Treasure! Grandma's dresses & patterns
 

My grandmother on my father's side was a very prolific quilter, very active in her local guild and made quilts, wall hangings, placemats, stuffed animals...you name it...for everyone in the family and donated piles of quilts and dolls to charity. She also sewed all her own dresses and was an accomplished artist.

This past weekend I was out visiting with my aunts and we started talking about my quilts (I am now the only quilter in the family) and my aunt brought out Grandma's quilt journal and quilt photo album and I just about peed myself with delight! I had no idea these things existed. Her journal, in particular, was such a treasure trove - amazing drawings, patterns, notes...so inspiring, so wonderful. I found the plans and notes for quilts that were given to me and my sister when we were kids, which was really, really neat.

Then my other aunt mentioned that she had SAVED some of grandma's handmade dresses thinking she would some day learn how to quilt but now (11 years after grandma passed away) she knows she will never do anything with them, and sort of gives me the "hint, hint" look. So of COURSE I volunteered to take them and make a couple of quilts for them.

Then she has her husband drop this off:
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I was expecting 4 or 5 dresses...I counted THIRTY of them when I got home!! I'm super excited, my grandma had 6 children; one of them (my father) has unfortunately passed away since, but with THIRTY dresses there is definitely going to be enough fabric here to make quilts for ALL 5 of my aunts and uncles!!

I also took photos of some of the many, many, many hand-drawn patterns in Grandma's journal. Some of them are simply out of my league at this point, but a few of them I think I can do justice to and am going to select from those patterns to make these quilts. It just seems appropriate to use Grandma's patterns for turning her handmade dresses into quilts!

Before I cut into them, though, I'm going to launder and press them and get photos of each one. I unfolded several and so far I haven't found any that are identical and I want to preserve them in photos. I am thinking that an album of the dresses for each aunt & uncle would make a nice companion to the quilts. :)

I'm really excited and very touched that my aunts would entrust these dresses to me. I think my Grandma would approve of the use I am going to put them to and I can't WAIT to give the finished quilts to my aunts and uncles! I am going to have to be so careful, these quilts need to be as perfect as I can make them! I've only got about 25 or so quilts under my belt but as long as I keep it fairly simple I think I can turn out quilts that Grandma would have been proud of. :)

Oh what a treasure, a way to connect with your grandma in some small way. I know that your aunts and uncles (if uncles even remember dresses) will cherish them. I hope 1 will "will" 1 back to you, so you too can have a life long treasured memory.

Wow, you had Christmas early, didn't you??? What a wonderful treasure!

My MIL gave me several quilt tops that have wound their way through her family; unfortunately nobody knows anything about their provenance. I really wish we at least knew who made them. :(

That is amazing! I know you are thrilled. Your plans are wonderful, and I know you will enjoy making each quilt. Hopefully there will be enough fabric for you to have one, too, even if only a lap quilt. (I love all the colors of her dresses. I'll bet she was just as colorful!)

I agree. It's awesome that you have been given the dresses, and your plan for them is equally awesome. I just think you should plan to make a quilt for yourself, too, out of the dresses. If you stick to larger pieces you can make the dresses go farther. Every piece needs the extra half inch added to each dimension for seam allowances....Enjoy!

Wow! Oh how I wished I had started quilting sooner. Gave away all of mom's and my grandmother's clothes :(.
what awesome gifts to make for family members - a cherished quilt full of memories.
beautiful. Can't wait to see the finished quilts.

What a fabulous treasure. And your idea of pictures of the dresses to go with the quilts is a neat idea. Enjoy the journey:thumbup:

Such a wonderful momentous journey ahead of you in making the quilts. I would love to see the end products and wish you good luck in the making.

Please keep the Board updated on your progress with this project!! You might be very very surprised on how well your uncles remember the dresses.