Sunday, May 5, 2013

Little Darlings Crazy Quilt

 When I was a little girl
my mother had several 
Hummel Figurines
sitting on shelves as decorations
in our home.
Because of their delicate nature, 
I was not allowed to touch them,
so I spent many hours 
staring at the porcelain details.
They became 
"surrogate dolls"
where I would imagine myself
 inserted into their farmland settings.
 It brought back a lot of memories to view
Geri Hruzek's
Little Darlings Crazy Quilt
at the Arizona Quilters Guild Show
 Hummel figurines were based on the drawings of
Sister Maria Innocentia Hummel
and became popular during WWII.
Soldiers stationed in West Germany sent the figurines
 home as gifts
and they quickly became a collectors item.
 Geri won a
Honorable Mention ribbon
at the show.
 She wrote:
"Completely handmade including the piecing,
embroidery, embellishments, appliques
and quilting."
 Wow
Look at the detail!
 I can't imagine how many hours 
went into
all of the embellishments and stitching's.
Apple Tree
My mother's figurines are long gone now.
I wonder if they might have been donated to a thrift shop
when styles of collectables changed.
I enjoy the figurines on Geri's quilt even more.
Crazy quilts always have so many 
fun places for the eye to look
in just one small section.
Beautifully done!

13 comments:

Karen - Quilts...etc. said...

back in the late 70's I really liked the Hummel figurines and Mike got me 3 of them over various Christmases - now they are basically forgotten up on a shelf - your post reminded me of them and I wasn't sure if I still had them - I had to go and look - I do - I'm surprised, I kind of though I got rid of them a long time ago.
Beautiful quilt and so much detail! I wonder if she free hand drew the designs on her quilt or if there happened to be some iron on applique designs that she used?

Ranch Wife said...

My Mom has a ton of Hummel figurines. She was born in Austria and my Dad was born in Germany (me too!) and they are a sweet reminder of Europe. They are not my style, but I'm not sure if I could part with them because they really do remind me of a simpler time and our summers there.
I probably would have pulled up a chair and gazed at the details of that quilt for a long time.

Sharon S said...

I've always loved the Hummel figurines, but have never owned any of them. The other quilts at the Arizona Quilt Show must have been outstanding since she only received an Honorable Mention with all that handwork in the quilt!!!

Thanks for sharing it with us.

BrenWall61@gmail.com said...

What a beautiful and detailed quilt. My brother has a large collection of Hummels and I so love to look at them. He collected some while he was traveling in Europe years ago. You work is beautiful and if your quilt was an honorable mention I would love to see the winner.

Anonymous said...

Hummels hold a special place in my heart and I recognize some of mine in this quilt - beautiful!

em's scrapbag said...

Wow! all that embroidery is amazing! What a great quilt!

Nanette Merrill said...

That is amazing! AMAZ-ING.

Cindy said...

Wow, what a beautiful quilt. I continue to be amazed at the talent of quilters!

Patricia said...

My mother-in-law collected & started me collecting back in the late 1960's by giving me my first one & one every Christmas for about 20 years. I still get 1 new one each year when I renew my Hummel membership.

I love the quilt & am thinking about making one for my granddaughter (18 months). I may take a picture of each of my Hummel figurines, transfer it to fabric and insert it within the block. It would be a nice keepsake & a way of remembering her Grandma, although I don't think I could do all the detailed embroidery as she did.

Thank you for sharing.

Trisha Thornhill said...

This is absolutely beautiful, I have been collecting Hummel figurines for years and this is so true to the figures, am a quilter but this is beyond gorgeous, love it, xxxx

kristie said...

MY mother got her Hummels in Germany when my dad was stationed there. I ended up with the Natvity set. It was so special and I would move the figures around all the Month of December. about 10 years ago my mom bought me a collection of Hummel ornaments - including a nativity with the children rather than the original set. I think of my mom and know as long as I have her in my heart she'll never be truly gone and my Hummels help. This quilt is just amazing. I love the way the colors brought the designs of the Hummels forward. A little brighter than the figurines, but it works.

GranthamLynn said...

Wow if that didn't get Best of Show at least in a crazy quilt division!
Absolutely gorgeous. I didn't notice it was embroidery in the first photo.
Amazing work. I'd love to learn from this talented artist! I say this on Pinterest and came by. I will look for your follow button.

Celttich said...

Came across this on Facebook and followed the link. Love this. The work is truly amazing!