Wedding Quilts, a Family Tradition

My dad's family has a tradition of making a quilt for each person that gets married. Each (willing) woman in the family creates a square, and then one of my aunts puts the whole quilt together. The first time I participated I was a low-achiever and sewed together pre-cut pieces my aunt sent. The second time I participated I decided to try a bit harder and created a needlepoint which my aunt used as the center of a quilt square.

Cousin Kate's Wedding Quilt

For my most recent cousin's wedding I decided to step it up a notch and actually sew a quilt square. I looked online and found what I thought was a simple doable pattern. I took the base fabric my aunt sent and went to the craft store to find other fabric that would work in harmony with it, and then I enlisted the help of my best friend Garley (and her sewing machine) to make it all happen.

Quilt Square Design

Fabric & Instructions From My Aunt

Preparing the Fabric

In my mind I pictured the whole square process taking about an hour. Um yeah, it took more like four and required a last minute trip to the craft store to get a second fabric to add to my square. 

First Pieces Sewn!

Starting to Come Together

Greyson Approves of My Design

So the Pinwheel Points Don't Match Up ... 

The Paw-Print Edges Go On

The square came together quite well throughout the assembly process although I remembered too late that I was supposed to iron the fabric before sewing it all together. Do you know what happens when you don't iron the fabric first? It doesn't lay flat. My square was a bit puffed up in the center, and I prayed that my aunt could flatten it and make it work.

Hard at Work Sewing

The Square is Almost Done!

Just Some Final Trimming Left

Ironing Out the Square

Complete! My First Real Quilt Square!

The creation of the quilt square happened this past Thanksgiving when I was home in San Francisco, and I finally got to see the entire completed quilt last month at my cousin Rachel's wedding.

Rachel's Wedding Quilt

I flew out to DC to meet David, and we drove 4 1/2 hours out to Roanoke, VA where the wedding would be held. It was hotter than I could stand this weekend, and there might have been a lot of complaining. Sorry David!

Trying to Cool Off with My First Chocolate Dipped Cone

The wedding celebration kicked off with a BBQ at Rachel and Dickie's house. I somehow managed to forget to take pictures the whole time we were there, especially when a crazy storm came through a few hours later and knocked out the power. We didn't realize how serious the storm was until people started to leave and found out that there were trees down in the driveway. After the men realized they couldn't drag the tree away, chainsaws were called in. A few hours later the road was cleared, but we found out that most of the area had lost power and that the storm had actually knocked out power for millions! (Turns out a lot of people in the greater DC area didn't get their power back for six days! MISERY!) More on the storm called a "derecho" here.

Rachel Greeting the Guests

 

(Official wedding photos. I'm sure you can tell.)

 

The Happy Couple

The next day the wedding was held at Roanoke College where my cousin Rachel is a professor. The ceremony was in the campus chapel and the reception was in another building nearby. The campus had lost power in some areas and not others, and the reception actually had to be moved at the last minute. Rachel seemed to be taking all of these changes in stride. I'm pretty sure I would have been freaking out!

Family Photo

With Aunt Barbara & Uncle Brian

 With Aunt Judy

Cousin Ted and Family

The Happy and Incredibly Tall Couple
(I'm wearing 4 inch heels!!)

Parents of the Bride - Uncle Stanton & Aunt Elsa

Cousin Sarah & Brianna with Rachel Photobombing

Lucky Centerpiece Winners Kim & Kate

It was nice to spend time with family I hadn't seen in so many years and to have a chance for David to get to know everyone. The next day we headed back up to David's parents' house in West Virginia where a pool party for his nieces was in full swing! It was nice to beat the heat in the pool and get to spend some time with David's family.

Pool Time with David's Nieces

David & the Girls

The weekend was a lot of  fun and I'm so glad I got to spend time both with my family and David's. Congratulations Rachel and Dickie!

Rachel & Dickie