There's A Quilt in Here Somewhere!

Well, it's the day after Easter...laundry, bills to pay, etc., but I wanted to post something today. If there were kids here, I would be showing you photos of the egg hunt yesterday, etc. But, no little kids..just a couple of old big kids. So, I thought I'd show you the quilt in my dining room and I'm going to take the long way 'round to show it to you.

Yesterday I made dinner for hubby, father-in-law, the 23 year old grandson, his girlfriend and myself. Not a large group.
To tell the truth, I am not big on decorating the table and all that. I'd rather be out in the Nest "doing my thing." But, it was Easter and sometimes you feel the need to try and make things nice. So, I tried. After setting the table, I got out the camera thinking a photo or two might turn out good enough to post. I haven't shown much of my house...mostly because it is small, I have too much "stuff" and it is crammed with my collections of "this and that" to the point that my friends and family make fun of me. Sometimes, I even make fun of myself, but it doesn't stop me from "gathering."

I took the photos and being the photographer that I am...some did not turn out too well, but maybe you can get the idea of what my little dining room looks like. First of all, it IS small. I just had Richard help me measure it and it's exactly 9' 10" x 11' 10." Small. Especially considering all the "stuff" I have in it. Of course, there is the table. This table extends to seat eight...but not in this room!! The window is on the front of the house...if the curtains were open..you'd see one of my two porch swings. (Wish it was warm enough to sit there and watch the traffic go by!!) And don't you love this bunny!!

Then, there is the china cabinet...did I tell you I love dishes? There are two china cabinets in the kitchen....one day I will show you what's in there. I also love little chairs...they are all over the house. There are three of my favorites on top of the cabinet.
There is a wall of mirrors I have collected. Do not ask me why I like the things I like...it cannot be explained.

There is the buffet...with plates and other china pieces featuring roses. Oh, how I love those!!! Some of these I collected, and some were gifts. This buffet is wonderful and holds all the linens, candles, etc. I usually have the dessert here when the family is over....unless the whole family is over...then there is dessert everywhere! This dining room has two doors, one to the kitchen to the left of the buffet and the other to the entryway...to the left of the quilt which I think makes the room even smaller! And, oh yes....that quilt!!!

I made this quilt several years ago. The center is a checkerboard, which you can easily see. Each plain square of the checkerboard contains the hand-written name of a member of our immediate family (mine and his!). I did not know in advance that I was adding names, so when there was exactly enough squares it was a pleasant surprise! We have had several additions and subtractions since this quilt was made...but isn't that the way it goes? (I'll have to figure out who to "leave" this to at some point...maybe I'll just let 'em fight over it!) It's a nice quilt and one I loved doing the writing on...maybe I'll get further into this technique in another post. I'm proud of it and the family seems to enjoy looking at it. Also, there's more of those little chairs. They are in the way, truth be told, but I'm not moving them as I just love seeing them all lined up there. (Remember, there are no little kids...guess something deep down in my brain just has a "thing" for small chairs!!)

As you can tell, I'm a fairly good quiltmaker, but not that great at decorating, either a room or a table, but try, I do. Yesterday was a nice day...the quilt is hanging in a small, but nice room, and some more memories have been made. Not bad. Hope you enjoyed the visit. Pat