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Saturday, August 17, 2013

The Many Faces of Plaid

Over the last year or so, my grandfather, who has Alzheimer's has been rapidly declining and following some health scares, the difficult decision was made this spring to put him in a nursing home.  At the beginning of the summer, my grandmother asked if I would make four quilts from his shirts- one for each of their four sons as a keepsake of their father.


To know my grandfather (we call him PaPa) is to know that his clothing of choice for years has been a plaid western shirt, dark jeans, and boots.  So, when I went to pick out shirts, I had several closets from which to choose.

The challenge for me with these quilts was for each quilt to take on a little bit of the personality of each of the recipients.  I wanted the quilts to each have its own flair, but still look unified as a set.  Plaids are really cool that way.  They can take on so many different moods, and are used in so many different environments.

You can visit the original blog post with more photos by clicking on the links below!

I made the quilts in birth order, so as the oldest, my Dad's quilt was the first.  It's called Western Kaleidoscope, and I think the Kona Parchment and Kona Coal really help add to the western flair.  Although my Dad is really an All-American kind of guy, he does enjoy his jeans and boots from time to time.


The second quilt is for my Uncle Bryan and is called Bricks and Mortar.  The Kona Iron, chambray and red gives this quilt a blue-collar, auto mechanic feel, which suits him very well since he enjoys working on cars.


The third quilt is for my Uncle Bruce.  Going Camping has Kona Biscuit sashing which gives it a very outdoorsy look.  I could see this quilt being used around a campfire or by a lake.  My Uncle Bruce isn't super outdoorsy, but I remember as a kid, our families would go out riding four wheelers in the woods. And since I'm not outdoorsy myself, that's as close to campy as I get!


My Uncle Mike is the youngest brother, and he likes to be a sharp dresser and a jet setter.  Preppy Plaid Chevrons is for him.  I just knew that he needed a quilt with a preppy flair, and I thought that a chevron pattern with Kona Navy and Kona White would be perfect.  I think it's a great way to show off the plaids in keeping with that look.


As much as I wanted each quilt to have a different personality, I also wanted the four of them to be unified as a set.  So, I kept a few things consistent-

*Size- are all roughly 60 x 60
*Backing- all are backed with Kona Coal with a chambray stripe through the middle
*Binding- all are bound in Kona Rich Red
*Quilting- all are stippled with dark gray thread that blends into the backing
*Labels- the labels on each quilt have the same wording, with slight changes to my Dad's

Of course, keep in mind that assigning quilts with such distinct looks to each person is a bit like a caricature.  Their individual personalities and styles could never be summed up with the style of a single quilt, but I do hope they each like the one I've made for them and treasure them as a keepsake of the Daddy they knew.


50 comments:

  1. What sweet and loving gifts from your grandmother and you. Rcoyle at olemiss dot edu

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  2. I am so glad you did this post with all four pictured together! What fantastic treasures you have created for these 4 brave and very loved men.

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  3. What a sweet things to do, I'm sure they will be treasured. Very nicely done.

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  4. These are so great! And such a legacy!!

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  5. I love all the quilts and your story behind each one is perfect! GREAT JOB!

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  6. I am sure they will cherish that wonderful keepsakes made with love as well as your whole family members.

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  7. What a wonderful collection of quilts, and a great way to give your dad and his brothers a special memory of their dad. Thanks for the important reminders in the posts about your quilts that labels are important! I always forget that part!

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  8. What beautiful work Kelly - my favorite is the Western Kaleidoscope but they are alll so lovely. What a great way to celebrate your grandfather!

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  9. Thank you Kelly for the kind answer I read on your previous post.
    I don't know why but as a matter of fact, I am a no-reply blogger.
    I'll try to give you here my url http://etsijetedisais.over-blog.com/
    Marie

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  10. Such an amazing and emotional gift for your Dad and Uncles!!

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  11. It is a pleasure to see these tributes to your grandpa together as a set. You are a blessing to the family! And the one thing that stands out, to me, is the Rich Red binding that encircles each of them with love. Thanks for sharing, Kelly!

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  12. They are all surprisingly different!

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  13. I can't think of a lovelier way to give comfort to PaPa's sons and remind them of happier days. You did such a wonderful job on all those quilts. I'm quite sure they will be treasured.

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  14. That is a LOT of sewing. And I think I'm changing my mind an naming kaleidoscope my favorite because of the plaid outer border. The recipients are going to be thrilled!

