My Aunt Rosita died last November. She and my mom got me into quilting in 2004. There's been a tradition in the family of the older generation of womenfolk offering a quilt at weddings (or sometime thereafter). Rosita has a lot of grand children who are starting to get married now. One wedding is set for August 2016. The family knew she had started this Wedding Ring Quilt for that wedding, but it remained unfinished when Rosita got sick. So her son asked my mom and me to finish it in time for the wedding ...
My first response was : What the? Do they have any idea how difficult The Wedding Ring pattern is? It's not for a beginner! Then I remembered, I'm not a beginner any more. I've been sewing for 40+ years now. The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to do it ... Hence, this is my 2016 Challenge.
Rosita had a Go-Cut Machine on which she cut out the fabric pieces. We'll see how that goes ... Supposedly, that should help the pieces not to distort.
The photo above shows the blocks she had assembled before she got sick -- on the design wall.
She has several more "footballs" already together. The question is : Do I cut out more Xes to make it bigger, or do I just go with what she's got. It won't be a bed quilt, but something much smaller -- and still something to remember Rosita by. All of the pieces are scraps from her long and productive quilting career.
Unca Ray gave me her old Designer I Viking sewing machine, too. That was good timing, as my old one bit the dust at about the same time. It's an honor to have it -- as I know some of what Rosita's produced on it through the years. She was best known for her embroidery. At holidays, and birthdays, anniversaries, she would embroider a card for us. Lots of stitches on that machine already!
1 comment:
I see no one's willing to jump in here with advice - well, we all know about this pattern and are probably thinking, thank goodness it's not ME having to finish this up!
But what an honor, and yes, I know how hard it is to take on someone's unfinished work but also how gratifying to be able to complete it. I hope there is someone out there who will do the same for me when I go, because there are sure to be plenty of UFO's to choose from. ;-)
Perhaps you've already decided but I think it would be best if you kept it small - basically where she left off unless you have access to her stash and cutter and really want to commit to a big project. With special motifs quilted in the open areas, it would make a lovely piece for the wall or to throw over a trunk or at the end of the bed. Do you have any photos you could print on fabric and add into the design to make it even more of a memory of Rosita?
And yes - you are not a beginner anymore! You can DO this!!!
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