Saturday, May 7, 2022

Pieces From The Past ~ Revisited Fabulous Finish

Here I am sliding into the weekend with a FINISH! Woohoo!

The quilting design matches many of the same angles and points that the blocks have, as well as the secondary design the two blocks made when placed next to each other.

I had fun adding stitching lines and watching a new pattern reveal itself.  I started with a printed photo of the blocks...


Once I had the initial lines sewn - the crossing lines in the reverse of the dragon fly blocks, I auditioned some other options using masking tape on the quilt.  You can see them below...


The border needed something a little less busy so some simple lines that ended up giving a "plaid-ish" look finished it off and I was ready for the binding.    
I was limited in the fabric remaining for the binding and by using my reversed two-color (flange) binding technique, I had JUST enough purple.  
Once it was washed and dried and all softy, wrinkly and well-loved looking, it was time for a photo shoot.  Our iris beds have just started showing off their pretty purple petals... and with the beautiful blue skies offered the perfect back drop for the photos.  It was hard to choose just one photo to share...



As I recalled each of letters that the former POWs wrote to Phillip & Katie, so many of them mentioning the kindness shown to them when they were working on the Schleich farm, it makes me wonder...  No doubt, these men returned home and told of their experience to their family members and friends, offering hope to others, that kindheartedness still existed.  

It brought to mind a conversation with a friend that had served in the Army, stationed in Germany, in the 1980s.  He told me that there was a German gentleman that lived not far from the base he was on, that welcomed the US men whenever they stopped by for a visit.  


Our friend, Jack, had once asked the man why he did such a thing.  The man responded, "I was held as a POW in the United States during WWII and I always appreciated the kindness, generosity and hospitality extended to me whenever I was working on local farms.  Opening up my place here to you boys is a way for me to repay that same hospitality that I had been shown."
I got chills when Jack told me that story... I can't help but wonder... Was that man held at Camp Trinidad?  Had he worked with Phillip and Katie and their children on the Schleich farm?  

I am well aware that there were many POW camps throughout the United States... and, certainly, there were many farmers that extended hospitality to the workers from those camps.  But how interesting that there really is a chance that this gentleman may have been in Trinidad!  Jack couldn't remember the man's name... and all of those POWs are probably long gone from this earth... but... 

How many loved ones heard stories of the fine treatment that had been shown to them while held in POW camps in the US?  How many heard of the fine cooking that farm wives prepared for them?  How many heard of the delicious doughnuts Katie made?  How many heard of the unique landscape of Las Animas County, and of the beautiful sunrises and sunsets that many of the artists tried to capture in artwork?  How many pieces of art were given as farewell gifts as a sign of appreciation for the kind treatment received on the farms? 

My questions go on and on... and on...

And my rambling has gone on long enough.

For those that are interested in the two Pieces From the Past block patterns used in this quilt ~ Our Country and Dragon Fly ~ you can find the patterns by following the links on the block names... 

Our Country needed to be resized to make it a 12" block. For those of you that don't do "quilt math", here are the details for that resizing...  Print the templates at 80%.  All 3-1/4" squares need to be cut to 2-3/4"; the 2-3/4" squares need to be cut to 2-1/4".  All of the HSTs need to be trimmed to 2-1/4".  And, FYI, a scant 1/4" is not important with this block.  Whew!

Quilt math can be a bit confusing, but once you understand it, you can resize any pattern!  And sometimes, it is a guess, and sheer luck!

Are you a quilt math-er? 
Or do you just avoid it like the plague?

Leave a comment... I'd love to hear from you!

Keep Piecing!

Melva

Linking with:

Put Your Foot Down at For the Love of Geese
Off The Wall Friday with Nina Marie
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
Patchwork & Quilts at The Quilting Patch
Oh Scrap! at Quilting is More Fun Than Housework
Sunday Stash at QuiltPaintCreate
Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt
Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts
One Month Goal at Elm Street Quilts





17 comments:

  1. Wonderful quilt, and story too. Congratulations on the finish!
    Maths don't like me, they always seems to hide numbers to me ;))
    Thank you for sharing your beautiful quilt, and linking up ;)

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  2. Hi Melva! Oh, this turned out so beautiful. As I mentioned earlier, these are my two favorite blocks from Pieces. The fabrics you chose are just perfect. It's a stunning piece. Nice job and the backing looks fab - everything about this quilt makes me smile. {{Hugs}} a bunch and Happy Mother's Day to you. ~smile~ Roseanne

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  3. Such a pretty quilt, and what a story!

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  4. Your quilt is beautiful and looks lovely set with those irises!

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  5. Melva, your quilt is lovely with those blue tones! I enjoyed the story as well!

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  6. When my husband retired he asked me to teach him to make quilts. We recall going to a quilt show, before covid, and he enjoyed sitting in on a quilting class, and answering more questions from the teacher correctly, which surprised the ladies sitting there. A part of that class was teaching the students how to design a quilting pattern for your blocks. She had them lay a piece of plexiglass (provided) over a quilt block, then with a dry/erase marker to draw lines that they think would work. You might appreciate this the next time you try to figure out what you want to do to quilt your blocks. I have not tried this myself. Since it is a dry/erase marker then you can wipe it off and try another pattern.

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    1. I have used the plexi-glass trick before. Great tip, but the piece I have is only slightly larger than a 12" block and didn't give the "repeat" patterns I wanted to see. Thanks for the idea. How fun that your husband wanted to learn!

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  7. A gorgeous quilt and such lovely photos!

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  8. Love the blues in this quilt. I am not good with quilt math. Trial and error is my norm.

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  9. Great post, I think you and I share the same thought process. Mostly while I am sewing though. Your quilt is lovely as well as the backdrop. Thank you for sharing in Put your foot down.

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  10. Congrats on the finish. The blues are amazing. Thanks for linking up with Thank Goodness It's Finished Friday.

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  11. Fantasti finish. I LOVE the bold blues. Kathy S.

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  12. the colors on this are marvelous!

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  13. Beautiful finish, Melva. The quilting adds just the right touch.

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  14. What a lovely quilt & well done resizing it. I love the beautiful photos of it in such stunning scenery with those blue iris.
    Thanks for sharing and take care.

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  15. Beautiful quilting, thanks for showing how you designed it!

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