We found a picture of a quilt that she liked and I was able to order the pattern. At first she had skipped over it thinking it would be too much work to cut and sew all the little diamonds, but when I told her it was actually very simple, she wanted it. The pattern is called "Second Hand Clothes" by Red Crinoline Quilts and was inspired by an antique quilt, likely make out of the good parts of worn out cotton dresses. Larene wanted lots of light, happy colors (salmon, purple, cream, maybe brown, soft blue and green), and loved the geometry made by the white squares. She sent me a photo of a paint strip as color inspiration. I was on my way.
I started collecting fabric in the fall of 2014 when I went to Boersma's quilt shop in McMinnville on my way to the beach in October. I bought the large floral border fabric there along with the navy blue fabric for the setting triangles and binding and the white background fabric. I also picked up several fat quarters. I eventually ended up with about 30 different prints; 20 or so new ones and at least 10 from my stash. I was ready to start cutting and sewing.
The pattern is very simple. There are 100 solid blocks and 81 pieced 9-patch blocks. My plan was to cut no more than 4 solid blocks and 3 pieced blocks from each fabric. Once the 9-patch blocks were made it was time to lay out the quilt. The blocks are set on point, or laid out diagonally, with the blue setting triangles on the edges. I added the border to make the quilt larger and it finished at about 96" square. On a queen-sized bed that is about an 18" drop.
I made some extra 9-patch blocks with the idea of making some pillow shams as a surprise. I sent the quilt and shams to June for quilting and had Larene help me choose the quilting pattern. It is called Feather Simple Meander and finishes the quilt off perfectly. The quilting shows up nicely on the back.
I took a picture of it all done on my bed before I gave it away. You can see that I laid the blocks for the shams out square instead of diagonal since I didn't have any of the navy blue fabric left and doing it that way with a small floral border made them just the right size. Much less math involved as well.
Larene finally got her remodel under way last August, but not before I had given her the quilt in July (the same week that I delivered Erica's quilt). Here we are at my brother's house in Magrath. She was very pleased.
The house construction is all done now and I assume that things are back to normal. I can't wait to visit this summer and see all the changes. Here are a few pictures because who doesn't like to look. It's not an old farmhouse anymore, that's for sure.
This is the view from the back at the very beginning of the project. The siding is gone and the foundation is poured for the new breezeway and attached garage. When you live where it is winter 8 months of the year, this is a necessity for any remodel.
Exterior completed.
New kitchen!
I'm sure the house is getting broken in and character being added daily. Character is what I call dings in the floor and water spots on the stainless and other imperfections which make a house perfect. The Zimmer residence is always a happenin' place. In the winter all the calves are born (250 of them). All the kids live nearby within an hour's drive or so, and Larene's six grandchildren are adorable and lots of fun. In the summer Larene is often preparing food for a crowd and the fire pit in the back yard is a people magnet, especially after baseball games. I know I'm missing out on all kinds of fun living 1000 miles away but am grateful for the times we are able to get together. Sisters are the best and I love mine! Happy Birthday Larene.
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