When skates were not quite so fancy . . .

Have you ever talked to someone older than you, and heard the "we didn't have all the things you have today" speech? Giggle! Hey, I've even given that speech to my kids --- they've rolled their eyes and remarked about how I was living alongside the dinosaurs! I think that when they were younger, they half expected to look in the photo album and see a much younger Dad, brandishing a club, and dragging a young Mom by her hair!

Well, in between the "we didn't have a car, or ride the bus to school --- we walked five miles uphill both ways . . .and in the snow!" routine, and the "we didn't have Nintendos and things like that" one, too, are some elements of truth. Our block today is a nod to that simpler era of the early thirties.

My mom-in-law has told us how her friend and she would walk to school together. They had a certain place to meet, and if one girl wasn't at the meeting place, the other would wait if she could.  If the first friend was in a hurry, she would leave a pair of crossed sticks by the path, so the other would know that she'd gone on her  way. My mother-in-law would often share a pair of skates with Jinks (her best friend); not inline skates, mind you, but a very simple metal pair with a leather strap for fastening each one on. They would each take one skate, balance a Geography book on the skate, and then sit down on it. Then they would whiz down the hills, racing each other and their friends.

I couldn't find what I wanted in the line drawings that I saw, so I drew this skate and key, and turned it into a stitchery for this block. Here it is:

The photo was taken before I squared up the block, so please excuse the wonky edges, there! Oh, and by the way, if you like any of these stitcheries and want to use them, you can find links here on the blog . . . just click here.

This past weekend I put some sashing or lattice strips between the blocks, and now I'll be working on two long blocks of patchwork and stitching. I'll post those as soon as I can!

Thanks for stopping by!

Love,

Another Thirties Block!

Whoo hooo! I got another block done, and just have to show it off! This is for the memory quilt for my mom-in-law, and if any of you are dropping by for the first time, click here and here to see the blocks we've already showed, and to read the stories behind them.

Here is the block that I designed:

Elby suggested that I use the traditional Sunbonnet Sue block, but put two of the girls, for this block --- and here is the reason why: can you see the words stitched below the two little "sues"? It says, "the Gold Dust Twins" right below them.

(And yes, I know I got them a little bit "off" on the block! I'm going to add a few more stitched "sparkles" and try to balance it a little.)

Ahem.
Back to our story . . . one of her sisters was born less than two years before her, and they played together constantly, and even looked a lot alike --- her daddy called them "his gold dust twins." At the time, there was a popular brand of soap that carried that name. She has told us of that nickname many times, so Elby and I thought we should make a memory block for that. I'm sure that many of us can identify with having a special nickname used by our family; hers was even more special since she had so little time with her daddy before he died.

I hope you have enjoyed seeing another block in this special quilt. It may be a few days before I have another to show you; the last two are fairly involved!

In the meantime, why not leave me a comment, and tell me what nickname your family called you?

Love,