2nd Vintage Fan quilt from Sandra.

This is another stunner from Sandra's relative.  I honestly asked her if she was sure that she wanted it back.  Ever hopeful, but yes, she did.

Both of these quilts were beautifully pieced, the fans and green background hand pieced together.  Although Sandra had asked that I finish the binding by machine, I kept getting a voice from the piecer of this that "I put all that work into those tops, piecing them by hand, don't you dare finish the binding by machine!"  So, although I don't think I've ever done that before, sometimes you just have to do what the quilt, or in this case, the piecer, needs.

 After I contacted Sandra to let her know that her quilt was ready, she sent me the following background on the piecer.

The background of the quilt is my Mother-in-law's Grandmother, Marian Degman Balsiger, born in Kentucky in 1901, made these and was working on them when she passed away in 1981 in Washington. We don't know how old the fabric is though. They were put into cedar chest and passed through a few family members before getting to us. 

My m-i-l shared, "Marian did a lot of sewing, quilting, baking, canning, and all things Farm. And she wore 3-inch heels to Grange meetings! A fiery curly redhead with brains and brawn."

 

I think the "fiery, curly redhead was speaking to me from the grave, and I was honored to help complete her heirlooms.