Nostalgia Quilt – The Story and the Reveal

Over the past several days I’ve been sharing pictures of some of the embroidery in my Mom’s Nostalgia Quilt. I think that this is the quilt she loves most because it has a story that is close to her heart. I asked her to share that story with my readers and this is what she had to say:

“My love of growing flowers started in northern Alberta in the early 1920s. I was about six years old when I was allowed to go visit with Miss Davis who lived on a farm 1½ miles away. She came to Canada after WWI and settled there but was homesick. Friends and family in England sent her seeds so she could make an English flower garden. I couldn’t stop looking at the beautiful plants so she offered me some seeds. Needless to say I ran all the way home so that Mom could help me make my own garden.

It was many years later and we moved several times and so have my flowers. I ended up in Scarborough, Ontario and I spread my lovely flowers throughout the neighbourhood. That was my passion for flowers.

 
While living in Alberta we had a one room school. The teacher lived in a cottage that we called "the teacher’s shack". She lived in the cottage through the week and went home to St. Paul on the weekend. Our winters then were long and cold. Mrs. Grace Labovcane, our teacher, found the nights long and lonely so she asked three of us senior girls (12 years old) if we would like to learn embroidery so with washed and bleached sugar and flour sacks we learned the basic stitches which to this day I am enjoying.

Mrs. Labovcane was an unusual teacher. One day she decided that the whole class should learn darning. If you had a torn mitten or sock that was fine. If not she would cut a hole and teach you how to mend it!

 

 

 

I shall never forget these two wonderful ladies. My Nostalgia quilt is a tribute to both of them.

 

Anne H”

Yellow Wallflowers

Queen Anne's Lace

Honeysuckle

Bluebells and buttercups

 

Here are some close-ups of the hand quilting in the corners of the quilt

 

Butterfly

Wild Rose

Yikes - a spider spins its web!

A heart

 

 

 

I hope you've enjoyed Mom's Nostalgia quilt and her inspiration. She is very excited that the world will see and enjoy this quilt. I would be so appreciative of any comments you leave and she will be thrilled to know that in sharing her quilt she has spread little seeds of pleasure! This is certainly a quilt to be treasured.

 

If have time to pop on over to Quilting Gallery's Show and Tell. I've entered Flora and Fauna. There are lots of beautiful applique quilts and you can vote here.

 

 

Well that’s it for today. I still have lots of reverse sewing to do, the Baskets and Nine Patches pattern and I might just baste a quilt for a friend of mine. So much to do so I had better get cracking!

Until I post again, happy sewing!