Don't throw that away!!! It's heartbreaking.

[Mike Acuna]

Ok.  Maybe this blog is more of vent, but I have just saved 2 quilt tops and 2 sets of orphan blocks and working on more.

Can you believe that someone at a garage sale gave me a king size quilt top of bow ties, ALL HAND PIECED? Apparently his grandmother made them and he said, Take 'em I have no use for them. I showed the pieces to a quilter and my quilting friends and we have all concluded that it would have taken 3 years to complete this quilt top with no like fabric blocks... and then the gentleman hands me a bag, I was going to throw these away, you can have them. I looked inside and found 1930s fabric and a quilt top (queen size) with perfect blocks.  It was noticed that his grandmother even drew the 1/4 inch lines so that her blocks would match. I didn't mention there was a unfinished hand pieced grandmother's flower garden quilt top twin size. This grandmother did some amazing work.

What do you mean, I have no use for them?.  Ugghhh. So that afternoon and night, I sat in my room and finished the quilts; of course, I sent the tops to the quilters because I haven't hand quilted for over 5 years. They came out great. My grandmother has the bow tie quilt because she wanted to sew the binding and I'm finishing the binding on another.

THEN: At the last workshop with my quilting friends, one individual said, they had some orphan blocks and was not going to use them.  I asked why, she said that it was because it was when she first started sewing and they were not sewn together at a 1/4 inch. I asked for the blocks, sat at home, thought about it and finished her blocks by resizing them. At the following meeting I gave her the quilt top and asked her to keep it, there's nothing like a great memory when you first had the passion and a grand relationship with sewing.

It's just me, but I just can't stand seeing fabric tossed out and/or ignored. I don't understand how many individuals don't see the greatness of our work and how much time and care it takes. Lastly, the love we put into our work, I can't imagine someone abusing that and when I see it, it's heartbreaking.

[Matthew Sparrow]

Great post Mike. Thanks for sharing! You just made a friend fro life I'm sure. I would have loved to see the look on her face when you gave her the quilt back.