great great grandmother put her hand to it too, making it a four generations quilt.

Lone Star Quilt c. 1910 - Davenport & Sprague, WA


It is stunning and it is in unused condition.  And it's huge.  It generously fits on a queen size bed which is why I think maybe it was never used ... it ended up too big for on anyone's bed at the time.

The diamonds are thumb size.  It is a marvel to contemplate the hours that went into the piecing.

Unfinished Signature Quilt Blocks c. 1930 - Davenport, WA

And then there are the signature blocks ... there are nine of them.  I'm trying to figure out who they may have been intended for and why the quilt was never finished.

Many of them are signed 'Aunt' ... Aunt Sarah in the bottom right corner is my great grandmother.  And three of the other blocks are signed by her sisters.

Their generation was gone by the early 40's but grandma kept the signed blocks neatly packed away until she passed away.  And then I became the caretaker of all her quilty things.

I hope to figure out who they signed these blocks for, but I fear the quilt was unfinished because of some sadness which I don't even really want to contemplate.

But one of these days, I will piece the signature blocks together and finish the little quilt.

Oh that I could time travel, I would surely love to meet my great grandmother and her sisters.