Make It New Monday! Treasured Heirlooms

Recently while at my mother-in-law's house I came across this wonderful quilt buried in a chest that was hidden in a closet. I asked her if she knew where it came from. It was her mother's, she said, and would I like to have it? Um, YES!

There are so many things I love about this quilt. All the beautiful fabrics, some of which look very much like the reproduction fabric that I have been stashing. The fact that it was made by my husband's grandmother. And the story behind the quilt. My husband's grandfather was a fruit farmer. His grandma worked in her garden all summer, and in the winter she would sew. Apron after apron she would create for the church bazaar. This quilt was made from her scraps. Can you imagine how many aprons she must have made? Look at all these different designs and patterns! I love the dogs playing baseball.

The quilt's new home is in Zoe's room. Out for everyone to admire. And next to the quilt hangs another heirloom, this one made by my own grandmother.

I've had this sweet needlework of a little girl praying for as long as I can remember. I never had a place to hang it - until my little girl was born. All those intricate little stitches - this was a work of love from my grandma to my sister and me.

These may not be worth a lot of money, but they are priceless. Through them I feel a connection with our grandmothers - a love for creating "treasures" with our hands, a love for family, a love for the Lord.

Future heirloom creator!

Life's a Hoot! Baby Quilt

My sister just had a baby boy and she chose owls for the nursery- so cute! I wanted to make a play quilt for him, and I couldn't believe it when I saw this pattern on the front of the Spring issue of Quilts and More. The quilt even used the exact same fabric (Hooty Hoot for Riley Blake designs) that my sister had chosen for her curtains and crib bedding!

I wanted this to be a quilt that he could play on, so I decided to add some texture with different types of fabrics. The background is flannel, the moon is satin, the owl body is velvet with ribbon loops for the feet, and the branch is corduroy.

This was my first attempt at applique on a quilt, and I was really nervous about how it would turn out, especially using the different types of fabric. But I was surprised by how smoothly it went.

Now I *just* have to quilt and bind it!

I made the backing a little too short, and now I need to add fabric somewhere to lengthen it. I'm not sure what would look good- any suggestions?