All week Joan at Moosestash Quilting has been hosting the Say What? Blog Hop where you share a quilt with a story or perhaps a word quilt. Thank you Joan for the great challenge.
OK what should we do? Let's look in the barn.
There are all of the poles to hang tobacco. The sheds had poles too. Some still remain hanging.
Should we relocate the tobacco sticks? That would be back breaking work. There is 50 sticks to a bundle. Some of the sticks are over 100 years old having been handed down to dad from older farmers long ago.
Well I bet you can guess what my quilt is all about. It is a story quilt of our farm. So pull up a hay bale and let me tell you about it.
I grew up on a tobacco farm. We grew a few acres of burley tobacco . The last crop was planted in 2005 .So I decided to create a quilt in honor of our farm crop.
This quilt is pieced from scraps, hand appliqued and hand quilted. The words " Burley Tobacco Grower" is embroidered in the strips.
As a child, my job was to help plant, pick up the sticks of tobacco once they were harvested and help hang the tobacco onto the poles in the barn.
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| I used the reverse of some of the fabrics for the leaves. I also embroidered details in the leaves. |
As an adult. I drove the tractor, and again heaved those staked tobacco sticks onto the tobacco wagon.
This is one of dad's tobacco cutters. He painted the handle yellow so he could see it for he is color blind, and it would be easy to spot in a field of tobacco.
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| The background of the fabric is small scraps of fabric pieced together. |
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| Old tobacco spears |
Did you notice that I included a water jug in the field? Mom would save milk jugs and freeze water in them. In the hot August heat , the water would melt quickly . Oh, how refreshing the ice cold water was while working in the field. . The same was done during hay season as well.
Any whoo! The staked tobacco would stay in the field until evening time so it would wilt down a bit and by dusk ,my siblings and I would be riding on the hay/ tobacco wagon as the tractor chugged down the hill to the tobacco field. Then we would begin loading the tobacco. In no time, we would have it hung from the poles in the barn and there it would stay well spaced in order to have good circulation . It would be cured and during the winter time, dad and mom would grade and bale it and have it ready for market by mid winter.
Well ya'll ,we didn't get any farm work done, but that is okay for we had such a lovely visit. I sure appreciate you taking the time to visit the farm .
There is no life like farm life - well at least in my eyes.
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| Well, hello there. We have a visitor ! |
Have a beautiful day and if you have the chance stop in and visit all of the other ladies on the blog . You know they are going to have lovely quilts, projects and stories to tell.
As always...
Happy Stitching and Quilting, ya'll
Melisa
Thank you for the sweet visit.
Without hard work, nothing grows but weeds. - Gordon Hinckley
The family farm is more than land and crops. It's our family's heritage and future.
Hugs and Stitches!!!!🤗🧵❤
Dedicated to my baby sister, Amy who was our youngest tobacco farmer. Love and miss you, Amo.
Monday April 17
Tuesday April 18
Wednesday April 19
Thursday April 20
What a beautiful quilt and what a beautiful story accompanies it, Melisa!
ReplyDeleteI really like these walks around the farm and that you share your memories with us
Kisses from Spain
I so appreciate the sweet visit ,Isabel. It was a joy to share the humble family farm and our story . I hope you have a blessed and joyous weekend. Hugs.
DeleteVery sweet story and look into your farm life. The quilt is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteAaah thank you so much, Danice. It was a fun project to work on . I hope you have a great weekend.
DeleteYour quilt is beautiful and it certainly tells an interesting story.
ReplyDeleteAaah you are so very kind, Elizabeth. Thank you so much for the sweet visit. Have a great weekend and happy quilting.
DeleteEnjoyed your story about your farm life. Being a suburb gal, farming was a bit obscure for me though my Gramie on my dad's side did some in her family. The closest I ever got to farming was having a vegetable garden for the family.
ReplyDeleteI really love that quilt and I know it brings back some sweet memories for you. Blessings
Aah thank you , Donna. I am so touched that you enjoyed my stroll down memory lane and it sounds like it brought back fond memories of your dear Gramie and your own veggie gardens. Have a blessed weekend. Hugs.
DeleteWe lived in Louisville Ky for a while and I remember seeing the sheds smoking and I thought they were on fire.lol I then learned they were tobacco sheds. We did not grow tobacco in Georgia where I grew up. My dad had a farm in addition to working for the US Forest Service. I told someone that farm kids did not get a summer off as there was so much to do on the farm at that point..canning, hay baling etc. And yes, one of my jobs are carrying cold water to the fields when Daddy was getting in the hay. What a fun glimpse into your growing up years Melisa.
ReplyDeleteAah I am so touched that this brought back fond memories, Arlene. It sounds like you had a farm life very similar to mine and your dad was very busy as well. You are so right. Farm kids are always busy come summer time. My favorite was hay baling time. I loved stacking the hay and afterwards we always ran down to the river and jumped in for a dip. Lol Have a great weekend
DeleteWow, what an wonderful trip down to the farm with you. Not only is your quilt a beautiful tribute to your family and Amy, but a masterpiece of love! What a great read and so interesting.
