Several years ago I heard about a small hand quilting bee that annually raffled a quilt to raise funds for our local genealogical library. A few of the members had aged out and they needed help to finish their year long project.
I met them in a small room upstairs at the library, a turn of the century home, and found the group to be cheerful and energetic though most were 75+ in age. They traditionally did everything by hand - cutting, piecing, and quilting. Their quilts had been done this way for over 10 years and they were dedicated to the hand process.
I assisted hand piecing their current project, a whirligig pattern similar to this one. The pattern pieces could be turned and pieced incorrectly if we were not careful and we all had to re-do a few. We altered the pattern a bit and appliqued the finished hexagons onto a muslin square. It was christened Texas Twist. Most fabrics came from their vintage donated stash. As I worked with the group I made suggestions about rotary cutting and machine piecing. I brought in my tools and showed them that I could carefully assist in the production without overshadowing their hand work. They agreed and I machine pieced the hand sewn blocks together with blue sashing, cornerstones, and added a border. The group met for a few hours each week over many months to painstakingly hand quilt.
The next quilt was a donated top done with Civil War reproduction fabric. We just needed to put it in the frame and quilt. Some of the pieces were quite small and it took time to ditch stitch them all. Up to six ladies could settle around the old hand crafted wooden floor frame. The time spent together was filled with laughter and tears. We shared family stories, got updates on health issues, and tried to review and solve the world's problems. Quilting patterns were mostly linear, grids, and outlines with occasional cables. It's like giving birth some quilters say when you finish the quilting and take the beauty out of the frame. A very proud moment.
Due to family health reasons I dropped out of the group for over a year. They completed an eagle quilt during that time.
I reconnected last year for a short time as they were debating the next project of either a family tree or one they had done several times before, Birds in Flight. Because some of the remaining quilters did not enjoy applique, they chose the Birds. I have to say hand piecing those curved Drunkard Path blocks and appliqueing the beaks got old really fast. Guess I'm not a die-hard hand piecer. I was so glad when we finished the blocks.
There were serious health issues among the members and finishing this quilt was proving to be a challenge. I helped by machine sewing the hand pieced blocks together, added their chosen borders, made the back, and pin basted the quilt. Yes, even though the quilt is put in a roller frame they prefer to pin baste. I drew the quilting grid with a heat sensitive pen, an idea I'm not sure the group was ready to accept, but they agreed it would be helpful.
It's always an exciting day when we put the quilt in the frame, too. It takes many hands. Unfortunately I was not able to return to help quilt this one, but the quilt is now complete and raffle tickets are being sold.
Not everyone can appreciate how many hours of work goes into this type of hand project. And dedication. I know I haven't been around to make a quilt with this group from start to finish. These ladies and their tireless endeavors are a treasure.
"Diligent hands bring wealth." Proverbs 10:4
I reconnected last year for a short time as they were debating the next project of either a family tree or one they had done several times before, Birds in Flight. Because some of the remaining quilters did not enjoy applique, they chose the Birds. I have to say hand piecing those curved Drunkard Path blocks and appliqueing the beaks got old really fast. Guess I'm not a die-hard hand piecer. I was so glad when we finished the blocks.
There were serious health issues among the members and finishing this quilt was proving to be a challenge. I helped by machine sewing the hand pieced blocks together, added their chosen borders, made the back, and pin basted the quilt. Yes, even though the quilt is put in a roller frame they prefer to pin baste. I drew the quilting grid with a heat sensitive pen, an idea I'm not sure the group was ready to accept, but they agreed it would be helpful.
It's always an exciting day when we put the quilt in the frame, too. It takes many hands. Unfortunately I was not able to return to help quilt this one, but the quilt is now complete and raffle tickets are being sold.
Not everyone can appreciate how many hours of work goes into this type of hand project. And dedication. I know I haven't been around to make a quilt with this group from start to finish. These ladies and their tireless endeavors are a treasure.
"Diligent hands bring wealth." Proverbs 10:4