September 25, 2015

Anniversary Quilt

Earlier this month we hosted a party for my husbands parents 50th anniversary.
I am in awe of  how fast the years go by.  I still remember being there for their 25th anniversary when my husband and I were dating.  Now here we are celebrating their 50th.

My sister in law and I planned and did everything since the other siblings live out of town.  We started off thinking this was going to be a small event with just some cake and punch but then slowly the plans started snowballing and kept getting bigger and bigger.  They ended up renewing their vows.  We held a ceremony, a reception, and cooked a lot of food.  It was almost like hosting a wedding.  It was a lot of work but in the end it was worth it.  It was a very special day for them and for the rest of us as well.
I had the idea of making them a quilt for a present. I don't know what I was thinking.  It was such a big project to take on with such little time we had to prepare but I was so enamored with the idea that I decided to make one anyway.
 I decided on a lap size rag quilt using six inch squares.  I thought making a rag quilt would be a fairly easy project but I was wrong.  This quilt was sort of a nightmare. Everything was looking good until I was finished with it and threw it into the washer and dryer.  I washed and dried it twice.  So many loose ends and strings,...I thought I'd go crazy.  It looked so messy I didn't think I'd be able to give it to them.  I took a couple of days to think about what to do.  It crossed my mind to throw it in the trash.  That's how bad it looked.  But in the end I grabbed some scissors and a comfy chair and spent hours clipping away at the tattered mess.  

It looked so much better once it was all cleaned up.  I didn't get a good picture of the finished quilt.  I wish I had but I had so much going on those last few days that it never crossed my mind.  My daughter took a few pictures of the event and these are the only ones I have to show you.
Here it is folded in half.  I set it on a table along with some fabric pens so people could come by and sign it.  Everyone loved the quilt and the idea, especially my husbands parents.  
I wished I would have gotten a picture of the quilt at the end of the day full of signatures and sentiments.  It looked so pretty.
Here are a few more pictures of the event.
 I did all the decorating. 
 I set out a lot of pictures and photo albums for people to come by and look through.


I made about one hundred chicken salad sandwiches.  We asked the church people to bring sides so there was plenty of food.
The cake is a recreation of the original wedding cake.
That's me in the yellow in the background slicing the cake.  Our nephew in the foreground is trying to decide which square he should sign.


In this picture you can see the wedding bands and the wedding dress.  
I hope everyone is enjoying some cooler weather.  Football season is in full swing.  We have a game to go to tonight.  I feel like I have so much to share with you but time is always slipping away from me.  I feel like I'm always playing catch up.  Maybe one of these days I'll have more free time but as for now our lives are so busy...
...busy in a good way.

Blessings,
Beca

5 comments:

  1. Hi Beca,
    What a beautiful 50th wedding celebration. The quilt you mad came out beautiful and I love the idea of signing the squares!
    I miss you and I hope all is well with you.
    Take care.
    Julie xo

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  2. What a beautiful occasion I feel privileged that you are sharing it with us. The quilt was beautiful and such a great idea to have everyone sign it a wonderful reminder of such a joyous occasion.

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  3. What a special day. The quilt you made is wonderful, so thoughtful, a family heirloom xx

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  4. Oh Beca...it's so lovely...everything!!! I love the pictures of your in-laws and your mother-in-law's wedding dress on display!!! The quilt is so precious and is definitely a family heirloom! TFS

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  5. Lovely party !!!! With beautiful "souvenirs"...
    Have a nice weekend !
    Anna

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