This session features a block I call Cornerstone & Chimney. The questions revolve around your first homes, jobs, pets and friends. For Dave and I both, aside from dorm rooms, never lived anywhere but at home. And it wasn't until our marriage that we had our own "Home Sweet Home."
Since we just returned from a trip to Illinois, the subject matter of our first apartment and memories are fresh in my mind.
Dave's sister and BIL had purchased their first home just months before our wedding and we were lucky enough to become the new residents of 408-1/2 La Fox River Drive. It was the upper floor of this Victorian style home.
The entrance was on the side of the house, near the back. I can very nearly recall the sound of the door, creaking floor and stairs as well as the scents that come along with the old homes.
The yard was open when we lived there... it has since grown up and has iron fence and gate that prevents people like us from walking up and wandering around as we reminisced about our first 2 years together there.
We talked the sweet landlady into letting us get a cat. Rusty was an orange tabby Tom cat that had interesting markings on his side... (think target). We got him when he was about 9 months old from an animal shelter. He had a great personality and demanded that we pay attention to him when we were there. He picked us! He was well behaved and loved watching the squirrels and birds from the upper windows.
He would follow the squirrels from the kitchen window to the living room window. Mrs. Schuett (the landlady) would often sit on a bench by her back door. Rusty would sit in the kitchen window and talk to her.
Ummmm... Rusty was under the tree outside the side entrance to the apartment... and he was NOT happy. Ooops!
After moving from the apartment and having children, Rusty eventually became an indoor/outdoor cat. This was with much thanks to a toddler releasing him from his harness while unsupervised outside. He never wandered far, and he would ALWAYS ask to be let back into the house when he had to use the litterbox. He was the best cat and never gave us any problems. He even welcomed a yellow lab as his bestie. Samantha Amber joined our family in 1988.
Sam and Rusty would play and wrestle together until Rusty's entire head was wet from being in Sam's mouth. LOL. It was a regular event every afternoon following naptime.
Sammie Girl had one litter of puppies... 8 black labs. We sold all of them. Sam lived for a long 15 years. We heard from several of the owners of her puppies over the years and learned that she had outlived a few of her babies. She was a great dog! Right up to her last days on earth. She was irreplaceable. So much so that we waited a full 10 years before getting our Shelby Grace.
It is the memories like these that become the cornerstones of our lives. Which means... now is the time to get over to payhip to grab the pattern for the Cornerstone & Chimney block.
It is a simple block to piece. But be careful with your 1/4" seams. If you have mastered the scant 1/4" seams your block will be oversized.
If you have not, I have built in a fool-proof insurance by making the final pieces 1/2" larger than the other "log" pieces.
This was a trick I learned from Eleanor Burns' patterns for log cabins. Either way... if needed, trim your block down just a little, center your 12-1/2" ruler on the block and trim.
Be sure you come back and link up your finished block!
What was your first place like?
Did you have an apartment or house?
Did you rent or did you own?
Did you have a roommate?
Leave a comment... I'd love to hear from you!
Keep piecing,
Melva
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How fun to go back and visit your first home together, Melva! Ours was 1/2 of a duplex up near the CSU campus in Ft. Collins because I was still in school when we got married. Thinking about this just lead Mike and me down the Google maps road - could we recognize the place on the map? Yes, we found it! I'll enjoy making this blocks and thinking about those days!
ReplyDeleteI bet you would have loved to see inside that house when you visited. I loved the kitty story, Rusty looks like a wonderful kitty. Did he live a long time? My husband and I married during the fall of our last year at college, and we lived in a 2-room apartment off campus before we found a little house to rent until we graduated in May. We had a little kitten, but I have no memory of what happened to it.
ReplyDeleteIt's so fun to go and 'see' your first home! My son is buying his first house so we are remembering our first house along with all it's special memories!
ReplyDeleteThose are such pretty quilts love the blues and the purples! Those are sure great memories and that Rusty didn't take long to take advantage of the open window! Thanks for joining Angel Brian's Thankful Thursday Blog Hop!
ReplyDeleteWhat fun to learn about your first home. Reminded me of our first apartment, the first floor of a double decker. Would you believe we also sweet talked our landlord into allowing us to have a cat. We adopted Felicity from a shelter. She also came inside to use the litter box. Yes, always good to oversize the outer rim to leave a little wiggle room, just in case.
ReplyDeleteHow fun that we have so many similarities :) Have fun making the block. I'd love to see it when you finish it.
DeleteIt's fun to come back and visit your first home. Ours was a sailboat, full time living on board. Great great memories!! Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun story. We got married the very ext week after I graduated HS. I often jest, that I never have had my own room.Except the first 2 years and 9 months of my life, before my little sister was born! We lived in a tiny house on an alley behind the real house. We rented for $55 per month!
ReplyDeleteGerry and I were married by the Assistant Commissioner of the Northwest Territories in June 1975. Gerry was a CA who lived in Edmonton, Alberta. We lived in a two bedroom apartment for 11 months. We purchased our home in May 1976. We still live in that house except it looks nothing like when we purchased it. ❤️❤️
ReplyDeleteWhat great memories you had of your early marriage days. We lived in a duplex for a couple of years. Our oldest daughter spent the first few months of her life there. Great stories about your first animals. Rusty and Sam sound like the best pets!--TerryK@OnGoingProjects
ReplyDeleteHi Melva, what lovely memories - our animal family are so important. Thanks for sharing and linking up to Free Motion Mavericks!
ReplyDeleteVery Cool block!
ReplyDeletebut even greater memories!!