Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Embroidered Summer Bed Spread

I was rummaging through the linen closet this past week and came across this summer bed spread made by great grandmother. I'm not sure of its age, but I remember seeing it on her bed when we visited her in 1978. I was fourteen years old. 

It appears to be made from a high thread count sheet, that she divided into on-point squares using a fancy stitch on her sewing machine. Then she embroidered the names of the states with the state flower that she had visited. The "states" include "Old Mexico", "Canada", and "Santa Catalina".

It is a perfect weight for a humid, summer Kansas night.  She slept with her windows open.  

Here are close-ups of some of the blocks:



My great grandmother was an incredibly talented woman. She quilted, knitted, crocheted, and embroidered. It is she who inspired me to quilt. I've shown her work on Vintage Thingy Thursday before~a Dresden Plate quilt.

I'm linking up at Suzanne's site, The Colorado Lady, for Vintage Thingy Thursday. Go check out the other cool vintage items people are sharing this week.

35 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing this beautiful piece of handwork. It is lovely.

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  2. It is beautiful and a treasure because it is a family piece. olive♥

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  3. that is so special. what resourcefulness!

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  4. I loves seeing that quilt. I have not seen the state one before. We used to have one with family birthdays.

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  5. That is beautiful. It must have been a lot of work. I would be afraid to use it.

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  6. I love that she included the state flowers of the places she visited. That is a really pretty!

    xo -Elizabeth

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  7. This is beautiful! wonderful embroidery.

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  8. That is wonderful and a treasure. How clever your great-grandmother was to design that with a sewing machine and hand stitching. My grandparents lived in Kansas~
    I see a pretty black kitty in a couple of your pictures :)

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  9. Love it, love it. It is so much fun to hurt around the house for these for this meme. I always enjoy the things and the stories. Blessings
    QMM

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  10. What a beautiful piece of work. Your grandmother was blessed with great talent. And now you are graced with it's presence. Beautiful.

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  11. What a beautiful piece of handwork! A real treasure. Thanks for sharing.

    Jocelyn
    http://justalittlesouthernhospitality.blogspot.com

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  12. I think that it is really nice that she wanted to remember the places she visited in such a lovely way. Her embroidery is really good. How nice that you now have the quilt and can pass the memories on.

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  13. What a beautiful quilt and the work that must have went into this...amazing. Have a great VTT and thanks for sharing with us today.

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  14. What a beautiful coverlet! Your great-grandma did some beautiful embroidery on this, and I love that it was significant to the places she visited. Definitely something to treasure and enjoy!

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  15. Oh my goodness, this is so amazing! I love it!
    I think anyone would be thrilled to have this vintage piece in their collection!
    Thank you for sharing!
    Terry
    PS great blog by the way:)

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  16. This old embroidery always makes me so nostalgic. It's the hand work more than anything else that I enjoy from this era. What a wonderful keepsake. Jacqueline

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  17. Oh what a treasure this is, beautiful. I have some of my Grandma's embroidered work & my Mum's. My Grandma died in 1966 and my Mum in 2001 so these are very precious reminders aren't they.

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  18. Wow! What a beauty. That is a treasure like none other - especially since it is still in the family.
    Elzaan

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  19. Think about all the work that went in this piece. It is a true treasure.

    Thanks for sharing :)

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  20. Wonderful family heirloom! This is just a beautiful embroidered summer spread. There were lots of states' flower embroidery patterns but I wonder where she got ones for Old Mexico, etc...do you thing she drafted them herself?

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  21. Oh, what a great treasure. She did some very nice embroidery and the spread looks like it is in excellent shape.

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  22. Fabulous! I love it!!

    Love,
    Susan and Bentley
    xxoo

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  23. What a beautiful family treasure. I have my Grandmothers that is the state bird and flowers. ~~Sherry~~

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  24. This is so beautiful. I appreciate anyone who would take the hours to complete such a lovely piece.

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  25. What a wonderful heirloom you have! Your grandmother certainly was a talented embroiderer!! And that is too funny about Old Mexico, Santa Catalina and Canada being included with the 50 states. Well maybe she was just going for the USA and surrounding areas, rather than wishful states number 51, 52 and 53. LOL!! :-)

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  26. Oh gosh, what a charming quilt and wonderful keepsake! Such a treasure.

    Happy VTT,
    Sally

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  27. That is an incredible piece. Your great-grandmother was very talented and creative. I also had a peek at her quilt - such beautiful work!

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  28. I love seeing posts about items that have been in the family! What a beautiful quilt!

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  29. That was a wonderful and creative idea for a summer-weight cover. Please treasure it and save it for future generations.

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  30. What a great keepsake! These days it's so hot I'm not sure I could even cover with a sheet at night though! Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment about my tablescape and story. Loved having you visit! Sandi

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  31. That is gorgeous! Thank you for sharing it with us! :)

    HaPpY vInTaGe ThInGiE tHuRsDaY!

    Sarah

    visit my blog for a GIVEAWAY and a new linking party!
    http://bloggingwhilewaiting.blogspot.com/2010/08/new-wednesday-party-link-up-giveway-too.html

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  32. You are the lucky owner of that gorgeous quilt! A very talented woman she was.

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  33. How beautiful! And what a great idea to take an ordinary sheet and turn into a piece of art.

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  34. I wonder if all grandmother's do the 50-state thing? I have one from my maternal grandmother, though I'm quite sure I wouldn't be able to describe it as well as you have here!

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Your comments brighten my day. :-)