Dad was a machinist by trade so he understood precision measurements. He understood that a set of ten-inch squares should measure ten inches. He understood that a mitered border should line up at an exact forty-five degree angle, that seams should meet, and that points should be pointed. He was also a woodworker and he taught us the concept "measure twice, cut once." He understood quality and always told us to buy the best fabric and equipment that we could afford. He had no trouble with us buying perfectly good fabric only to cut it up and then sew it back together again, because that is exactly what he did with lumber.
But we lost him when we started talking about "scrap quilts!" To Dad, scraps were what you threw away. He tossed scrap wood into the fire and fed scraps of food to the dog.
He didn't think we could make lovely quilts from "scraps" of fabric. Then Dad commented on how much he liked the little bits and pieces in a particular quilt. We just laughed and from then on our scrap quilts were called our "bits & pieces" quilts.
The smaller picture is "Sugar & Spice,"the alternate colorway that is in the book. The border is not a plaid fabric, but strips pieced to appear as a plaid.
But we lost him when we started talking about "scrap quilts!" To Dad, scraps were what you threw away. He tossed scrap wood into the fire and fed scraps of food to the dog.
He didn't think we could make lovely quilts from "scraps" of fabric. Then Dad commented on how much he liked the little bits and pieces in a particular quilt. We just laughed and from then on our scrap quilts were called our "bits & pieces" quilts.
The smaller picture is "Sugar & Spice,"the alternate colorway that is in the book. The border is not a plaid fabric, but strips pieced to appear as a plaid.
