A to Z April Challenge: Q is for Quilters

This is day 17 of the A to Z April Challenge.

is for Quilters.  The creativity and artistry among members of my family are evident in the quilts they sewed.

My great aunt Velma Davis Woodring made several quilts, which are now mine.  The Dresden Plate pattern was very popular in the 1920s and 1930s.  The elaborate center suggests this is a variation on the typical Dresden Plate which had just a simple circle.  Judging by all the floral prints in this lovingly worn quilt, this one was probably made in the 1930s. I like to look at all the prints and imagine they were once dresses Velma and her sister Violetta might have worn as children. 

The edge of the quilt echoes the "petals" of the main design.
In this photo you can see just how worn out the quilt is.

I like how the design dictates the overall shape of the quilt.

The hexagon pattern is thought by quilt historians to be one of the oldest pieced patterns. This hexagon quilt in violet and yellow with coordinating floral print is Velma’s masterpiece, if you ask me.  She was the quintessential purple girl long before it was fashionable.  The pattern is very precise forming diamond-shaped groupings.  I KNOW this pattern has a name, but I can’t find it.  It is probably some variation on Grandmother’s Flower Garden. 

You can see how worn the violet fabric is.

Ervin and Helen Mathias
Wayne and Donald
about 1941 or 1942

My mother-in-law Helen Virginia Kohne Mathias made a quilt for each of her 7 children.  Upon her death, we each took one.  Apparently she made many more because somehow we ended up with 2.   This is my favorite.  I love the bright green and orange fabric arranged in the Greek Square pattern.  She machine stitched the top but tied instead of quilted. 

This gold patchwork of squares and triangles amuses me because the fabric is so unlike Helen.  It looks like an animal print in a way, but certainly a smaller scale and more subtle than something obvious like leopard or giraffe.  I’m not sure what it is.  Like the previous one, the top is machine stitched and the quilt is knotted. 

Mary Eleanor Davis Slade

My mother appliquéd and quilted this sampler quilt around 1977.  It was her first one.  She set two challenges for herself:  make no 2 squares alike and use only 2 shades of pink.  She used a pattern from a magazine but then had to design more center motifs herself. The beauty of this quilt is the balance of the two colors. 

This quilt is partly my own creation.  I was in my black and brown phase of decorating in 1977.  The maple leaves are hand appliquéd.  I machine stitched the squares and strips, but I gave up on quilting.  I ended up paying a Mennonite church quilting group to finish it for me.  They charged by the number of spools of thread used.  What a bargain!  Sadly, the quilt is badly faded on one side. 

Don’t be in a Quandry.  Don’t Quit now.  If you’re Quick, you’ll enjoy some Quirky and Quotable Quips at the A to Z April Challenge.

©2014, Wendy Mathias.  All rights reserved.