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  15. You have a cute blog. Beautiful quilts! Just constantly amazed at all the talent I see when I visit blogs through "Finish it up Friday". I will start following via e-mail.

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  16. Such a wonderful bunch of quilts Kelly! I'm sure they will be loved for a long time to come!

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  17. Lovely quilts and I love how you thought to make them all different but still similar. Clever girl!

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  18. They look lovely Kelly - great how they all link together but are slightly different. I'm sure all your family will love them! I'd love to try something similar - do you know roughly how many shirts will make one quilt?

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  19. What wonderful gifts! Every one of them is beautiful. :-)

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  20. Lovely idea Kelly! What a wonderful gift for your family to remember your grandfather!

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  21. Those are the most wonderful gifts and a beautiful way to remember your grandfather! I hope you had enough shirts to make one for yourself.

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  22. I love all four of these together, Kelly! What an amazing feat. These will be family treasures for a long time. I also love that they are, like you said, unified but all so different.

    I'm so touched by your work.

    (Preppy chevrons - totally my

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  23. an amazing job you did.....great energy & great karma there......
    bless you!!!
    xoxo
    e

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  24. Ditto what everyone else has said!! Even more amazing that these were accomplished upon returning to school!

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    Replies
    1. Yep this was the perfect post to rejuvenate under our Tuesday Archives Flannel theme!

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  25. The quilts are amazing! Beautiful job. So sorry about your grandfather. My husband's grandfather had Alzheimer's as well and it is an awful disease.

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  26. It's so great to see them together as a set. They are perfect and I know your uncles and Dad will love them!

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  27. Aaaand this is why I enjoy reading your blog! You really created something spectacular. I'm sure they will be so treasured.

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  28. Wow you did a great job! They will definitely be treasured memories for their recipients!

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  29. They all look fabulous! They will be treasured and I am sure your Grandma is so delighted with the end results. Great job!!

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    1. Thank you so much! i'm glad you like them. I'm really pleased with the way they turned out too. Now I just can't wait for them to be given!

      :) Kelly
      ps- you're showing up as a no-reply blogger, so I'm responding here!

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  30. What a great tribute to a father and his sons.

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  31. I can see through your post, how much thought and love you poured into each quilt. I'm sure that each son will cherish these precious gifts.

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  32. These quilts are so special and I'm sure will be cherished. You did a great job.

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  33. Great quilts all! My grandfather wore a western style plaid shirt with pearl buttons and a bolo tie every day. Often, that bolo tie had a rhinestone bucking bronco on it. Wish his shirts had been saved, but he passed away many years ago. Glad you got to do this for your family.

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  34. Gorgeous Kelly, all four, so much work and so much love in each :)

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  35. Beautiful quilts and such a sweet idea. Wish I'd kept my dad's shirts, but I wasn't that into quilting that long ago, and we just took them to Goodwill. I love these quilts!

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  36. You did a wonderful job on your shirt quilts. I love that you tried to match the personality of each quilt to its' recipient. I know they will treasure them.

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  37. I love these quilts, what a special gift to your dad and uncles!

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  38. They are all gorgeous and inspiring! Well done!

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  39. Kelly - they are all so special and wonderful! What a caring and special thing you did for your family! And each quilt is fantastic - I love how you matched each quilt to its recipient!

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  40. You have done a wonderful job! I can see what you are saying in each quilt with the colors you used, and the design you chose. Your family is blessed to have you and your talent!

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  41. You've done a great job on these quilts. They will be appreciated for sure!

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  42. How lovely to see all four of your quilts together, so different but so much the same. You did a great job on them, your grandmother must be delighted to have such great mementos to pass on to her sons.

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  43. Such amazing quilts! I love how you made them for each with their own personality in mind. Thse are a great keepsake.

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  44. Wow Kelly what wonderful quilts and I can't believe how fast you made them! They will all be treasured. Thanks for sharing.
    Freemotion by the River Linky Party Tuesday

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  45. Kelley the quilts are amazing! What a wonderful homage to a great man and so thoughtful of your grandma to want to do it.

    Thank your for sharing...
    Karen

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  46. Thanks for sharing those four amazing quilts and the story behind them. I am sure your dad and uncle are thrilled to have such a wonderful keepsake, and your grandmother must be so happy that you took on that task.

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Thanks so much for your comment and for visiting! I read and appreciate every single comment, and I reply to each one as soon as I can. If you don't hear back from me, you might be a no-reply blogger. :)

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