Bloggers Quilt Festival Spring 2009

How could I resist? I went to see Stephanie's blog and saw her Millennium quilt and read about this wonderful virtual Quilt Festival Amy from Park City Girl is hosting. There are nearly 250 blogs now as I start writing, so there will be even more when you read this. Prepare yourself with tea or coffee and enjoy a festival tour at your screen! All the links are on Amy's blog. I'm sure you want to join too!





My favourite quilt is this Grandmother's Garden quilt I finished last spring for my daughter. It took me parts of eleven summers from 1993 to 2003, when I joined the little hexagons together using the English paper piecing method, and a final intensive period from January to April last year.


It all started during a summer holiday at my childhood summer home where my family later lived all year round. I was spending some time there with my three children so they could have their share of the lovely peace of that place. Nothing ever seems to happen there, so I needed something to do with my hands. My family rarely throws anything away, and so I found loads of fabric scraps put aside to be used for rag carpets like this:


Instead of cutting fabric strips for the loom I started drawing card hexagons, cutting the fabrics and basting them together. My then 9 year-old daughter Kaija was my eager helper. She liked blue colours, so we concentrated on nightgowns, pillow cases and summer dresses in her favourite shades.

Some of the fabrics were worn, some leftover bits from my mother's sewing for her own mother and our Greatauntie Saima, herself, her four daughters and two DIL's, and her six granddaughters. At home I added some fabrics from my stash. The project went on for years.

Last year I started blogging to help me finish the quilt. This weekend last year it was exhibited at my sewing group's spring exhibition. The label is hand stitched, with translation here.

I hope the 2,226 little hexagons from our four generations of women will always remind my daughter of the skills these women have, every one talented in a different way. She is one link in that long chain of generations, and I'm sure the love for making things with hands will be passed on to the next generation through her.