ReplyDeleteAaah thank you so much, Joan for the warm words and for the amazing challenge. I enjoyed every moment of it . This quilt brings back a lot of fond memories especially with my sis. Have a very lovely weekend. Hugs.
DeleteYou made a very nice quilt reflecting the farm, your parents, and what was grown.
ReplyDeleteI had to smile at the part about your Dad painting the tobacco knife. I paint garden tools too. Or tie florescent flagging tape to them. Even though I'm not color blind, it's still far too easy for me to lose the tools when I lay them down. Those in the manufacturing chain that decided dark colors are good for garden tools must not be gardeners. Besides, gardening is work enough, can't we have bright happy color tools?
Aaah thank you so much, Gail. I enjoyed every minute of creating and sharing the quilt. I am used to dad painting his tools , but it has never dawned on me to do the same for my gardening tools. Great idea . I am going to do the same thing. Florescent tape is a great idea too ( I think I would hone in on bright pink . Lol) Have a great weekend.
DeleteWhat a beautiful story quilt you created and shared, Melisa!
ReplyDeleteAaah thank you so much, Robin. I had a lot of fun working on this quilt as I reminisced fondly about those early days. Have a wonderful weekend. Hugs.
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ReplyDeleteMelisa, it was a pleasure learning about your family farm, the tobacco crops your family raised, and seeing the beautiful quilt you made to capture some of the history and memories. Thank you for sharing! (allcrossedupx on IG
ReplyDeleteAah thank you so much, Sheila. I look back upon the early years on the farm with fondness. I learned so much and am still learning to this day. It is still a lot of fun to be out and about on the farm. Have a wonderful weekend and happy stitching. Hugs.
DeleteSuch a rich history of your family farm. Your pictorial quilt has such special memories and you did a wonderful job! I remember seeing tobacco growing in a field next to my Gr'gr'mother's house. I had never seen such a plant growing before having lived my whole life in the north. Thank you for sharing such a special quilt, Melisa.
ReplyDeleteAaah thank you so much, Ginny and I am so glad this brought back a warm memory .It is an unusual plant. It has a certain smell and feel . I still remember the stickiness of the leaves and I will not mention the tobacco worms. Lol. I wish you the most wonderful weekend. Hugs.
DeleteBeautiful quilt. I lived in NC and I loved to see all the barns around NC and VA. I didn't know much about the actual work that was involved in growing the crops. Thanks for sharing your experience.
ReplyDeleteAaah thank you so much, dear. There are some beautiful farms in NC and VA and the barns are amazing to see. It was an interesting crop to grow at the time; I now look back upon the experience fondly. Thank you again for the sweet visit.
DeleteI really enjoyed reading a bit about your family history and seeing the lovely quilt that you made today, Melisa! It's all so interesting--as a "northerner" I know nothing about tobacco farming or its history. Are there still active tobacco farms in your area? Thanks for a very interesting post! ♥
ReplyDeleteAaah thank you so much, Carol. I truly enjoyed sharing the story. Dad was the only tobacco farmer in the county and today there are no tobacco farmers here. At the time a farmer was given an allotment to grow tobacco. Dad could grow some of the tallest healthy burley tobacco . Most being over 6 ft in height .In the mid 2000's the government bought out the allotment and so dad then went into strawberries. I so appreciate the sweet visit. Have a great weekend.
DeleteWhat a lovely quilt, and what a great post. I never knew anything about harvesting of tobacco and learned a lot today.
ReplyDeleteAaah thank you so much, Karrin. I had such a great time working on the quilt and an even better time telling about the story behind. I appreciate your sweet visit.
DeleteI enjoyed your story so much and your quilt depicts life on a tobacco farm perfectly. You did such a great job appliquing the scene. As a city slicker I don't know much about farming. Through your eyes I could just feel the hot sun on that August day and the refreshing water from the jug. Thank you for a peek into your life.
ReplyDeleteI am so delighted and honored that you dropped in for a visit, Charlene and thank you so much for the kind words about my quilt . I had a ball working on it as I reminisced about the olden days. Have a blessed weekend.
DeleteThanks for the tobacco harvest lesson! Your quilt is perfect.
ReplyDeleteAaah you are so welcome, Sandie and thank you for dropping by for a sweet visit. I hope you have a wonderful weekend. Happy quilting.
DeleteSuch fun. First, I got hung up on your page photo. Oh, I do so love antiques. The cross-work pincushions and the crocheted doily are wonderful but then you sprinkled in all those wonderful antiques in your article - thank you. I enjoyed our visit, too, and all the lovely information you assembled. BTW, your Burley quilt is so sweet and so perfect for this wordy hop It's been a rich day for us both.
ReplyDeleteOh, LJ . You are so very kind. I have an affection for antiques and anything vintage as well. I am so touched that you enjoyed the visit to the farm and thank you from the bottom of my heart. You brought a warm smile to my day. Hugs.
DeleteThis was so interesting, Melisa! I love the quilt and all the photos you included. Thank you for sharing this!
