So I have joined the Another Year of Schnibbles quilty fun that is posted on Sinta's Blog and Sherri's Blog. While your there be sure to look around...amazing quilting going on there!
The Vintage Schnibbles pattern they selected for May was "Gentle Art" and away I went! Here is my photo of it, but it is not finished yet....I was way under the weather and just couldn't quilt it ....but stay tuned...I will....So I have a little story about why I selected these fabrics....you see my Grandparents and my mother came to America in the 50's for Opportunity. They arrived on US soil and did all that was required to gain American Citizenship....My grandfather was a Cobbler in Italy, when he came to Brooklyn, New York he opened a Shoe Store on Avenue U. My Grandmother went to work in the Garment district and became the head seamstress. Back in the day that meant that you were quite the seamstress and boy was she ever! Her skills were amazing. Fast forward quite a few years to the early 70's, I was 6 years old, she wanted to teach the girls in my family how to sew, it is a must for an Italian girl...it will always bring you work she told us! So she had us pick out an embroidery pattern, we ironed on the image on a pair of jeans and she taught us the stitches, then told us to pay attention to what we were doing and sat us down to sew. Well, I did mine....I wanted a Tee Pee on my pant leg....I sewed and sewed, was SO proud of myself.....took off the hoop and showed my Nana! She smiled and said to me to go try them on! I did, in fact I can remember running down the hallway to the bathroom! I was SO sad.....I went to my Nana crying and she introduced me to a seamripper. Yep, I sewed the back and the front of the leg together. Most important lesson I ever learned! LOL And so I dedicate this quilt to the Memory of my Grandmother Concetta Ruggierio , the Spools of thread represent her awesome sewing skills and the colors represent the wonderful opportunities she had when she came to America, and for teaching me the invaluable skill of sewing. Okay Okay...and now for the quilt top....enjoy!
