When my husband and I went to visit Gramps and Gran (my maternal grandparents) in the fall of 2004, I had a chance to look at and photograph some of their quilt collection. Both my mom's grandmothers were avid quilters, so my Gramps and Gran ended up with quite the collection of gorgeous and intricately made quilts.
The quilt that I have thought about numerous times since then is this one:
It was made by my mom's mom's mom -- my great-grandmother -- in about 1930. Mom says her mom remembered it as being made from some kind of kit, and that the flowers are all state flowers.
There are many different kinds of handiwork going on in this quilt.
First of all the hand applique, then the embroidery. It's all so intricate.
One of my favorite elements of this quilt is the little picket fence border. It's so cute! I've always wanted to duplicate this in one of my quilts. Someday I certainly will.
Look at the gorgeous hand quilting! Those are teeny-tiny stitches!
I must say -- although I thoroughly enjoy making and finishing quilts, including hand applique, hand-finished bindings, and other handiwork, I
do not love quilting by hand. Perhaps it's because I always have a backlog of other quilts and other projects waiting in line. Or perhaps I am just too impatient to take the time. Or maybe it's because I really enjoy machine quilting!
Whatever the reason, I feel it gives me a deeper appreciation for hand quilting and those who do it -- and do it well.
I don't know much about this one, other than I LOVE the color. It is another that belonged to my maternal grandparents. I really wish I knew more details about it, and that I had more photos of it! I like the block; it's simple without being too simple. I like how the four squares in the blocks create a diagonal chain.
(I apologize for the bad photo -- it's the only one I have!)
This gorgeous quilt was made by my mom's dad's mother in the late 20's or early 30's. She was a true homesteader on the frontier with 14 kids, so it's rather significant that she was able to gather this many brightly-colored scraps to create it.
The embroidery is very fine, and so pretty.
Her mother took part in making it in her quilt guild. I absolutely love it! It's another true scrap quilt, and I can sit there for ages just looking at each fabric.
One of my favorite things about this quilt is that bright orange fabric on the far left. There are only a few pieces of it in there, but I love how it really stands out! 
My mom still has some scraps of those solids!
For those who don't know this: It is impossible to piece a grandmother's flower garden quilt by machine. (Unless there is some secret I don't know about -- in that case, please share!)
It's a true scrap quilt -- and a beautiful masterpiece! 
Once again, the combination of applique and embroidery is just beautiful. Whereas I don't think I would ever make a quilt like this, I can certainly appreciate all the incredible detail. Just look at the ribbon!
Here is what the corners are like. The amount of quilting, too, is just incredible.
This beautiful quilt was given to my grandparents years and years ago when they lived in Hawaii. The entire quilt is hand appliqued and hand quilted. I can't believe the amount of detail there is in the applique! I've always wanted to try one of these, but certainly would only do so on a (MUCH!!) smaller scale!
I believe the technique is that there are two pieces of fabric -- the red and the white. They take and fold the red fabric into eighths and cut their design for the center. Then it is pinned to the white fabric and needle-turn appliqued on. The quilting is a ripple effect around the applique.
It was made by my mom's mom's mom -- my great-grandmother -- in about 1930. Mom says her mom remembered it as being made from some kind of kit, and that the flowers are all state flowers.
First of all the hand applique, then the embroidery. It's all so intricate.
One of my favorite elements of this quilt is the little picket fence border. It's so cute! I've always wanted to duplicate this in one of my quilts. Someday I certainly will.
Look at the gorgeous hand quilting! Those are teeny-tiny stitches!