ReplyDeleteYou are so very kind, Carol . Thank you for the sweet visit . I had a fabulous time working on this quilt as I strolled down memory lane. Happy quilting.
DeleteThank you so much for the history lesson, family lore and personal experience growing up on a tobacco farm. I love your quilt and hope that you will label it well so others can keep the stories for the next generations.
ReplyDeleteAaah thank you so much, dear. I think that is a great idea . I think I will copy this story and add it to the quilt as well. It was a delightful project to work on . Have a wonderful weekend.
DeleteThank you so much, Melisa. I know nothing at all about farming tobacco, so it was very interesting indeed reading about your early life on the farm.
ReplyDeleteAah thank you so much, Jenny for the sweet visit to the farm and kind words. Though it was hard work, I have fond memories of my family growing tobacco and even more of the family working and spending time together. Have a great weekend.
DeleteYour story quilt is fascinating, Melisa, and so is life at the farm! (Especially for us city girls!)
ReplyDeleteAaah thank you so much, Diann. I had a lot of fun making this little quilt. It brings back a lot of warm memories. Have a great weekend. Hugs
DeleteLove the Tabacco Quilt and the story of your growing up years on the farm! What a great wonderful life and the memories are more precious today!! Thank you for the sweet trip to the farm and the visitor!! just looking to see what is going on today! Warm hugs from sunny Arizona.
ReplyDeleteAaah thank you so much, dear Mary. I agree the memories on the farm are even more precious and cherished for me today. I looked back with fondness of my siblings and I helping my mom and dad out in the fields. Have a great weekend.Hugs and blessings.
DeleteWhat a wonderful and personal history lesson you have shared with us. Your quilt is such a special tribute to your family and the hard work you all had to contribute to the farms success.
ReplyDeleteAah thank you so much, dear for the sweet compliment and for visiting me. Farm life is all we have ever known and it has kept our family going through all of the years. I truly enjoyed creating the quilt and sharing my humble life on the farm.
DeleteWhat a great quilt and the story too! Thank you for sharing this. So interesting and you are a doll to take us down that memory lane.
ReplyDeleteAaah thank you so much, Carla. I had a great time working on the quilt and especially sharing the farm. I appreciate the sweet visit.
DeleteHello. I am not a quilter, but can certainly appreciate them. After reading your lovely story about your tobacco quilt, and forwarding it to a couple of friends, I followed the links to the others that participated in the challenge. Your story was the only one I thoroughly enjoyed and as mentioned, shared. Thank you so much for sharing your walk down memory lane. I loved see the old tools too, along with reading about the yellow handle. THANK YOU!!!
ReplyDeleteMelisa, that was so interesting! Thank you for sharing it, your dad quilt, and your part in the process. That tells me you were ALWAYS the hard worker you are today.
ReplyDeleteOh Susan , You are the sweetest. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I had a great time working on this quilt and especially sharing the story as I strolled down memory lane. Have a great weekend. Hugs.
DeleteThank you for sharing your quilt and the amazing story behind it.
ReplyDeleteAaah you are so very kind, Mary Ann and thank you for dropping by for a sweet visit. Have a great weekend.
DeleteInteresting story and quilt. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Daryl for the sweet visit. Have a very lovely weekend.
DeleteInteresting story of your farm life, then and now! And a quilt to commemorate it is nifty!!!
ReplyDeleteAah thank you so much, Nancy. It was a fun quilt to work on and has brought back a lot of fond memories.
DeleteMelisa, I LOVED going on this farm adventure with you, learning about your farm life raising tobacco. We didn't raise tobacco, but did peaches and also watermelons and trucked other veggies to the market. I also did my share of tractor driving and slinging hay! Farm life is hard work but it is great living on a farm. You evoked some wonderful memories for me! I think your little quilt is a perfect tribute to your dad. Thank you so much for sharing!
ReplyDeleteAaah I am so glad this post brought back fond memories of the farm. I am sure if you are like me you can smell the hay right now. Lol. I loved hay season. I agree farm living is great living. Thank you for the kind words. Hugs.
DeleteI loved reading about your farm history and all that it means to you. It must be wonderful to live in a farm. Your pretty quilt reflects all the love and beautiful memories behind the tobacco planting.
ReplyDeleteHugs
You are so very kind, Diana. I don't think I would want to live anywhere else but the farm. Farm life is all I have ever known. Thank you for the sweet visit, my friend. Hugs
DeleteWhat a great story and what an extra special quilt! What back breaking work! We raised potatoes, corn for silage, alfalfa hay, wheat, mint for oil, grass for seed and sometimes, garlic and carrots! It was always a fight with two brothers and four cousins as to who could get their butt behind the wheel first! ---TerryK@OnGoingProjects
ReplyDeleteYou certainly know how wonderful it is to live on a farm and all of the hard work, Terry. Lol I giggled when you said ya'll fussed on who would drive.. Everybody wants to drive the tractor or four wheeler- that's the way it is here too. Lol. It warms my heart this post brought back fond memories, Terry. Thank you for the sweet visit.
DeleteFascinating story and a fabulous memory quilt, Melisa!!
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