Red Work Sampler

Melissa is working on a red and white quilt right now, and it cheered me a little to see that people still make red and white quilts. (No one in the family wanted these because no one is decorating in red...)

I think my mother had started the sampler quilt for my sister, when her room was done in stenciled red hearts with a red accent wall (mid 80s?). My mother did a version of this sampler quilt for me when I went off to college (it was the early 80s so it's rainbow!). Her first quilt* was a cranberry and blue version, so she must have gotten tired of making this one.

If you look closely at the photo of the sampler quilt, you can see a paper plate. I included it because it has two possible layouts for these squares. Now you know a secret of my childhood. We could never find the paper when we were looking for it. I bet we couldn't find the paper plates when we needed those, either.

The other quilt is a wall hanging and even has the borders attached. (It is as true red and white as the sampler quilt; bad lighting.) No idea why she started this or when. But there are probably many quilts that were used at one point or another for classes at the shop.

*It's in tatters, but I think I should photograph it before I throw it out. I have it packaged in a space bag right now because it stinks. Not sure how or why, but it is ripe.