Friday, August 5, 2011

My Farmer's Daughter Quilt



My paternal grandmother, Harriet Edith Woodbury George, was a prolific writer all of her life.  A few years ago, my father gave me a copy of her 402-page daily diary for 1916, the year she turned twenty-one years old. 

For some time, I have wanted to create a quilt to accompany this amazingly detailed diary.  My plan is to make a traditional quilt block to accompany one to three diary entries.  I will research to find a block whose name matches the content of those particular entries.  I plan to end up with 140 quilt blocks in all. 

Blog posts two through thirteen will include excerpts from a story my grandmother wrote in the 1940's about her father, called A Kansas Yankee: The Story of Fred H. Woodbury.  This story will provide some useful background information and details not found in her diary.  The remainder of my blog posts will include daily excerpts from my grandmother's 1916 diary.  

My blocks will range in size from 6" to 12".  When I began my first quilt at age thirteen, I cut out each piece individually around a sandpaper template!  I am, therefore, a big fan of the rotary cutter, so will make my blocks using this tool whenever possible.  I am not opposed to paper piecing and templates but will use them only if necessary.  If it makes better math sense to make a block 8" or 10" square rather than 6", I am going to do that.

My quilt is going to be made from my scraps.  My older scraps are very traditional fabrics, and my newer scraps are modern fabrics.  I think of myself as a blend of both the traditional and the modern quiltmaker.

I am a farmer's granddaughter making a Farmer's Daughter Sampler Quilt about my grandmother in the year before she became a farmer's wife.

If you'd like to read every post about this quilt, please click on "Farmer's Daughter Sampler Quilt" under Labels on my blog. 

27 comments:

  1. What a wonderful way to mark your families history and a tribute to your Grandmother.

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  2. Great Idea!
    Lovely to read the exerpts from a wonderful diary.
    Was she a wonderful granny too? Or always working hard?
    And you say you'd rather sew than blog ????
    I think you're doing a grand job!

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  3. What an awesome idea. I love the writing AND the quilt blocks.
    Hugs~

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  4. This is so great! I am a farmer's wife who is starting the Sampler and I think you'll be my mentor! Great, great blog!!

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  5. What a beautiful story and tribute to your family. This will become an amazing heirloom for generations to come.

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  6. Hello! Wonderful project! So good way to connect writing and quilting! Your quilt will be a lovely, unique piece of your family history!

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  7. This is so very special. I am moved, and feel so honoured that you share your grandmother's life with us, in this special way on this journey we are all sharing. And in this way you and your grandmother will be part of my FW-quilt which I am making half a world away! :) I am very excited about your idea to use different sized blocks and look forward to your special ones. Thanks for coming to find me!
    Valentina in Cyprus

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  8. Love the project! A wonderful way to remember your grandmother by including her in your FW quilt blocks. Thanks so much for sharing her diary with us!
    I hope I will be motivated to do the FW quilt blocks too, bought the book long time ago...

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  9. Wow! What a beautiful project. I definitively will follow it. Thanks for visiting my blog, so I could know yours.
    Kisses from Venezuela!
    Ingrid

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  10. I love this tribute to your grandmother! I look forward to reading along and seeing your progress. Thanks for sharing!

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  11. You have inspired me to go and find a journal that my mother gave me years ago! I'm not so sure my project will be as grand/large as yours but I think I'll play with this idea of yours!!! Thanks

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  12. Cleo, I am thrilled that I've inspired you to begin your own project. Let me know when you decide what to do with your mother's journal.

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  13. I certainly will. I may even blog it as I go :) Mary Etta Foster is the name of my great great great grandmother. I'm getting a little excited. Though she was not a seamstress or quilter My mom was and she loved to tell stories of this woman...

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  14. Cleo, I'd love to follow your blog when you decide to start your project. Keep in touch!

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  15. I am speachless and honoured that you want to share her story with the rest óf the world.
    What a great way to make your own family-history with this project.

    Cannot wait to see the fianl result of the quilt....

    Respect
    Dorrit

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  16. I have just recently found this site, what an honor it must be for you and thank you for sharing with the rest of us. I will be making this quilt ( again thanks) and reading your grandmothers entries, living in the past through her eyes. Thank you for the trip

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  17. I am a history buff and I love quilting so your blog is fasinating to me. Thank you so much for sharing.

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  18. I love reading your blocks as I love reading classical novels...it's very generous of you to share the stories of your grandmother and your blocks..:)

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  19. i am going to have to read all your posts because i enjoy the writings of your grandmother

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  20. This is a fantastic idea--what a wonderful "memory quilt" for your family to cherish...Julierose

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  21. Your grandmother was a beautiful lady. I'm so glad that you are able to do this project. My mother is 94 and was a sewer. She is now in a nursing facility. Her vision is bad and I remember her at her sewing machine. She was so happy in her time. Good luck with the project. Jan

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  22. Would love to see the diary turned into a book.

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  23. This is a wonderful, incredibly great idea. The resulting quilt will be a magnificent tribute, not only to your grandmother, but to history and to the
    art of quilting. How meaningful! Your quilts are works of art, and belong in a museum.

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  24. this is such a cool project...looking forward to seeing the blocks as you progress

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  25. What an amazing idea! I can't wait to read about all of your blocks.

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  26. This is such a fantastic spin on doing the Farmer's Daughter quilt! I just love watching everyone work on them. Being in the middle of a Dear Jane, though, I haven't felt like I could join in. I think yours is my most favorite of all. Love - LOVE - the family connection for it and the diary excerpts!

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  27. wow awesome! mom is making her Farmers Daughters Quilt too! please come visit my blog of quilts!! and sign in too love to have new falowers!

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