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petalpatsy

Hand quilting show off. Yum!

petalpatsy
13 years ago

I had my downstairs heat pump replaced today. Two good ol' country boys came and were quite nice, greatly admired my son's snake which has just laid two eggs. (!!!!)

And greatly admired my Applecore still on the frame and almost done. I had a thirty year old down on his knees looking at the back of my quilting. (Waaaait, they told me this would never happen!) You could have knocked me over with a feather. He drilled me on how it was completely done by hand, pieced by hand and quilted by hand, and then asked exactly how I had got the sandwich basted (taped to the floor, hand basted over a marble) and just generally looked it over like a show judge. He kinda wanted me to undo the basted over backing to check the stitching on the piecing but I balked and showed him my stitching on the 30 Something, in progress at the ironing board.

:) I passed inspection, and he asked me how much I charged to do a top into a quilt. I was so taken aback, I guess my eyes got wide and I said "I've never done it for money." The other guy fell out laughing. Anyway, I gave him my number and admitted it was only my second quilt so I'd do just one of his grandmother's tops for practice at cost. I'll let you know if he ever calls, but I was happy to show off today even so.

Comments (11)

  • ritaweeda
    13 years ago

    You must have felt like you were in the Twilight Zone or something. But maybe they were really interested because of the craftsmanship of the whole thing? Good ol' country boys, especially ones that work with their hands for a living, probably do have an appreciation for skilled handwork, they ooh and aaaw over handcrafted furniture, guns, cars and such. I know when I was working on the quilt that my husband had requested and he looked at it while I was mid-way through hand-quilting it, he exclaimed, "you mean all this stitching is by hand?" He just shook his head and walked away. So maybe they aren't as unobservant of our world as we imagine.

  • geezerfolks_SharonG_FL
    13 years ago

    Don't you love it! It must have given you a lift that you'll never forget! Great thing to have happen!

    Reminds me of DH and his BFF (my uncle) when we went to a quilt show and they were voting for People's Choice. They were both very persnickity and kept trying to change each other's minds by pointing out this, that and the other thing. Was really fun to watch.

    SharonG/FL

  • nanajayne
    13 years ago

    It has to be a real lift to get unsolited compliments like that. You should be proud as I know how hard you have worked on the Apple Core quilt. Looking forward to seeing the end results. Jayne

  • petalpatsy
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Yes, it was a lift and a laugh. It made me want to take them out to the back yard and show off my daylily seedlings in bloom, too, but I restrained myself.

  • imrainey
    13 years ago

    You never know whose mother or grandmother quilted. And there are guys who quilt too!

    Must have been great fun! Glad you got to enjoy it!

  • lots2do
    13 years ago

    What a great story! Made me smile too. Maybe he'll want you to teach him someday...

  • Robbi D.
    13 years ago

    And a young man, too! I really like it when I can find someone that appreciates quilting. There doesn't seem to be that many around, and when you find them, they are usually the older generation. His grandmother must have taught him a little about quilting for him to be so knowlegeable.

    Congrats on the great job!!

  • ritaweeda
    13 years ago

    Was this kid married? Maybe his wife has said she would like to get into quilting and he was gathering info. for her.

  • petalpatsy
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Yes, he was married with three kids. He mentioned he had several that needed repair, and the top(s?) from grandparents, either his or hers. He hasn't called me back, anyway, so I'll never know. :) The way he was going about it, he may have those tops pinned down to the carpet and layered up himself by now!

  • magothyrivergirl
    13 years ago

    Very nice compliment! I think you are right - he knew what he was looking for, and he is probably quilting away! Either way, your influence was meaningful, and you should feel good about the experience!

  • rosajoe_gw
    13 years ago

    Show us the pics lol!!! That is such a wonderful compliment. I remember when my daughter's friend gave them snake eggs to hatch and all my 2 granddaughters talked about was how cute they were lol!!! I don't visit them a lot because they have a zoo in their house. But I love for them to visit me lol!!!!!
    Rosa