I'm lucky to have several family quilts, although my family disagrees about who made the quilts!
My mom insists the quilts were made by her maternal grandmother, Bertha Juliana Hoffman Sommerfield. My mom's family lived with Grandmother Sommerfield for many years during her childhood, but she doesn't remember quilting being done during those years. Mom thinks the quilts were made later, when Grandmother Sommerfield (my great-grandmother) was living on her own.
My mom's sister insists all the quilts were made by their mother, Norma Gerke Sommerfield. Their mom worked full time most of her life, not retiring until the early 1970s.
As a child, I was lucky to be able to spend plenty of time with both my great-grandmother and grandmother, but I don't remember either of them sewing, quilting, or even having quilts on display. OK, I was only two in this picture, but my Great-grandmother Sommerfield was around for many more years. The lady on the right is another great-grandmother, Myrtle Ludeking Gerke.
All the quilts passed on to me contain mostly feed sack-type fabrics, and use the patterns and colors typical of quilts from the 1930s and 1940s. I blogged about two of them here and here.
I've always wondered if the quilts were made from kits, as I don't think either grandmother would have had a scrap basket with so many different fabrics.
The remaining two quilts have seen heavy use.
Yes, this Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt ~is~ that faded!
I had this quilt on my bed during my teenage years, and dragged it off to nursing school when I left home. It was washed regularly. Some of the fabrics are beginning to shred, and the binding is coming loose, but otherwise, the quilt is in pretty good shape.
I have always enjoyed examining all the different fabrics in the quilt!
The backing is solid pink. The long edges of the quilt were turned in following the scallops and slip-stitched; the short edges have applied binding. The quilt measures approximately 82 inches by 74 inches. Hand quilted inside each hexagon.
I rescued this Dresden Plate quilt from the back of my dad's truck. Prior to that, it had spent years on my sister's bed.
The fabrics are quite faded, and in some cases, shredded.
Regular washing and hanging to dry in the Florida sunshine will definitely fade fabrics over time!
The quilt back is a soft blue and white print. This one was also hand quilted. Approximate size: 75 inches by 68 inches.
I love having these tangible memories of my grandmothers, regardless of who made the quilts!
