The title of the quilt is: "Remember Your Family"
Last year, when I attended a Family Reunion, I thought it would be fun to have everyone sign a five inch block, along with the name of their clan. There are 40 signature blocks. However, if someone found the quilt with just these signature blocks, one would not understand where these people came from or how they were related. So, I did a little research on Ancestry.com
I began with Herbrand "Herman" Gunderson born in Norway in 1855. He immigrated to America in 1877. He was a farmer, carpenter, and a blacksmith. His wife was Thorina "Rena" Iverson born in Norway in 1864. She immigrated to America in 1879. They married in 1886 and settled in South Dakota. They had 13 children and 8 lived.
The family members who signed the blocks are their grandchildren, great grandchildren, and beyond....
Next, the Photo Transfers began....
There are 10 additional blocks which include a picture of Herman and Rena,
3 pictures showing the technique of making "Lefsa",
a recipe card giving the recipe for my favorite Orange Apricot Salad and
several blocks listing Herman and Rena's eight children.
Then, I discovered more photo transfers were needed to include the flag of Norway and
the Norwegian Table Prayer in English and Norwegian. Just for fun, I included my memories of growing up with their great grandchildren. My nephews grandmother (one of Herman & Rena's children) made the best Chocolate Chip cookies and when we traveled back to Pennsylvania in 1969, their Grandmother made 100 dozen cookies. Many to be eaten and some to be frozen for later. She had 2 ovens going all day long.
The goal for the remainder of this month is to finish the quilt top, which means I need to make a few more blocks and then sash them all together, so the Shadow Boxes stand out.
I loved working on this quilt--searching the history of the family--enjoying the pictures--and remembering all of the fun we had as children.
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