Saturday, June 6, 2009

My Grandmother the quilt-maker

Maude Tucker, circa mid-1960's

My paternal grandmother, Maude Tucker, was the town seamstress and a gifted quilt-maker.
She lived most of her life in and near the small town of Smith Center, Kansas.  She raised 5 kids and worked hard as a farm wife until she and my grandfather moved into town after he retired.
Although I was too young to appreciate it, I remember that there was always a quilt in a frame in one of the upstairs bedrooms.  My grandmother made all of the clothes my sister and I wore.
She frequently chided me that I "needed to use more color"!  If only she could see me now....

This is a rare photo of my grandmother using her sewing machine to work on a quilt.  I found this old photo recently and decided to scan it into my computer.  

I think about my connection to my grandmother through our mutual love of textiles and quilting.  She has been gone for over 20 years, but I like to think that she would be pleased about how much I love quilt-making, and how I treasure her old, wild, double-knit quilt.

4 comments:

  1. what a beautiful tribute to your grandmother. I especially love the area where she is sewing. The dial phone on the shelf, and a giant beer stein on the table. Her things all around her. My kind of woman!

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  2. Isn't she great? That knitted poodle! Perfect.

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  3. Leslie,
    How wonderful that you have this pictue! In the early 70's I discovered double knit polyester. I did some of my best "sewing" with this fabric. Please, God, don't let there be any pictures of me in my creations!

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  4. Leslie, I've really enjoyed the photo of your grandmother. She looks like a very direct kind of person, who knows what she likes and enjoys what she's doing. From the size of that quilt, she certainly wasn't reluctant to take on big projects. The colors in the quilt remind me of Anna Williams quilts, though the consistent block is traditional, rather than the improvisational style that Anna is known for. The quilt's colors are wonderful, happy. You certainly can't miss this quilt when it's on a bed. Thanks for sharing these memories. Rosemary

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