Day 5 of 31 Day Blog Challenge - First Project and Tiffany Clock

Welcome to Day 5 of the 31 Day Blog Challenge.

Today's topic is first quilt project!  Wow!  This was fun!  Going through old photos, to find my first quilt project.  I'll admit I only went through the digit photos, so I don't have the best photo of my first quilt, but I found one.  Later in the post, I will cover the Tiffany Clock, outside Grand Central Terminal, in my week of architecture review in prep for January's Mystery Series - Grand Central.

As I stated above, I had a lot of fun going through photos to find one that had my first quilt.  

First Quilt
My first quilt was a log cabin quilt, an Eleanor Burns pattern, which was suppose to be a quilt in a day pattern.  

Quilt in a Day - Log Cabin Pattern

Although my grandmother quilted, she used templates, hand-pieced and hand-quilted, which was a little slow for me (biggest regret that I didn't pay more attention).  After being relocated to a new-to-me city (NYC) and I was looking for social outlet to meet people, my Oma suggested quilting on a machine and using the new "pizza cutter thing-a-ma-jigs" to cut my fabric.  

The Little Shop

She suggested I take a 4 part class at the "The Little Shop", in Haddonfield, NJ.  I heard it recently close after being open for more than 60 years.   I attended class 20+ years ago.   I would take the train down from NY, my sister would pick me up at the train station and drive me to class.  I'd take a full day class, my sister would pick me and take me to my mom's for dinner.  I'd show my Oma what I learned, she'd correct the lesson (LOL), and then I'd be back on my way home.  I'd try and sew most evenings in my little studio apartment.  

I intended on giving the quilt to my grandmother, so I picked out Green and Pink calicos which where were her favorite.  Unfortunately, my Oma passed just before I finished the top.   I ended up giving the finished quilt to my mom.

Pictured below, a few years later, behind a young me, on my mother's couch.  I was holding my now 19 year old niece, my brother's daughter, Griselle.

1st Quilt in background

Since, I couldn't find a great picture of my first quilt, I thought I'd share a few of my other early " firsts" which I could find. 

My first baby quilt.  Kyle, my now 18 year old nephew, my brother's second child.  You can see I had trouble understanding what a baby size quilt should be.  Even then, I think I just enjoyed making the quilt so much,  since I had purchased "extra fabric" and I just kept going... and going.  He eventually used it on his "big boy bed".

Kyle's first quilt

I couldn't find a "finished" picture of the first quilt I made Madeline, my now 16 year niece, my sister's first, but I did find a photo of me biasing it, so I could quilt it on my domestic machine.

Biasing Madeline's 1st quilt

1st "raw" edge applique quilt.  My brother-in-law, Michael, loved Maddie's quilt so much that I made him a quilt when he graduated law school.  I called it "Justice for All".  I drove all over Chicago looking for background fabric that had the Constitution written on it.   It was available in 5 different shades, and I was determine to use them all in his quilt  I think I finally resorted to the "web" which was rare back in the early 2000s.    The was a pattern out of Fons and Porter's Love of Quilting.  Sorry, I don't know the issue.

Steve holding Michael's Justice for All

My first big challenge.  Eureka (as published) was one of the most challenging of the quilts that I made in the early 2000s. I remember almost every stitch of this one, and I will always cherish the ladies I shared such special times with while making it. Many of Friday nights to finish this one!

My Rise Up - Over 7k pieces in this baby!

1st Quilt I made for my husband.  The first quilt I made for Stephen was flannel (another first).  It still sits by his spot on the couch year round.  I collected the flannel from all my favorite shops in Chicago, just before we moved to Pennsylvania.  It is Steve and Cal's (my beagle) favorite quilt.  It's funny how I didn't make Stephen a quilt earlier, this was 2005.  I guess I was waiting for the right fabric!

Steve's 1st Quilt

1st Retreat Quilt. I made this quilt at the first retreat that I went to, which was in PA.  I meet some of my best of friends at this retreat.  Another quilt filled with so many memories.  Apologies, I can not remember the name. 

