Quilts from the Past

Every time we move, I come across these three things.

First is an old Christmas wall hanging that I made when I first began quilting, back in about 1983 probably. I’ve thought about finishing it . . maybe I’ll do that. As I recall, it was supposed to have a gold star on top but I can’t remember exactly how that went, nor do I have the pattern. I’ll figure something out.

Next are two tops pieced by my dad’s mom. She was born in 1893 and passed away in 1975. I was 5 or 6 when she was the age I am now. She was a tiny, little lady. She had eight kids and she was a character. Her husband passed away in 1950 so I never knew him but Granny was almost 40 when dad was born and his dad was 53. I can’t even think about raising kids when you’re that old.

Anyway, Granny always seemed old to me.

My mom’s mom was 42 when I was born so when I was 6 years old, she was 48. I can remember spending summers with them and I truly worried that, because they were so old, they might die while I was there. No phone, no neighbors, no traffic down the road. I had no idea what I would do at 6 years old with two old dead folks in the house. It didn’t happen. My grandma lived to be 77 and my grandpa lived to be 95.

Anyway, my mom’s mom sewed all the time and I remember spending hours and hours playing on her old Singer treadle machine. My dad’s mom, who made these quilt tops, I never remember seeing her touch anything sewing related but, by the time I can along, Granny had given up housekeeping and traveled on Greyhound or Continental Trailways buses to stay with her kids. On of my aunts lived in Corpus Christi, Texas. She worked so Granny spent a bit of time with her. My other aunt lived in Many, LA just a few miles from where Granny had grown up and raised her family so she spent a lot of time with Aunt Ruby. Two of her sons lived in Shreveport, LA and we lived in Lake Charles, LA. Granny had a tendency not to get along with her daughter-in-laws so she would spend a couple of weeks with us and then we’d either take her to Shreveport or Many or take her to the bus station.

The fabric on the quilts is pretty amazing. It has held up great. The workmanship is not good at all. Granny was not a seamstress! But, I have no idea how old she was when she made them and I hope no one is ever scrutinizing my work 100 years from now. At one time, I thought about hand quilting them but I’m not going to do it. I like having them just as they are . . the way she left them.

Some day I may get a little cabinet of some kind where I can display them and keep them safe, walk by them a hundred times a day and remember Granny.

I love finding those things and I love remembering my grandparents.