Applecore Or Double Axe Head Quilt

Here is another picture of, Grandpa Daniel Autrey Hanners, this picture was taken at a photo gallery, in St. Louis, Missouri. Once again, whoever wrote on the back, was not sure, if it was grandpa or not?! I compared this one, with the one I know, was of him, and unless someone knows for sure, I am pretty convinced, it could be grandpa. I guess it is a good lesson to all of us, to mark those picture's, when you know!

I know you are thinking, why has she suddenly put up this old quilt picture?! Well, I was inspired by a book I have just finished, called, Quilts In The Attic, by Karen S. Musgrave. It is a great book, and I encourage any of you, that have old quilts, to take a look at this book. It made me realize, that I know the stories behind some of my quilts, and I should get them out, catalog them, and tell there stories.

This quilt, was made by, grandpa's mother, Mary Ann Autrey-Hanners, in Doniphan, Ripley Co., Missouri. She started this quilt, when grandpa was a little boy, back in the 1920's. The quilt was called a, "Friendship", quilt. The idea was to collect all kinds of blocks, so when you put it together, there were no two blocks alike.

This pattern of block, was known as the Apple Core, or Double Axe Head, because of its curved shape. The quilt edge, was sewn on an old sewing machine, but the blocks and quilting, were sewn entirely by hand.

Grandpa told me all about this quilt, and when his mother started it. She told him it was to be his, but all through his childhood, he saw it worked on, but never finished. He went away into the Navy in 1939 and never moved back home. He forgot all about the old unfinished quilt top. On September 7,1946, grandpa got married to grandma, MaryAnn Scearce in Hood River, Oregon. He received a wedding gift from his mother, it was the old quilt top, now all finished, that she had promised him as a boy. Dad didn't know what to think, he was that surprised.

Thus we know that this quilt dates from the 1920's, to September 1946. As you can see in this picture, and as grandpa explained to me, his mother didn't have enough individual blocks to finish the quilt at the last, so she cut up fabric she had on hand. She desperately wanted to get it done in time for his wedding. This is why the quilt looks so odd, along its one side and bottom boarder, and why the fabric's are so obviously different.

Grandma Hanners told me she never liked the quilt, so it languished for years in a big bag, in the top of their bedroom closet and never got used. She was so surprised that I liked it and was more than happy to give it to me, when grandpa said I should have it. I think it is simply beautiful and the story very heart warming.

Can you imagine trying to collect that many different pattern pieces?! I made full sized quilts while in my teens, none of which I hand sewed. I think I made at least three that  I can recall, and the labor it takes to do one is very intense. I  stopped making large quilts soon after high school and never made another quilt until after I was married and my babies came along. Then I couldn't resist and I made several crib sized quilts for all of them, as well as some for friends.

Don't you think apple core pattern is so appropriate for grandpa?!  She couldn't know he would one day own an orchard with not only apple's, but pears, peaches, nectarines, and cherries too.