Post Surgery, I’ve been doing a lot of surfing on the Internet. I frequently may ‘wander’ around the Internet by reading a blog and then clicking on other sites mentioned in the blog. It might be another blog, or a pattern or maybe an online fabric store I hadn’t seen before.
You may remember that I started quilting in 2007 at the request of my Mother-in-law. She asked me to assist her in making quilts for my daughter and son. Before I could do that I needed to learn to quilt.
That summer, on a visit to Louisiana, we spent an evening at my Sister-in-laws and photographed the quilts her mother had made that she had at her house. We were able to get my Mother-in-law to share some thoughts about the quilts & when she made them.
One quilt caught my eye. Actually two quilts, using the same block. One with sashing and one without sashing. She couldn’t remember the name of the block, or the pattern or where she saw it. So, using some freezer paper, I drew a diagram of the various pieces. Later, with the help of a friend who teaches hand quilting, we were able to diagram the block on graph paper so I would be able to make templates. This was then put on the back burner until I understood more about quilting.
For the past 6 years, whenever we went to a Quilt Show, or while surfing the Internet I would search for this block. I wanted to find out its name and if I could find the pattern. I found some close, almost blocks, but many of them were appliqued and her quilt blocks were hand-pieced.
I had just about decided she had created it herself, perhaps copying one of the appliqued blocks I had found. But, today I was surprised when reading Piecemeal Quilts Blog I saw what was called “Four-Lilly Block:”
Sandi, of Piecemeal Quilts, collaborated with P. of The Way I Sew It Blog, to create a quilt based on this block. Part One of a Tutorial for this block was posted on Wednesday, June 5th.
This block was from a quilt top that P. had discovered last year and had been made by her Grandmother Lillian. After sharing emails, we discovered that P’s Grandmother Lillian had lived in North Central Louisiana which isn’t that far from Crossett, Arkansas, where my Mother-in-law had spent most of her life. Living about 100 miles apart, both these ladies had apparently seen this block and made quilts from templates they had made at about the same time – late 1960’s/early 1970’s..
Here’s a picture of my Mother-in-law, Lois Elizabeth, on her last Birthday (10/05/2009) with a lap quilt I made for her.
QuiltMouse 