Lovely Fall Leaf Appliqué Quilt
My Grandmother's Hand Sewn Fall Leaf Appliqué Quilt
This warm and charming Fall Leaf Appliqué quilt was made by my grandmother for my grandfather.
She collected leaves from their farm that belonged to my great grandfather. She traced the leaves onto tracing paper and cut them out to use as templates.
The only ones that didn’t come from the farm are the Magnolia leaves, which are from a large old Magnolia tree from the old homestead where she grew up. The tree is no longer there, but she was able to collect some of the leaves before the tree was destroyed by a hurricane.
All of the fabrics are different leaf patterns. She quilted twice a week with a group of ladies and they helped her collect all the different fabrics.
She chose a solid white for the back.
She sewed by hand when it came to quilts. She hand appliquéd all of the leaves, sewed on the borders by hand, quilted it by hand and added the binding by hand. Yes, lots of people make quilts entirely by hand. It’s pretty amazing.
I loved to see what designs she would come up for each quilt. The small quilting she chose for around the leaves gives the quilt a nice texture and really makes the leaves stand out.
This is such a special quilt she made and it means a lot to my grandfather. I am very proud to share this with you.
You can find other quilts made by my grandmother here…
You can find projects and quilt patterns for sale in my Etsy shop.
16 Comments
Kiwi Fit
Learn something new every day! 😛
Studio V
That's so neat! I love the quilts my grandmother made. They are so special!
Sil
Son muy bellos!
Besos
LYNN
So special that you have this family history, your very lucky! Thank you for sharing.
Katie B
Very special that you can pass down these quilts from generation to generation.
LeslieUnfinished
Thanks for sharing these quilts, they are priceless!
Connie Kresin Campbell
What precious quilts and memories! Thanks for sharing, stopping by from Sew Many Ways.
Julimond
Your Quilts are wonderful.
Most i like the quilt with leaves, so great.
I think, i have to follow, so that i can't miss your entries.
Greats from Germany
Iris
Carla
Both quilts are lovely. Thanks for sharing your "quilt history". …not everyone has one, you know!
Chris Dodsley @made by ChrissieD
Wow, now we know where all your quilting talent comes from – it's being passed down through your family, these quilts are all fabulous.
Cathy
How wonderful that your family has such treasures. I'm rather jealous!
Saltwater Quilts
Thank you! I am very blessed to get to spend time and learn from my grandmother. I really enjoy hearing about how she learned to quilt and about our family history… and I love sharing it with others!
Books_Bound
How special to have over 100 years of quilt history! That's so neat. I love the leaf idea–that's a great quilt! And it's so sad that your great-great-grandma's quilt wasn't cared for, but it's wonderful that your grandma has it now and is treating it right!
CeLynn
How special to be able to spend time learning from your grandmother! Love the leaf quilt and the story behind it 🙂
Julie
I am inviting you to come and share this in my Show Your Stuff blog hop:
http://juliejewels1.blogspot.com/2012/07/show-your-stuff-33-upsidedown-brownies.html
Kay
These quilts are absolutely beautiful. I know you cherish them and the memories and stories they hold. When I got married, many years ago, my grandmother gave me a quilt that her mother-in-law, my great-grandmother had made. I never knew her, but that quilt is very near and dear to my heart.