This page is dedicated to my father, Clarence Richter, also known as the Quilting Grandpa.

My dad made quilts for many years, in fact, since the pre-rotary cutter days. (Remember those days?) One of his favorite patterns was Trip Around the World. He had a couple of different variations on this pattern and he made quilts in all sizes from crib to king. Even with the advent of the rotary cutter he did not strip piece but cut every square 4 ¼", stacked the squares and made the rows. When asked why he cut 4 ¼" blocks, he told the story about when he first started making quilts he used a plastic tile as a template and it just happened to measure 4 ¼".

Dad was a prolific quilter. One year he made more than 50 quilts! It's too bad he didn't keep track of how many he made over the years. Most have gone to family and friends and some have been sold. He sold quilts, for just enough to cover his expenses.

We tried to make a quilt together once. Dad was doing most of the cutting and I was doing the sewing. I soon discovered that wasn't going to work very well. I believe that for most quilters the process is what is important. At least, it is for me. Not so for the Quilting Grandpa, for him the important part is finishing! He would scarcely let me take a break from the sewing machine for meals! I am suspicious that the right brain, left brain thing may have come in to play here also!

For many years my dad tied the quilts on a frame. In recent years he purchased a Gammill quilting machine and machine quilted quilts.

At 90 years of age, he finished a quilt for a wedding present for one of his granddaughters. The photo transfer process piqued his interest in the year 2000 and his quilts included blocks with pictures of family members. He set the blocks with traditional settings such as Trip Around the World or Log Cabin. Clarence always said, "quilts are made for beds", none of this wall hanging stuff!

-- Judy