Thursday, October 18, 2018

Family Reunion and Stone County Museum

My family reunion was last week in Mountain View, Arkansas.  This family reunion started back in 1982, and I've only missed attending one time (my honeymoon won out that year ;).

There is always a family dinner on Friday night, followed by an auction, to raise money to cover the next family reunion.  A few years ago, the auction was changed to a silent auction.  This was a great thing, since we now have more time to chat with family members. 
yummy BBQ dinner

family dinner

family dinner

Two reunions ago I made quilt blocks for everyone to sign.  The quilt was finished and raffled off at the last reunion.  This year I had more quilt blocks for family members to sign.  This has proven so popular, that I plan on not only having the finished quilt at the next reunion, but also a new set of blocks to be signed at each reunion. 
my signed block for this years reunion

people signing quilt blocks

I have less than 2 years to get this quilt finished, and figure out what blocks to make for the next quilt.  Any suggestions for future signature block quilts is appreciated.  I have a Pinterest page started for ideas for future family reunion quilts.

On Saturday morning, we always have a family history session.  This year, it was at the Stone County Museum.  We've not been there before.  What a treat it was to visit this museum that has so much history of the area where my family is from.
Don telling some of the history

family members listening to the history

The Stone County Museum has many 'sewing & quilting' related things. 
Centennial quilt celebrating MountainView's history

up close of one of the quilt blocks

There was a Baptismal Dress from 1898.  It is in excellent condition.


machine stitched

There is a treadle in the museum, but, it is closed, so I don't know what make/model it is.  It is NOT a Singer (no name listed on the treadle irons).
treadle

on top of the treadle

Of course there are quilts.  They had a whole book of photos of quilts that were not on display (no room) along with some of the history of those quilts.  They did have a few quilts on display.
some of the quilts on display

The 2nd quilt down is a Carolina Lily quilt.  This card is attached to the quilt.  Considering when this quilt was made, the use of a treadle for the binding and some of the applique is unique.  All the other stitches are done by hand.
Carolina Lily quilt history

Owners of the quilt

machine stitched applique vines

machine stitched binding

The museum also had a boot patcher machine (for sewing leather).  It was used in a shoe shop in town, and is at least 100 years old.  I couldn't tell what the name on it had been (worn off to just a ghost of a decal) but, I think this is a German machine.
boot patcher sewing machine

There was also a Martha Washington sewing cabinet in the museum.  Inside two of the drawers, it says it was made in Chicago.
Martha Washington sewing cabinet

On Saturday afternoon, the family gathered at the church that some of the family members helped to start back in 1909.  My family is the Gayler's, but, they married members of the Thomas family (and I think the Wade family, too).
short history of the church

leading the Gayler Family 'sing' at the church

Just before you reach the church, you drive by the field where my grandfather was born.  When he was born, there was a house next to the well.

well that was next to the house where my grandfather was born

We love to go to the Gayler Family reunions, and to see the places that were important to our ancestors.  We also love to not only see family members that we know, but to meet the new family members that are attending for the first time. 

While driving home on Sunday, I did get a bit of hand stitching done.  I finally finished this block from the Be Attitudes quilt.
June blocks from Be Attitudes quilt
I'm working from the end of the quilt to the beginning (December backwards to January), so, I only have 5 blocks left to finish.  I've only been doing the hand embroidery on this for 3 years now. 

21 comments:

  1. Sounds like you had a great time. Love the quilt blocks...kisses?
    Hugs

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  2. Looks like everyone had a fabulous time! Wish we could have been there.

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  3. You are a no-reply blogger, and I don't have contact info for you to reply to you.

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  4. Oh what a great family reunion. Like me visiting my cousins, and hearing the stories.

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  5. Sounds like a terrific time, so meaningful and full of emotion. Thanks for sharing.

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  6. Great reunion....glad your blocks and quilts are welcomed! You created a new tradition for the reunion.

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  7. Wow, an awesome reunion for sure!! And, fun to see the history in Museums and the Church and even see some sewing related and quilt items :-).

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  8. I think it is so important for families to get together. Thanks for sharing your reunion!

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  9. How wonderful that your whole family gets together like that. It's great that your signature quilts are popular with the family too. What an awesome idea for the family reunion! Here are a couple of my favorite ideas: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/Aay6Dd4Og_lofSsw1lFx91pAgNsgHjzoRc2sQdE8QUre_iFxVHPzD0c/ and https://www.pinterest.com/pin/56083957839061506/

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  10. You are so blessed to have a big family like that!! What a fun time it must have been. =)

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  11. What a wonderful account of your family reunion. I love that so many attend and that you have it every year. The museum looks very interesting. I have one of those Martha Washington sewing cabinets too. Will have to check to see if anything is written on the inside of the drawers. It is wonderful that you keep quilting alive with the signature blocks and auction.

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  12. Dinner looks good. What a great way to help with costs by having an auction. Is your quilt the only thing that people bid on? You had a wonderful turn out. My family has never had a reunion, and now so many of the people are long gone. Sad I think, but families are different and mine wasn't very intersted. I didn't know there were non Singer sewing machines back then. I have a treadle Singer here in my office. It's actually still threaded.
    Traveling Suitcase

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    1. You are a no-reply blogger,and there isn't any contact info on any of your blogs. People bring different items to be bid on, from Vermont maple syrup, to jewelry, hand made items, art work, etc. I made 6 project bags for the silent auction. LOTS of different brands of sewing machines other than Singer. Singer was just the most recognizable name, due to how many were made. My mother's side of the family has never had any kind of reunion, or anything. I know my first cousins, and that is it, on her side. Sad. Please send me your contact info so that I can reply to you in the future. My email address is listed under my profile.

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  13. I love it! and I love that you started the tradition of a quilt!!

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  14. Since I do not do Pinterest or a bunch of those other things, I've got a suggestion for quilt blocks for future family quilts: Sister's Choice, Weather Vane, then there's one similar to what is shown above but with a narrower area to be signed that I cannot think of the name for it. I love that your family does this! More need to, but won't.

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  15. You are a no-reply blogger, so I can't contact you. Thanks for the ideas.

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  16. Cheryl...There are two links in my comment. My picture which takes you to my profile where all 3 blogs appear (2 of which have a contact me form), and the link to Traveling Suitcase in the comment which takes you directly to the blog I was visiting you from. I don't like emails instead of blog visits, which is why I am a no reply blogger. I found it confusing to get an email without knowing what it was connected to. Sorry you had trouble trying to reach me, my blogs, etc.
    Traveling Suitcase

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  17. Waving hello as I'm out blog walking today to stretch my legs after writing a new post. LOL You know you sit and write, so gotta stretch, or at least at my age you do.
    Traveling Suitcase

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  18. My treadle machine is a Raymond. The name is written between the legs on each side. Mine does not look like the one in your picture, but that is another place to look for the manufacturer's name.
    My mother's sister had a family reunion for her 50th wedding anniversary. Too bad there is no one to keep up the tradition. (My family was the only one to move far away.)

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    1. You are a no-reply commentor, so I can't reply to your comment personally. Sorry.

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  19. Reunions are fun to see where you cane from and where the family is going. The stories are the best about the good old days.

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Comments are IMPORTANT to me. Thank you for commenting. If you are a no-reply commentor, please leave me your email address, so that I can reply to you. If you don't want everyone to see your email address, then you can send me a private reply (my email address is listed under my profile).