Scrap Happy in March

Welcome to Scrap Happy Day! I have a couple of quilts to share with you this time around. First off, this Shoo-fly and Courthouse Steps quilt that I pieced last year.

It ended up being about 60" square. The blocks are all six inches finished surrounded by a 3" border. 

 It has been donated to be used by a child in Foster Care or a patient in chemo therapy.

I haven't done a lick of piecing on the machine since I started on the Textile Tales books. Before that even. It's a little unsettling. We shall see what the future brings. 

The other quilt I want to share was made some time ago. I have no idea exactly when or by whom. I purchased it when we were living in Texas from a sort of antiques shop. That would have been between 1988 and 1990 probably. It was intact when I bought it and have treated it gently but it has suffered since then. Somewhere along the way a mouse got to it and removed some of the cotton that was used for batting. I've enjoyed it folded at the end of my bed and over a chair back most recently.

 The last time I had a good close look at the quilt I noticed some stitching between patches had fallen away and a couple of places where the fabric was all but gone. It was beyond my ability to repair. {sigh} So I have begun taking it apart. 

Based on what I've learned over the years my conclusion is that this was made by an African-American woman, maybe in the 1950's. The batting is raw cotton. We were living in what would have been cotton growing country at that time. In fact, it still was when we were there, just not to the same extent I suspect.

 I have discovered a repair that had been done before I purchased the quilt but hadn't realized was there. There's also at least one patch that had been pieced before being used in a block. Everything about this quilt speaks to my soul. It make me sad that I can no longer use it in its' original state. I have every intention of figuring out how to use and honor the parts of it that are still viable. 

Scrap Happy Day is hosted monthly by Kate at Tall Tales from Chiconia. Not everyone participates every month but there's plenty of inspiration to be found in the list below. 

Kate, Eva, Lynda,
Birthe, Turid, Tracy, Jan, 
Moira, Sandra, Chris, Alys,
Claire, Jean, Dawn, Gwen,
Sunny, Kjerstin, Sue L, Vera, 
Ann, Dawn 2, Carol, Preeti,
Viv, Karrin,  Alissa,
Hannah and Maggie