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Nothing says time, love and tradition like a quilt. I’ve heard it said that blankets may wrap one with warmth, but quilts envelop you in love.
I’m in love with quilts. I wish I had a dozen more in my home to cherish and display. Shown here, in my bedroom, are three of mine. The pink postage stamp one at the foot of my bed was quilted by my great-aunts on my mom’s side. Mom will hopefully share more of its history in comments. I was honored to receive it for a wedding gift in 1993.
The blue and cream double wedding ring was a gift from my mom, a wall hanging she worked on while traveling one summer. It’s my keepsake especially associated with the birth of my firstborn. Mom let me pick out all the contrasting fabrics and choose the style. I’ve always loved the double wedding ring pattern, and this one is my absolute favorite. I have it hanging in the living room usually.
The quilt on my bed is simply a Target special…they sure have some pretty ones available, as my 7 yo will attest. She chose a lavender and tan Target quilt with satin ribbon work for her bed last year. Two other heirloom quilts I keep packed away…one is a crazy quilt passed down from my maternal grandma. The satins and velvets are cracking and unraveling, but the overall condition is what you’d expect for it being an early 1900’s quilt. I want to unpack it and take a picture for you guys. It has a “Ladies Aid Society” bookmark embroidered into the rest of the fabrics, kind of adds to its sense of community. My other quilt belonged to dh’s great-grandma. Other than a huge discoloration in one corner, it’s in great shape with whites, tangerine-oranges and light greens blending together.
My own quilting experience has been limited to one autumn leaf wall-hanging (pictured rolled up in a basket in my header) which I LOVED making, and three baby quilts. If I had a sewing room…I’d make more!
I love how women throughout the ages have found ways to meet and share life. Quilting bees, socials, baby showers, Bible studies, coffee at Starbucks and over the kitchen tables across this land, or behind computer screens…blogging. 🙂 In the quilt of my life, each of you own a special square.
Here are some quotes for the quilters out there, may they brighten your day as they did mine!
- May all of your ups and downs in life be with a needle and thread.
- Friends are like fabric – you can never have enough!
- When life goes to pieces – Try Quilting!
- I am a quilter and my house is in pieces.
- I am a material girl. Wanna see my fabric collection?
- Blessed are the piecemakers.
- Blessed are the children of the piecemakers for they shall inherit the quilts!
Quilting! I love it but I seldom do it! The crazy quilt you referred to was made by your great grandma’s grandma. And the one my aunt quilted was pieced by my grandma who began quilting in her 60s. She was arthritic and couldn’t get around well so sat and pieced quilts. There is one more quote to add to your quilter’s quotes. “Old quilters never die. They just go to pieces!”
I love quilts too! I have yet to learn the art of quilting, but I plan to one day. I live near an Amish community, and they have a shop that teaches quilting, that I will take a class at. There is something timeless about a good quilt, and I love the cozy feel they give to a home. I saw the quilt Laura Ingalls Wilder made at her Mansfield, Mo. home this week!
We love quilts and cuddly blankets. WE would much rather have a quilt then a blanket. My mom made a baby quilt for each one of my girls. The other day my mother-in-law gave me dh baby quilt. Turns out that his grandmother used the same pattern that my mom did for big sisters quilt.
I think it is important for moms to have a hobby. So much of what we do is temporary it is important for us to have something we enjoy doing that will not be gone or used up in a few days. Something years down the road you can point to and say I made that.
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I have an affinity for quilts too! Love the rustic–togetherness– history they represent even if they’re new.
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I have a quilt that my great grandmother made hanging on a quilt rack in our bedroom. Holes and all I love it.
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I simply adore quilts and the one I have is almost 10 years old and falling apart *tears* they are so expensive here in the south that I just cannot see spending over $150 or more on one.
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Thanks, Mom, for helping me out on the history! I need to jot that down and pin it to the back of the quilts. Good quote, btw!
Juli, I’d LOVE to take that class with you! You’re so lucky to live near the Amish…their quilts are amazing, I love their lifestyle…and lucky you to get in on the Mansfield house! Hope you took lots of pics, I want to see!
Andrea, that is so special! My girls all have homemade quilts too, made by various people. My oldest has one from her great-grandma and an aunt. Middle has one from MAMAs, but strangely, no other! And youngest has a pretty one from one of my mom’s friends. It is nice to have things around us that we’ve made. I wish I had time to do all the things I want to do!
Me too, Jessica! That’s the richness of quilts! What they represent. Wow. It’s so much more than a blanket!
Bethanie, that’s me too. Even without the sentimental, old quilts are magical. 😉
They are expensive, Leticia. I saw some really pretty ones in a Cracker Barrel store for $100, which seemed pretty good for them being queen sized.
I love quilts too. The only one I have is a quilted table runner that my Grandma made for me a year or so before I was married…she has arthritis so I can only imagine the painstaking hours she put into it. I would love to learn to quilt one day too…need to get me my sewing machine first though! I’ve been searching the newspapers for them in the classifieds but the only one’s I’ve found are treadle ones, which I think would be neat! An antique sewing machine! But I don’t know how well it would work compared with a new one.
How special that she made that for you! My grandma crocheted me a lap afghan in her worst years of arthritis, so I can relate. So special that they wanted us to have that part of them so badly.
I don’t know much about treadle ones. It sure would be beautiful, but I’d think a modern one would be much more versatile! Do you have Craigs List in Canada, or Freecycle? (Online ads that are local to your area. Freecycle is for free things)