Common Threads Quilt Show Continued

While I don't dislike my job by any means, I have discovered that leaving the house at 8:30AM and not returning until 11PM, three days per week, cuts in to my quilting time, blogging time, and blog reading time.  It appears I'm destined to be a weekend blogger for the foreseeable future ~ unless I can get far more organized.

To continue with the Common Threads Quilt Show photos from last week, I bring you these:

I found the color scheme in this quilt rather unique.  Not sure how much I like it, but I don't dislike it.  The feature that drew me to it is the setting of the appliqued flower blocks.  The dark sashing around those blogs really makes them pop.  They look almost 3-D

There were two heavily embellished wall-hangings.  Fascinatingly ornate!  I tried to get overall pictures of them, but if I got back far enough get the entire wall-hanging, the dainty embellishments were lost.

I stared at this wall-hanging for a long time, trying to figure out how it was made.  The swirls appeared to be folded fabric, but I'm not really sure.  How this was done remains a mystery to me, despite having the opportunity to stand before it and study it.  One of the most enticing pieces of the show, in my opinion.

But this is not all!  More to come.

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.