American Tradition
by Gail Lang
Part 4 of 5

Another form of patchwork quilting involves appliqueing, or sewing one piece of cloth over top of another to create special designs, and sometimes to give depth. This method is also used for many designs that cannot be pieced because of their shapes. These three quilts are examples of applique work. The first (to the left), titled "Apples," was created for a friend that wanted lots of apples, all shapes, all sizes but somehow to have uniformity. She was kind enough to loan my work back to me to enter in the county fair in 1983. It won first place in it's category and ‘Third Best of Show' (behind my Star of Bethlehem and my flower quilt below) The second quilt was also made as a special order, created with lots of love, time and blood. It is a variation of the "Ohio Rose" design. This quilt placed ‘Best of Show' at the Tri-County Fair in 1983. The third quilt, "Tulips," was reproduced from an heirloom that hangs in a museum in Denver, Colorado. The museum was gracious enough to allow us an image and permission to reproduce this design.

Another fun side to quilting that can cause aggravation to some is what to do with leftover pieces? Often a quilter finds themselves with odd pieces and blocks. Perhaps the blocks were made with the intention of creating a specific design or size, but somewhere along the way, either it wasn't finished or it was changed, leaving you with blocks and bits. I inherited many such blocks and bits from my grandmother when she passed away. These blocks and bits were lovingly turned into pillows, place mats and other small treasures to adorn my home.

One such ‘leftover' bit was begun by my great-grandmother, Elizabeth Luticia Cook Wells (1884-1946). She worked hours on end sewing the half inch squares together to create a design known as "Trip Around The World." She died of bone cancer in 1946 and was unable to finish the top. Many of her last hours were spent lovingly piecing the last few blocks as she lay in her bed. Just before her death she gave the top to my mother who then kept it as a cherished memento of this woman she loved so much. Mother worked off and on adding more tiny blocks throughout her life until she moved from South Carolina to Washington in the early 1980's. She had recently been working on adding more pieces and had somehow left it behind in the home we purchased from them. Upon finding the quilt I found myself caught in a delima. I knew it to be the most treasured possession of my mother, and yet the quilter in me felt such desire to see this work of my ancestors finished. I didn't tell my mother that I had found it, instead I added a boarder of muslim, designed the quilting pattern, layered it, and began the final stages of quilting. I then hung it proudly on my wall in anticipation of my mother's upcoming visit. I held my breath as she walked in the door. She saw the quilt immediately and for moments neither of us spoke. Her gaze was held steadfast on the quilt, while I could not take my eyes from her. I thought surely she would begin crying and went to hug her assuring her that this work of art was hers to take home, but that I had felt after all these years it must be finished and had done so, not in the manner intended by my great-grandmother, but finished into a treasured heirloom just the same. When my mother recovered from the initial shock, she smiled, sighed, then said, "No honey, I think that quilt has found it's home, and I know it will always be loved."

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