Pieces of My Life ~ Log Cabin & 9-Patch

Welcome back to the final installment of the Pieces of My Life Sew Along. We have made a trip down memory lane... the journey of a lifetime in less than 12 months.  How are you feeling about this journey?  

Life is not made up of the always warm-fuzzy & fluffy, feel-good times.  Though we wish that it could be.  But if not for the hard times, we cannot truly appreciate the good times.  I hope that you have been willing and able to document the good, warm-fuzzies... as well as the bad and the ugly.  Perhaps it is something you don't want to share with your loved ones right now.  But in time, I hope that you will.  For, if we don't know the our past, how can we avoid repeating the same mistakes?

Block #23 ~ Log Cabin Block represents one's home.  So, it was natural (to me) to focus on a house... Yes, we have already covered our first place of residence, but this is about first ownership of a home... more specifically, a "dream house."  Did you ever get to build your dream house? 

From early in our marriage, we talked about buying a house.  Knowing that we wanted me to be a stay-at-home Mom, we figured that we would only be able to afford a "fixer upper" on a single income.

We saved every little bit of extra money we could for 9+ years.  It was when Dave accepted the teaching position at Trinidad State that we purchased our home.  It was November of 1994, and we had just 6 weeks to pack our belongings that occupied the large farmhouse in Illinois.  We didn't have the funds or the time for us to travel from IL to CO to search for a place to live.  

We asked my parents to do the leg work for us in house shopping.  They graciously did all the searching for us.  Our dream of owning a fixer-upper came true.  The house had been repossessed by a bank a few years prior and sat relatively empty.  (I say relatively because a previous owner continued to reside there from time to time... think I had a fight with my wife, and she kicked me out.)

As we reflect back... we are now quite embarrassed to admit that we bought this mess!
But at the time... we were very proud of our first home.

The closets were still full of clothes, the cabinets had dishes and some food.  And it was dirty!  My parents kept asking the realtor if there was anything else... she showed them several others, but they kept coming back to this house.

After the closing, my Mom & Dad and brother traveled to Trinidad to begin cleaning the house for us.  My brother spent the better part of 2 days cleaning the oven and stove top.  They shampooed the carpets, removed the drapes and washed windows... they cleared out the closets and cabinets... they scrubbed the bathrooms... they scrubbed the kitchen floor and wiped down all of the walls.  

Their work that weekend was invaluable to us.  It allowed us to arrive to a clean house with our loaded moving truck, van and trailer on December 31st.  We rang in the New Year by unloading the hundreds of boxes that we had.  

The overall living space that we moved from was easily double the size of our new home.  We had purged before we left Illinois... and the purging had to continue as we unpacked boxes.

The house has seen a few changes over the years... All for the better!

Over the years we made improvements to the house.  We are as much a part of this house as the house is a part of us. Literally, blood, sweat and tears have been shed here.  We have written Scriptures on some walls as we remodeled the house, room by room.  Many times, the girls worked alongside us... learning the value of sweat equity and the opportunity to learn the skills required for minor and major repairs.  Skills both of the girls have used as they grew up and moved on as adults. 

The family has grown with marriages and their children.  We have four grands - one boy, three girls - ranging in age from 15 to 3.  We became grandparents in 2014... I was 49 and Dave was 51.  We love each one of those grands in a special and unique way and always look forward to the opportunity to spend time with them.  We enjoy helping them learn new skills or improving something that they already know how to do. 

Dave and I are both very "hands on" creative people... Me with my quilting, sewing, crafting and baking; Dave with his shop skills, building and repairing... things we have enjoyed all our lives.

Block #24 ~ A simple 9-patch ~ represents the various pieces and parts of life that come together to make a patchwork of your life.

Since this is the last installment of the sew along, tell me...

Do you have a favorite block?

Mine is the Heart block... I may be a little partial since I designed it and all, but that's my story and I'm sticking to it ;)  Leave a comment!  I'd love to hear from you. 

It is now time for you to hop over to my Payhip store for the patterns.  Find the yellow highlighted links in the story above for each direct link.

Thank you for joining me in this sew along throughout the year.  I hope that you have enjoyed it as much as I have.  

Be sure to come back when you have your blocks done to join the block party.  Feel free to link up your finished quilts as well.  It brings me great joy when you share with me.  I am always fascinated at how a block changes with color and fabric selections... which is why I made my quilt in two different colorways.

Keep piecing,

Melva

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