90th Birthday Quilt

My grandmother is an amazing woman! Among other things, she actually had the patience to teach me to quilt! Some of my earliest and happiest memories are being at her house, underneath a quilt on the quilt stand, listening to her and her sisters talk and watching their needles. (Also, watching cartoons. She had cable and we didn't!)

She is the main reason I sew. Quilts mean love to me, and I want to be surrounded by things that remind me of my childhood and of her. So I sew! (Seriously, say it out-loud. So I sew. :)

This weekend, NannyPud turned 90. Obviously we threw her a major party! For my part, I decided she needed a quilt, as she is always making a quilt for one of us!

In October, I sent my family (basically her siblings and decedents) 5" squares of Kona Snow ironed onto freezer paper and asked them to write something and send it back.

Some were elaborate.

(My mother, who hasn't sewn in 20 years and swears she hates it, whipped these 2 up without a pattern. She just drew them out and filled them in! That's talent! :)

Some were simple.

All were filled with love.

I also printed out pictures I stole from her house onto Printed Treasures Printer Fabric. There were ones of her with her kids and grandkids and siblings. This is my favorite, one with my grandfather.

Finally, I laid it all out with random fabric squares.

There is a blue one from DS Quilts Picnic Line for JoAnn's (they don't have it in the stores anymore, so no link), a green one from DS Quilts (I know its Denyse Schmidt, and I'm 99% sure I got it at JoAnn's, but I can't find it online, and I don't know the line, sorry), and the red Mama Said Sew Sewing Guide fabric from Sweetwater.

I blogged about the middle rectangle here, a dedication block I embroidered.

The back is a grey sheet from Target and I appliquéd a fabric copy of the invitation to her party in the center.

 All in all, it turned out really well! Everyone loved it, especially NannyPud! I'm really glad I did this for her, she is amazing and deserves an amazing quilt!

See ya!
EL

PS: Here is my block. It's an iron-on from the same Stitcher's Revolution packet I got at JoAnn's as the dedication block.