My son has been saving his pajamas every year since he was little. You see my mom, aka best grandmother ever, makes him several pairs each Christmas. I am finally learning to quilt and we looked at patterns and took a little from one and a little from another and came up with this design using 1/2 square triangles. I will post more as it comes along. I already moved the reds so that they are at the same spots. This is just the center. There is more to come.
How many times do I need to start a new project? Who knows? But it is often. I have baskets of yarn that I was crocheting and knitting last fall. However quilting has been my latest craze. It is time consuming, mind boggling, extremely tedious, and absolutely fun!
My dear son, who has the sweetest soul, has been saving all the pajamas his Grandmother Tennessee has made him over his ten years of life. (I am originally from Tennessee and the kids started calling my parents Pop Tennessee and Grandmother Tennessee when they were little. It has just stuck) All for his mother to make into a quilt someday. He has worn all of these. Some are thread bare in areas, while others were only on his little body for one short lived slumber. They are all sorts of patterns from Christmas, to western with horses, to pink with skunks for Valentine’s Day and everything in between.
Look at that pile of pajamas! And the Mess! I should have cleaned that up. But sewing is messy right?
After I finished my mom’s Christmas present of the Carpenter’s Star quilt. John set me up to begin his quilt. Oh dear I have dreaded this. We went through pattern after pattern on the internet and he finally decided on what he wanted. I gathered up all the pajamas and took them down stairs to the table.
Oh Dear!! The kids were upstairs and I must say I was a sight to behold. I unfolded those little pants and tops. I can remember him wearing each one and how adorable he looked. The more I looked I found smaller and smaller ones and the tears just flowed and flowed. Is he really almost 10! Has he really outgrown these. Surely not!
See this little shirt. I mean could you cut that up.
I look at that and I can see that little boy wearing it. I’m crying again.
I laid the spiderman pants down on the cutting board. Your kidding me! I have to cut these up!! I really have to cut these up. I can’t. I couldn’t. They are perfect. They are not even worn out. Someone could wear these. John can surely wear these. It was a hideous battle in my head. Then I took the cutter and Zip. Away went the elastic and it started. I cut up the pants into as many six inch squares as I could.
Then I looked at the top. I don’t think that I need that much. So the tops were spared. Yes I know it is silly. But I just couldn’t do it. What is it about being a mother and keeping these baby clothes.
I made progress. I cut up three different ones.
It’s amazing I got that far with all the crying and holding and crying. Did I mention I was crying.
As I began to sew them into half squares. I realized that the little pajamas would be made into something that would last much longer than his ability to wear them. Once the quilt is finished, he will be able to take Grandmomma Tennessee with him always and see all that she made for him. He will look at those squares and remember that outfit. (and if he forgets, I can show him the pictures). He will snuggle under the warmth that is provided by all those years of winter night garments. How could I not see that it is even better than storing them just to take out of the box and cry over. I will be giving new life to his little clothes.
I admit progress is slow on this one. I will keep you updated, but for now I am at least cutting!
It will be interesting to see if he sticks with the pinwheel design. I think I will keep all the squares free before I sew them together. Just in case he changes his mind.
In October of 2012, my daughter signed up for quilting in 4-H. That’s would be fine, I would get my friend Mandy to help her. Mandy is one of those friends that can do it all. She is one of those crafty bugs who does a little of everything, so I can always count on her to tell me what to add to a recipe to fix it, how to make a pot holder, or basically any other question I need answered when I can’t get a hold of my mom. Yes, she is on speed dial, or voice dial, or whatever it is now a days.
Loganne and I signed her up for a beginner’s quilting class at the local quilt store. Every week we went in to learn a new square and techniques that would hopefully make her and us quilters.
Well every week we stitched and sewed, ripped seams and re- sewed trying to get it correct. We had an awesome teacher and we learned so much. At fair Loganne’s quilt took grand champion. Wahoo, we are done. I swore to never make or help make another quilt. Well we all know what happens whenever we say never, yep I got addicted it is so amazing to see fabric turn into a beautiful quilt. I ended up making my mom a very oversized Christmas quilt. It should be back from the quilters soon and I am on edge until I see it.
The Modern Ranch Wife 