Every Quilt Tells a Story

Recently a friend of mine was looking through primitive quilt magazines and messaged me that she was thinking of me.  She was even brave enough to ask me to share some of the stories about my quilts.  Why, I would love to Angela! ;)

You see, she knows I love fabric.  And quilts.  And more fabric.  I started making quilts about 20 years ago when I decided I could not just buy fabric and never use it.  Eventually my hubby would start to notice. So instead, I buy fabric and make random quilts.  For me, for friends, for family, a few more for me!  It's an addiction, as you may have noticed from the post I wrote about my quilt ladder.  I need about 10 more.

Angela got me thinking about all of those quilts and the stories they hold.  For ages, people have been encouraged to at least sign their quilts and put a date on them.  I am bad about that. I just tend to forget.  But, oh how I would love it if you had to put the story of every quilt on the back it.  Can you imagine the stories we could read?  Quilts crafted during wars, for weddings, for babies, in honor of sometime, to help with the healing process.

Yes, every quilt tells a story!

Here are a few of mine...

This is my first quilt, and my favorite.

It is simple, but the flannel is what makes it wonderful.  To me!  I love snuggling in it and our family often fights for who can use it on any given wintry night.  I actually took a class to learn how to make it.  I showed up to class, clearly the youngest person there, picked out fabric, really the only thing I was interested in doing anyway, and sat down.  I listened to all the directions and then watched everyone get started. Then I raised my hand and asked if the teacher could teach me how to thread my sewing machine.  Yep, really!  She stood there looking at me with a mildly concerned look and then sweetly told me that maybe I should not be in that class.  I sweetly told her that I could do it if she could just show me how to thread the machine.  She did, and I did!  Yay me!  It may be simple, and it may not be perfect (OK, it's NOT perfect), but it was my first project and I still love it!

Next up, my oldest's Sunbonnet Sue quilt.  I made this when she was about 2 1/2 years old.  She was still in a crib and this is a full size quilt- makes perfect sense, right?  HA  I had a thing with calico prints. I had collected WAY. TOO. MANY. and decided that this would be a good idea.  Some of my plans are better than others, let's just say.  I did have a great time matching up all the fabrics.  Starting to see a theme here?  I did NOT have fun cutting all those pieces, and sewing them.  As a matter of fact, at some point I took out the stitching that held them all in place because it was not right.  If I close my eyes, I can remember standing at the ironing board in our little rental house while she played nearby and ironing on fusible webbing to every little piece.  That was right before my husband was deployed for a year and it gave my mind something else to think about rather than dwell on the upcoming year alone raising a three year old. She did eventually sleep under it for several years and it stays in her stuff these days.  Maybe someday she will have a little girl who loves pink.

I had a hard time picking a quilt of my second daughters' to share with you.  Why?  Because she has SEVERAL!  Not because she is my favorite, right, Roo? ;), but because she is like a chameleon that changes styles faster than well, you can change styles.  She too has a pink and green quilt and somewhere around here is one with horses on it that she used for several years.  These days she has a New York style theme going on so these are my latest creations.  My oldest daughter actually took part in these two and Roo picked out most of the fabric, so it really was a group effort.  I love being able to work with my daughters on projects and this one was no exception.  Lots of laughter went into making those.  Every time I walk into her room and see them, it makes me think of the three of us together- something that is not as common now that the oldest is away at college. (Just for the record, if my eldest ever suggests working with three inch squares again, remind me to run away screaming!  I am too old for that silliness!)  For now, they are each on a twin bed...if she moves back to her big bed whenever we move she will have to figure out a way to put them together and pretend they are a queen size.  Seriously!  Hey, that might be a whole new quilt story!

This one is my sons'.  Pick either son, because actually there are two of them- one for each.  I saw this pattern done in train fabric in a quilt store when we lived in Wyoming and fell in love with it.  Since we were in Cowboy country, I decided to use cowboy fabric.  Again, a pretty simple pattern, but fun to do.  My oldest son used both quilts for a time on his bunk beds and now the youngest has a cowboy themed room and has his on his bed.  The story behind them... wow!  We spent a long time waiting for our youngest to come home.  17 months, to be exact.  It was a long, rough road.  BUT, God and a lot of prayers from faithful friends and family finally brought him home while we were living in Wyoming.  Every time I look at those quilts, especially now with that little guy tucked underneath it, I remember how faithful God was.  And is!

As I walked around my house while getting ready to write this post I wondered about all the quilts I own and the stories that must surround them.  Don't you wish you could hear them all?  I do.  Thank you, my friend, for reminding me that all of our quilts have stories and that as with any story, they are only remembered if we share them!  Thank you for letting me share just a few.

Maybe I can get my oldest to share hers sometime soon. ;)

Blessings,



Linking up with Amy at Raising Arrows today!