Friday, May 29, 2009

Pondering.......

I was thinking on my way to work this morning how wonderful it is to reflect on how people move in and out of one’s life and what sort of impact each and every one of them has. A few years ago I began writing a letter to each of my siblings and my parents at Christmas time, telling them how much they meant to me. Not mushy, lovey-dovey letters, but rather letters telling them how they had impacted my life. I started with telling my siblings the story of their birth and childhood from my perspective. I was the oldest of four children born to my mother, and I was five years old before my next-in-line sibling was born. As such, I had very distinct recollections about the day each of them was born. So, I told them each their story from the perspective of a 5, 9 and 12 year old big sister. I also told my Dad and stepmom the ways in which they had influenced my life – ways they were not even aware of! And, as I was thinking about friends I have had over the course of years and how they had made a difference in my life, I thought it would be good to tell them the story of how they influenced my life……..so that will be my goal. Those “old” friends that I can find and those who are in my life now will soon hear from me! I encourage everyone to let the people in your life know how important they are to you! Tell the story...............

Thursday, May 28, 2009

What to do - a quilt question


Here is another of Grandma's quilt tops. The pattern is called Baby Bunting and the quilt design is already marked lightly in pencil - mostly the outline of what appear to be flowers - irises to be exact. The question is, do I quilt this beautiful top, or do I continue displaying it unfinished? I think it would honor Grandma and Aunt Margie (they did all of the piecing on this particular top) if I finish it - but what if I mess up??!! AAACCCCKKK!!

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

First - the memories

I had no idea what to write about until a friend mentioned my avatar. The quilt block! Yes, I could write about the quilt block, or rather the memories associated with this quilt block. This particular block is one of many that I inherited from my Grandma, Anna Howard. The piecing is very precise and the color, a beautiful deep red, is still as bright as the day it was stitched together with the muslin to create this beautiful block. I have several blocks, quilt tops and scraps that had been stored since the 30s and 40s. Amazingly, most are in good shape - one even has the paper pieces still attached in places - bits of news from the 30s attached to the backside. The real story, though, is how my Grandma, along with her mother and sisters, would sit when the day's work was finished and create these quilts. The hands of these women, and most women from that era, were never idle. They stitched, crocheted and knitted. They cut up clothing that had been passed down and remade so many times that there was nothing left to do but glean the not-so-worn bits to use in their quilts. The buttons, snaps, hooks and eyes, zippers and any decorative bits were all carefully removed and set aside to be used in a new garment. Very rarely did they purchase new fabric just to make a quilt! Nothing was wasted in those days. I believe we could take a hint from these frugal women...........