When to Say Uncle

My Grandmother Lila Smith Simpson died in 1969. She was a prolific maker and quilter and she left many uncompleted projects. My mother (Lila's daughter in law)  scooped up several of her unfinished quilt tops. Now Mom was not a quilter. she was a crocheter but i think that she wanted to save grandmas work and maybe she thought that she might become a quilter after all. Who knows. They are both long time passed.

This the only quilt that my mom made. She made it in 1971 to mark the birth of her first granddaughter. my daughter Amy.

When I was born Grandma made this quilt for me. I dragged it around, slept under it, threw it in the washing machine occasionally (gasp) and still cherish it.

When Mom died I took the quilt tops. They had been stored in the cedar chest for some 40 years. I decided that this was going to be the finish Grandma's quilts year. Either finish them or get rid of them. stop carrying them around unfinished and unloved. I have carried them around for almost twenty years. loved, not forgotten but neglected. So I decided that this is the year. Finish them up. or discard them. My children had not shown any signs of wanting to be quilters and they have no attachment to old quilt tops. perhaps they have seen too many in my home.

So i got the tops out. And I started quilting them. Grandma seemed to like the Hole in the Barn Door pattern.

And as I discovered, she was not a perfectionist in her piecing. her blocks are a little crooked. There is a little bit of puckering here and there. Grandma didn't have a rotary cutter and mat. or even a plexiglass ruler. She had a sewing machine and a pair of scissors, cardbooard templates. and black and white thread and a need to make. She did have a fondness for bright colours but she stuck to the three colours one quilt frame of mind. no scrappy look for grandma Simpson.

I did find one block that was put together incorrectly.

Accidental or intentional? Grandma did live in the train station. Grampa was the station master at Dranoel Station in Bethany Ontario. She may have been the person who coined the saying. "If you can't see it from the train, its alright." oh or maybe that was Grampa, he was a poet. but that's another story.

So now I am coming to the last quilt top. its another Grandmothers Fan block. Bright yellow and nice aqua green and the fans are all scraps. I put it on the frame and tried to quilt it. the blocks are so uneven that i was just making a big mess. huge wrinkles--not even wrinkles--pleats in the fabric. So took it off the frame and put it away for a month

So now its Do or Die. Finish it or throw it out.
I have now taken the quilt apart. down to 16 blocks and borders.

And I think that you probably could see the unevenness from the train. The blocks are all like this. Grandma was a little bit scimpy on her seam allowance. sometimes down to there being big gaps with a negative seam allowance. I don't know if that's what created the big wonky unsquare block or what but it's pretty out of square. It looks like its the circle to me. Way too big??? but i don't think I can just take out my beautiful 15 inch plexiglass ruler and square it up. that would cause the fan blades to be distorted. oh boy.
Should I call it a day??  Probably but i don't think today is the day.I think i will just put them away again for a little while. Another reprieve while I think about it some more. Lots of thinking going on here near the five corners.