Grandmother’s Dream…

The other day I got the sweetest email from Arlene, a local quilter who wanted to share how and why there were NINE Grandmother's Dream quilts in the Crawford’s Quilt Show last week! 

No there was no workshop…just nine ladies interested in making this gorgeous quilt!  It was HOW they made the quilt that was so unique…

Each member in the group purchased eight fabrics of her choice, which she then cut into 2” strips.  She then gave each member in the group 16 strips…enough to make two blocks- a light and a dark.  Now the way I understand it , each quilter used her assortment of fabrics the way she wanted..but she had to incorporate them into her quilt somewhere.   Even though the block construction is the same, each quilter’s layout and border selection was entirely her own doing.  

There should be special recognition given to Bettye Sheppard of Arizona for her pattern and for her instructions.  Arlene also said that this pattern lends itself very well to make it as a group effort…

The quilts took the group about 10 months to put together and Crawford’s Farm Quilt Show was the first time that they were all together!  Unfortunately I took pictures of only SIX of the quilts…I don’t know where the other three got to…?  But then I didn’t know at the time that I would be doing a post about them..:o)!  Had I known, I would have tracked down those other three quilts!

You can see that each quilt is very similar but yet very different…

SEW…what do you think?  Have you ever made a group effort quilt?  I am such a control freak that I would have a hard time with this…what about you…?  Something to go on the ol’bucket list?

Thanks so much for sharing, Arlene!  I had assumed that you had all taken the same workshop…just shows you…what do I know…nuttin’!

After several emails went back and forth, it turns out that Arlene is the quilter who bought my friend’s long arm quilting machine!!  Her and her quilting group are banging off quilts left, right and centre!  Now isn’t she a good quilting buddy to have!!

Today I am off to my High School Reunion…for girls only!!  For the last five or six years, we girls have been meeting every summer…and our group is getting bigger and bigger!  This year we are having a Pot Luck dinner at Suzanne’s on the Cowichan River…the same river we use to go tubing down!  Ahh…the good ol’days…the thought of sticking my @** in a tube and floating down a freezing cold, mountain fed river…well it actually sounds kind of…refreshing…Think I’ll pack the bikini..just in case…(:o)  {Now picture THAT one…ain’t pretty is it!}

Have a Sunny Sunday and Happy Quilting!~P