Lala's Irish Chain - Week III

 

Welcome back to week 3 of Lala's Irish Chain Sew Along.

Were you able to get all of your cornerstone units pieced?  

It was an easy task to be done.  If not... you can easily catch up, I'm certain of it!

How did you do with your scant 1/4" seams?  

I was remiss in noting the importance of it... sorry!  "What do you mean by a scant 1/4" seam?" some may ask.  

A scant 1/4" seam simply means that you will stitch the seam so that the thread is just to the right of the 1/4" line... instead of ON the 1/4" seam line.

Why?  

So that when you press the seams the 1/4" seam line is in the fold.  The scant 1/4" seam helps with the accuracy of the finished block size.

No, I do not mark every seam.  But it is helpful to mark a few so that I can see the position of the pieces in comparison to or in relation to the edge of the presser foot.

This week we will be "framing" the setting blocks by sewing a 2-1/2" x 6-1/2" rectangle to two opposite sides of the 6-1/2" square.  Press seams to the center square.

Sew a cornerstone unit to the two remaining sides.  If you pressed your seams in the direction that I stated, your seams will nest together nicely, and your corners will be aligned perfectly.

Lala and her quilting group would be pleased with the effort, extra attention and accuracy.

Lala married David William Teegarden (known in the family as William David or W.D.) on June 11, 1893, in Lawson, Missouri.  They had five children. Luna, Viola, the third one was stillborn, Donovan and my grandpa, Forrest, was their youngest... with an age gap of 18 years between Luna and Forrest.

William David was a farmer in Missouri.  He was forced to quit farming because the dew on the corn in the early mornings poisoned him.  It was shortly after the loss of the baby that they went to Oklahoma.  It was about the time the Indian Territory was opened up for homesteading.

A cousin of Lala's from Trinidad, CO persuaded W.D. to go to Trinidad to find work.  He was hired by the Santa Fe Railroad.  In November of 1902 they left for Trinidad by Train.  They moved into a new house that was located on the corner of San Juan and Western Ave.  They rented this house for a few months until Lala's brother, Albert Davis, was able to build their new, two-story house across the street.

W.D. went to work for the Santa Fe RR as a freight agent in December 1902.  He worked for the SFRR for 37 years until his retirement on September 30, 1939.

I'll pause the story there... join me next week when I announce the next step of the sew along and share some fun family stories.  But first I want to ask...

Do you know the differences in the Irish Chain quilt designs?

Single? Double?  Triple?

I had to do some reading on it... I found it interesting.  I'll fill you in on some of that next week as well.

Keep Piecing,

Melva

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