TGIFF - January 21, 2022

We made it!  Welcome to Friday!  And welcome to Thank Goodness It's Finished Friday!  The place to share your finishes of the week and everyone here celebrates with you.

My finish this week is the commissioned baby chevron quilt with the initials of the baby and the family's brand, the LazyT ReverseK.  

 

I was asked to kindly note that this linkup is for finishes... but I'll just leave it up to you to define "finished". 😁   

So pour yourself a cup of tea (or coffee... or your favorite beverage of choice) and enjoy looking at all of the finishes shared!

Speaking of tea... With the cold temps of winter upon me I have taken to enjoying a hot cup of tea most afternoons.  This isn't something new... I find that I do this every winter to take the chill off of the day.  Mornings are made for chai tea sweetened with a little honey but in the afternoon I enjoy a variety of tea flavors and try to stick with decaf so that it doesn't affect my sleep.

I always enjoyed an afternoon tea with our girls when they were younger.  I also enjoyed having "tea time" with my Grandma, Tressie Teegarden.  When she moved to Colorado from Tucson, AZ, after Grandpa passed away, I always knew that I could take a short break, if I needed it, and enjoy some conversation with her as we sipped our tea.  I distinctly recall her looking at me as I was leaving one day shortly after getting her settled into her new home, "I've never lived alone."  She married at age 20 and had been married 68 years when Grandpa died.  

I knew that Grandma was lonely, so when I participated in my first block of the month (1930's reproduction fabric was given with the patterns each month) I would get my block sewn together, and make a second one with the vintage fabric that had been saved by my Paternal Grandmother, Katie Schleich.  I would then take both of them over to Grandma T's for a visit.  Her mother and mother-in-law were both quilters and she had made a few quilts as well. 

When the two quilts were finished I called them "Getting to Know Grandma."  In a sense, I spent time with both my Maternal Grandma and my Paternal Grandma as I sewed those two quilts. 

The inspiration for my next sew along comes from Tressie, and our afternoon visits. 
I'll be calling it Pieces in the (Tea) Garden BOM.
Both Grandma and Grandpa T were tea drinkers - they had lots of tea cups... And gardens are planted in rows, so a row quilt just makes sense.  The pretty little flowers that are so often seen on vintage tea sets will be reflected in my scrappy fabric selections.

The following story is the foundation for the blocks that we will create.  This story came from a needle craft publication in 1985.  It was the year that Dave and I were married, my parents celebrated their 25th anniversary and my grandparents celebrated their 50th anniversary and all three of us had needlepoint wall hangings that matched.

In olden days, it was traditional for young girls to make a “Baker’s Dozen” (13) quilts by their wedding day.  The patterns, often handed down from generation to generation, were usually planned when the girl was very young; and, as soon as she could hold a needle, she would start sewing her first quilt.  The last (or 13th) quilt was the fanciest of all.  After a girl became engaged, she would invite her friends to a party to quilt the top of this “Bride’s Quilt”… and in this way she would announce her engagement.

The twelve patterns in this “Bride’s Quilt have been chosen to tell the following story…

“Bride’s Quilt”

Once upon a time, there was a little girl, who wore a bow in her hair.  When she grew up, she began a friendship with a young bachelor.  As the hours and days passed, they began to look at each other with stars in their eyes, and as their love grew, they thought about taking steps to the altar.  So, the young girl got out her spools of thread and made clothes to get ready for their wedding ring day.

After they are married, some of their times together will be bright as noon and others will be dark as night.  But they will try to share their happiness, their miseries and their chores – she grabbing a wrench to help with household repairs and he grabbing a towel to help with the dishes.  Sometimes they will have broken dishes but they will try to remember that “things” can be replaced, whereas harsh words, possibly spoken about the broken dishes, could chip away love.  They will try to follow the Golden Rule as they are learning to communicate openly with each other.

They will also try to keep in mind the symbolism of Jacob’s ladder – “steps of communication” between themselves on earth and God in heaven.

I'm still working out several details but for now, I will share just a little more... 

Block sizes will vary, being either 3", 4" or 6" blocks.  Given the size of the pieces, this will be an excellent opportunity to work on the ever important "scant 1/4 inch" seams.  Pattern releases will happen every four weeks and the dates are as follows:

February 3 - Row 1

March 3 - Row 2

March 31 - Row 3

April 28 - Row 4

May 26 - Row 5

June 23 - Row 6

July 21 - Row 7

August 18 - Row 8

September 15 - Row 9

October 13 - Row 10

November 10 - Row 11

December 8 - Row 12

That's all I have for now...  

You may be able to guess what block patterns have been chosen for the row quilt...  

Leave a comment with your guesses and don't forget to link up your finishes!  I want to see what you have been working on. 😘

Keep Piecing and Be Blessed,

Melva

Linking with:

Off The Wall Friday with Nina Marie

Brag About Your Beauties at From Bolt to Beauty

Peacock Party at Wendy’s Quilts and More

Friday Foto Fun at Powered by Quilting

Finished or Not Friday at Alycia Quilts

Scrap Happy Saturday at Super Scrappy