1st Retreat Quilt

1st Quilt with S180 Tools.  My Holiday Hunter, is the first quilt I made with a Studio 180 Design Tool.  Made with the Rapid Fire Hunter Star, in 2006.  I kept the quilt  and I pull it out for every Christmas. 

My Holiday Hunter Star

I think that is a good selection of 1st quilts.   I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.  I highly recommend you look through your photos and pull out some of your 1st quilts.  It was a nice journey.  

Grand Central Mystery Quilt Series

Time for some more insight into next Mystery Quilt.  Grand Central!   Today I'm going to feature another Clock at Grand Central Terminal. 

Tiffany Clock and Transportation Sculpture 

On the outside entrance, at 42nd Street and Park Avenue, you can view the second-most famous clock in Grand Central! 

Adorned with a statuary of the Greek Gods representing virtues of the railroad; speed (Mercury), strength (Hercules), and intellect (Minerva).  The 48-foot-high, 1500-ton statue, titled “Transportation,” took builders seven years to construct.  The Transportation sculpture was created by French sculptor Jules-Felix Coutan.

The Tiffany Clock, that is inlaid in the sculpture,  is fourteen feet in diameter and is the largest example of Tiffany glass in the world.  Here is a view of the Grand Central clock from inside the clock tower. 

When the Tiffany clock had to be restored in 1992, it took twelve years. That’s partially because the staircase that leads to the clock is so narrow that each piece had to be removed individually.  

The mechanism that runs the clock is also set with atomic time from Bethesda, Md, just like the Concourse Clock.  

There is a chamber in the back, of masonry and exposed steel, where the clock is mounted.   The number six on the clock’s face is a window outfitted with a hinge. 

Window Hinge at Six o'clock

Even in 1913, the Tiffany Clock could have cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.  However, it didn't cost a dime.  Tiffany said they would do it so they could advertise that "Grand Central is on on Tiffany time".  Tiffany only asked that they get one half of the Vanderbilt Hall room for exhibits. 

Whether you are looking up it....

Or catching a glimpse of from a far on the Park Avenue Viaduct, it is a beautiful piece of art.

Evening Photo of Tiffany Clock and Transportation Sculpture 

Well, that is a wrap for today. If you want to get caught up on the Grand Central Mystery Quilt Series, make sure to check out the last few posts.

Grand Central Quick Recap:
What you should know, so far, about my Grand Central Mystery Quilt Series: 

• The Series will run from mid-January to mid-April
• Two sizes to choose from; Large Throw or Queen
• Required tools are the Studio 180 Design: 
• Wedge Star
• Tucker Trimmer III
• Large Square Squared (and no a regular Square Squared will not work).
• Recommended tools are Studio 180 Design:
• Tucker Trimmer II - for subcut - ideal for sub cutting strips ending in 1/4" and 3/4" 
• I plan on releasing yardage in the next week.  Make sure to subscribe to my Blog for more information this week.
• New Grand Central Facebook group for those planning on participating in Grand Central Quilt Mystery Series.  Be sure to answer all the screening questions or you will be declined.  If you are a member, in good standing, of another one of my groups, you will not have to answer the questions. 

Upcoming December Blog Topics, in addition to the 31 Day Blog Challenge :

• The rest of this week, I have a 2 more inspiring architecture tidbits of Grand Central... 
• Starting on Sunday, I plan on taking you step-by-step through selecting the proper border for your Grand Central mystery quilt.
• The third week of December, I plan on taking you step-by-step through selecting the proper fabric to go with that border.
• The fourth week, we will see what I come up with!

Thanks for joining me daily!  Let me know if you are enjoying it. Remember, tomorrow I release Clue #5 for the current mystery, Ticker Tape Parade.  It's not too late to join it.  
Since you've read this far, I will share that tomorrow brings a new unit to the series!

Keep Stitching,
Michelle