Steps to the Altar Quilt Block

     I found the pattern for this Steps to the Altar block in The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt but enlarged the block to 9" finished. 
     An article appeared in the Topeka, Kansas paper prior to the marriage of Hattie's father to Mrs. Daniels:  "A thimble party will be given Monday afternoon at the home of Mrs. H. L. Shirer, in compliment to Mrs. Louise Daniels, whose marriage to Mr. Fred Woodbury, of Olivet, will take place soon.  The guests will be the members of the old Helping Hand society of the First Congregational church.  This society, some years ago, merged with the Woman's society, and recently a new Helping Hand society has been organized among the young women and girls." 
     In the continuing story by my grandmother, she describes her feelings about the marriage of her father to Mrs. Daniels. 

from A Kansas Yankee by Harriet Woodbury George -

"The house was not yet finished, but Dad had told us a little later that they would be married in Topeka in the home of her close friends, Mr. and Mrs. Shirer, on March 30 (1915). . . I was really quite fond of Mrs. Daniels, but I thought of her as a friend and not as a replacement for our Mother, which was too much for my imagination.  I was glad that Papa did not mean her to be a replacement, and we called her Mother, not Mamma.

"I hoped she would not be coming until we had moved into the new house, but it was not nearly ready.  Some rooms were still unfinished when they came home on a Saturday night by the train, which was late as it was quite frequently.  I was upstairs, ready for bed and I did not want to go down, but Papa came up and talked with me, so I did go down.  I had been praying that I could greet her graciously and not start to cry.  There were no tears, only loving greetings, and I was assured."

You might enjoy reading my previous blog post:
http://starwoodquilter.blogspot.com/2011/08/economy-block-quilt-block.html