We have always had a "measuring wall" at our houses - we are on our second house in 30 years. This measuring wall started in 2005 and has the measurements of a total of 5 boys - our two and then a couple of guys who needed a place to stay for a time and ended up growing right along with our boys. Rye was beside himself when Reed passed him up in the measuring wall. We texted him a picture while he was away at work with lots of haha face emoji's on it. Its a great memory now and we have the lines to prove it - Reed's just a smidge higher than Rye's.
Yes - we write right on the wall in pencil or pen, with a line and the boys name and the date of the measurement. I was really sad when we moved from the old house and I couldn't get picture to turn out that had to boy's measurements on it - so we promptly started a new wall. It's on the small (8" wide) wall between the garage door and the office. I always keep it covered with a wall hanging of some type and many years ago (at the old house) Aunt Kim got us a lacy quilter quote one that has been the hanging of choice up until now. It finally wore out on the last wash and I racked my brain about what I could replace it with. I keep it covered so that it doesn't get smutz on it and I dont have to wash that wall for any reason - easier to wash the cover - that way we dont lose any measures.
Chad's mom (Granny in the blog) was a master cross stitcher, her art work looked like paintings when they were framed and hung on the wall. Many a looker could not tell that it wasn't paint work instead of cross stitch. When she passed she left a whole bunch of finished works (including Reeds graduation present), and a whole lot more unfinished projects!
These three garden gate blocks are part of the unfinished projects that were in a box that we yarded out of a closet. They are 8" square and they seemed perfect to start a hanging to cover the measure wall. I think it was to be a quilt of some type as there should have been 6 blocks according to the pattern, but we have the three and they are enough for what I was doing.
I had some lovely floral fabric that was just waiting for the perfect quilt project, and it wasn't enough to make a whole quilt (even baby sized) with.
I had seen somewhere a block designed like a flower but also kind of a star, so I drew it out on some graph paper in the size I needed and began some blocks to go in between the cross stitch ones. It worked really well as the fabric I had seemed like it was made to go with the cross stitch designs.
I sewed the blocks together in a line up and down, put a backing on it and sealed the edge with a narrow binding. I put a hanging sleeve on the back that worked with the little deco hanger that had come with the lace one that wore out. The hanger didn't wear out fortunately.
So we have a cover for the measuring wall that is full of memories of family and who and how we have grown. We measure, we grow, Granny squares. Blessed be.
No comments:
Post a Comment