Clean and packed!

Can you tell what this is?  Yep -- it's quilts and a few wall hangings.  The packers come on Monday and we move on Tuesday.  Oh my.  That's another post in and of itself.

This whole moving thing is a pain as you know.   Instead of being focused on my china or my clothes, I've been focused on my quilts and my quilting.

These are all the quilts we have (other than the one on our bed and one that I'm taking to tempoary living for the next 2 months).  Most have been washed (not the vintage ones), folded, and put inside 100% cotton pillowcases for safekeeping. 

The pillowcases have their own stories.  Can you see the tatting on some?  Many of these are pillowcases that have outlasted the matching sheets or were made by my grandmother as her creative outlet.  That's all well and good -- except that today's pillows and feather pillows of days gone by are very different sizes.  So, generally they have languished in the linen closet.  You can't get rid of a pillowcase that your grandmother handstitched -- everbody knows that!  :-)

I remember her going to the local dry goods store and buying the pre-printed panels and then hand stitching up the sides and hemming them.  She was always so pleased to give my sister or me a set and you can see some of them here.  Others have tatting or crochet added to them and were wedding gifts years and years ago.  They've yellowed and can't really be bright white again -- although I have not tried bleach and probably won't.

For now -- they serve an important purpose.  My quilts are way too precious to trust to the packers without making sure they are clean and protected.  I want them to be usable as soon as we have a new home and beds to make.  In the meantime, they'll be in storage and as protected as I can make them without putting them in my car and lugging them everywhere I go. 

There are 18 pillowcases on the bed -- and I've given a few quilts away.  That, too, is another post for another day. How many quilts do I really need?  Hmmmmm -- at least 20 if I have 2 that aren't packed!

Have a wonderful weekend and keep quilting.  Today I put off the dreaded task of servicing my Bernina and putting her away as well.  My little Janome Jem and I will be moving to temporary housing together along with more projects than I can possibly get done.  My biggest fear (slightly overstated) was that I would get in this apartment and not have things to work on.  I think I have that covered! 

Keep piecing!  Jan