Our mother says it was a gift for our father for his birthday and was the only thing our grandmother ever made for him.
This blanket has seen many years of being used to snuggle under and watch TV or movies at home before it became mostly a decoration for the back of the couch. When our father died and our mother set up residence with her eldest child, the blanket didn't spend much time being used. It hung around on the back of a couch for awhile and then for several years it has been wrapped and sitting in a closet on a shelf, to keep it safe.
Being wrapped in a plastic bag on a shelf in a dark closet just isn't what I think the blanket maker had in mind when she made it! Blanket makers spend lots of time doing the work it takes and they put love in every stitch. Being hidden away for it's own safety just doesn't seem to do it justice.
It survived a huge hurricane in September 2008 and it's time it got off the shelf and lived a little! There are still family members that could snuggle under it to keep warm or take a nap or just to feel close to relatives that are no longer with us.
There's a lot of love left in this old blanket, so it's being divided and sent out to bring some smiles and memories to family members that can make room for it - out of the closet.
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This is the blanket as it was whole, laid out on a full size bed.
It fit a full size bed perfectly before the disassemble process began.
The blanket isn't square. It's longer than it is wide.
Separation is well underway in this picture.
They will all be 5 by 7 rows of squares with edging added to make them lap blanket sized when it's all done.
I hope to have them together, edged and arriving at their new homes by Christmas.
One blanket will have several single rows (top left in picture below) and one section of 2 rows. I decided to make this "multi-rows-needing-to-be-sewn-together" one mine. I can take my time assembling it. No rush to have it done by Christmas.
Another view of the separation in progress.
One blanket will have to be pieced together - a section of 3 rows by 5 rows and a section of 4 rows by 5 rows will make one blanket of 5 rows by 7 rows. (Top right of picture)
One lap blanket separated and ready to be edged. (top of picture) A second lap blanket will have to have 2 pieces connected to make a whole, then edged. (bottom of picture)
Three blankets ready for edging !!
Somewhere along the way somebody used regular sewing thread to try to repair the places that came apart. I'll try to make repairs with matching yarn.
The black yarns don't always match.
Another view of mismatched black yarns.
Part of the charm of the blanket is that it has a "Use what you have" feel about it.
Here's an example of the damage that needs to be repaired.
The center has come undone.
Another place needing special attention.
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It'll all come together and hopefully bring some sense of family and warm fuzzy feelings when the blankets are recieved.
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