Q109 – Grandma Remembers – Wall Hanging

Good Day,

Our task, if we accepted, was to take on old, beat-up deteriorating, and I mean deteriorating, patchwork quilt and create something. This old, old, old quilt had once belonged to his Grandmother. It was a part of him and she, his wife, wanted to create a remembrance… How could we not accept the challenge? And our completed project is Grandma Remembers.

Grandma Remembers will be tucked under the tree, to surprise on Christmas Day. I wish I could be a digital camera to snap the unaware moment, to capture his look when he remembers his Grandmother.

Our original construction design is based on a traditional Japanese wall hanging, a Kakemono, 掛け軸, at times referred as a Kakejiku. Andy and I recreated a small, picture version of the original patchwork quilt. We reduced the blocks, in order to salvage the material, from 3” to 2 ½” squares. All recovered patches were fused to interfacing to provide a consistent stability. We wanted the connection between the new wall hanging and the old treasured quilt.

Adding a dark chocolate brown background, also using the same for the backing, binding, two sleeves, and tie-ribbons, the dimensions of Grandma Remembers are: Width – 17 ½” (44.5 cms) and Length 53 ½” (135.9 cms). The quilting, in chocolate thread, is of parallel lines set horizontally and at angles to compliment both the quilt and the wall hanging. A place to hang in the house has already been chosen.

Here is what the old quilt looked like when we it was delivered to us.

Here are some more images, full and close-up, and the backing.

The following are links to a couple of previous Posts on Quilts SB detailing our work and effort.

- Dec 5 – Grandma Remembers – Update and Progress – Refurbished

- Dec 4 – A New Project – Old into New – Quilt Wall Hanging – Grandma Remembers

If you have any comments, questions, thoughts, and ideas, feel free to contact us.

Enjoy,

Jim and Andy.