Heritage CQ - Hungary

Add caption

  My grandfather was born in Austria in 1893 when it was still the Ausro-hungarian empire and raised on a farm, he ran away from home when he was 8 and eventually went to work in Vienna as an apprentice to an instrument maker.

depictions of peter and the dragon are everywhere

In 1912 he came to America and moved to Chicago. He became apprenticed to a painter, where he painted the stations of the cross in st.clements church.

I remember him as an old man, partially deaf, heavily accented, gruff, with a twinkle in his eye.
You never quite knew if he was joking or berating you. he taught me how to play chess and encouraged me to use more colors when I drew or painted.
He told me once "there are rule's, and they must be broken but you can't do it all at once, a little at a time or there is chaos."

It seemed silly at the time but I have gone back to those words time and time again.

This is the piece that was in the "crazy quilt are quilts too" contest over at Thearica Burrows blog "Pigtales and Quilts" so I had to wait until it was over to show off!

I chose this picture because she looks very much like me at an earlier age.

There are more of the flowers that the Baltic people like to depict in their artwork and embroidery here too.

skeletons are also depicted everywhere

there is one block left in the series.
Hopefully I will be done with that one soon.







It will be about Chicago the city I grew up in and some of the landmarks there that mean something to me

Heritage CQ - Ireland

the Irish are a maddening people contradictory 
 very into horses
Very musical and very religious

also superstitious and imaginative other wise we wouldn't have faeries and leprechauns in the same breath as st.Bridged and angels
 my g'ma on my Fathers side was 1/2 irish she was a tiny woman who raised 5 chldren 4 of them boys.
 I remember she would dress me up in "shirly temple cloths" and curl my hair in the portable blow drier.
she couldn't understand why I would prefer to read when there was a "perfectly good" TV on most of the time.

well with the itchy plastic hood and the dryer blowing hot air through it, it sounded like a jet engine landing on my head I couldn't hear the TV and books were more interesting to me, than whatever was on the toob.

She took me to church whenever I was in Lacrosse and tried to see to my religious "education" I liked playing dress up with Grandma but religion didn't stick.

Heritage CQ - Scotland

castle ruins

 I never knew a whole lot a bout Scotland before researching it for this block and
boy what a hard scrabble horrible life it must have been

fought over and persecuted like a dog toy by just about everyone it seems

warrior men

thistle and the lion

and they are still fighting (albeit legally now) for their independence

they are a hearty lot

go here to learn why
the blue ribbon 

not much more to tell, though the history is interesting, bloody and convoluted thanks to the French and the English who have fought over the general region since they could cross the channel

the scots are a simple people who like things to be simple so I didn't muck about to much with embellishments on this one

Heritage CQ - Norway

 I thought I would show you one of the was I transfer images onto my blocks.


first I trace what I want onto dress makers paper.
I use leftovers from patterns I have used in the past. I outline the motif first then I start to embroider over it.

I am doing this motif in beaux stitch to make it look "Vikingy"
I'm going to weave ribbons to make the wing but before I do that I pad it with a little felt

reindeer

and then the tail

 this method works well for most motifs and the paper rips and pulls out easily
Isn't she a cutie!

I added the pine boughs and now I'm looking at it
maybe I should have added more?



this seems to be a ubiquitous motif in norway, finland and sweden. the bundled greenery with red ribbon

 I did some very good seamwork on this block

and the antique buttons are from my g'ma's button box


 they remind me of the shields the vikings would put on the sides of their ships


I know you all have been asking what the significance of all these nationalities are, they are all me. this is where my family have come from.

as I have researched my heritage over the years I learn more of where my family has come from and they are all a part of who I am.

some of it has been a bit like learning I had great-great grandparents in the civil war on both sides (i did, on dad's side) and how so you reconcile that??

Or finding out your great-Aunts sang Opera (don't know which one) for the archduke of Austria, Franz Ferdinand in Vienna before he was shot in 1914 (mom's side)

as you can see it's a mixed bag. and not being this or that has been confusing
but useful.

.

Heritage CQ - France

coffee anyone?

this whole thing is going to be a big wall hanging about 38"square

naked block

it's the biggest cq I have ever attempted and has been a challenge not only in scale but in research and patience.

there are 9 blocks total each of a different part of my heritage + a boarder and binding (not yet gotten to)

Eiffel tower of course!

lovers al fresco

all in all it has taken up 2 years of stitching and planning.

there has to be a frog!

I have tried to make it cohesive by using the same fabric, lace, floss, colors and beads I think Its good so far,




but I will have to finish putting it together to determine how well I did.

for now it's 1 block at a time! and this block is France

Heritage CQ-austria

Lots of birds on this one! 

herons are everywhere along the streams and rivers of austria.
here I have put a mating pair at the top of a tree

swans are a popular sight on the Danube, such elegant birds sailing across the water

you will find art deco everywhere in the artwork and frescoes of  the twenties and wild peacocks on the park lawns


chickens and roosters are portrayed everywhere on furniture and textiles

there is also an abundance of redwork on blouses and jackets





I couldn't resist putting this  little village on the lace this way so it looked like it was perched on a mountain side. I wanted to put a goat in there too but space foiled me!

 and this lovely girl in the center wearing a traditional goldwork vest





and the whole thing.  though I still have a little work to do on it, it is mostly done

I am trying to remember if I have posted any of the other blocks I have 1 to go and with this one have finished 8 so there are 9 total.
I still have the seams between blocks to do.
then I plan to surround it with more cq depicting seattle, where I am now, as a binding.

I will post the others if I haven't already but that will be in a day or so.

Happy mothers day!

Enjoy your day

Crazy Quilts Are Quilts Too! - 2013 Show

Thearica Burrows over at Pigtails and  Quilts is hosting the "Crazy Quilts are Quilts too!" show.
So hop on over and take a look at all the wonderful work the ladies (including me) have put out there for the show! Her site is here

There is voting and prizes at the end so it is a real contest too!

I already took a look and have some stiff competition!
go take a look and see for yourself!