Another day with lots of unpacking of boxes. About the time I think anything we haven’t unpacked since August probably just needs to be donated, we find a treasure.
When I walked into the little quilt shop, The Calico Patch, in Lake Charles, Louisiana in the early 80’s, one of the first ladies I met was Ava Lee Broussard. She was an elderly lady then but she worked part-time at the quilt shop and she took me under her wing. She lived alone in an old part of downtown Lake Charles in a huge old two story home and I worried about her safety. If you’ve ever passed down I-10 in Lake Charles, her house sat right off I-10 at Kirkman Street. She did eventually move to a townhouse in Sulphur, Louisiana, near where some of her children lived. Some of the early residents in that area were Lebanese and Ava Lee made some of the best kibbie I’ve ever had. I worked not far from downtown and once a week I’d go to her house at lunch and have either kibbie or homemade hamburgers and a glass of lemonade for lunch. She had herself a little garden in her back yard and on the days when it wasn’t too hot, we’d go out during lunch and pull weeds or pick tomatoes, green beans, cucumbers . . whatever she had at the time.
When Chad was born, Mrs. Broussard made this quilt for him. He used it some but not much. The three little pigs and the big, bad wolf! Even though I thanked her and told her how much I appreciated this quilt, I doubt she ever know how much it really meant to me. I know that quilts are meant to be used but I’m glad I kept this one and didn’t use it so much. I’ll pass it on to Chad some day and he can do with it whatever he wants to do. It will never have the same meaning to him as it does to me since I knew and loved Mrs. Broussard so much.
Do any of the quilts in your possession have any special memories that you’d want to share here? There will be a drawing from the comments some time this evening for another $50 gift certificate.
Patricia L. says
The first bed size quilt I made was for my parents 50th Anniversary. I have it back now that they are both gone. I learned a lot making it. Fabrics for quilting were much harder to find in 1984.
Natasha C says
My grandmother and I made a quilt together in or about 1993. The blocks were hand embriodered (cross stitch actually) and the main color used was pink. I loved making the quilt with her. When I spent a few weeks in the summer with her, I would wake up in the morning and pick a block to work on. She used an old blanket as batting and I was able to tie it together with yarn. I loved my gradmother and feel like quilting now is a way of honoring her now that she has passed. I am pretty sure this quilt is the last one she ever made, since she was already in the early stages of dementia by that time. It currently sits on the rail of my stairway.
I look forward to hearing of other’s memories too! What a lovely idea of a post!
Leah Spencer says
I have two of my great-great-grandmother’s double wedding ring quilts. I’m very sentimental about them, but they remain packed away due to little sticky toddler hands.
Another quilt I’m fond of is from a lady name Shi, who made it for my dying grandmother. Somehow my mom ended up with it and I used to look at it for hours when I was 18 years old. Shortly after my 19th birthday, I started quilting for real. That was 10 years ago. 🙂
Donna says
i have a utility quilt that my Grandmama made that I love because it was hers. It’s just two pieces of yardage stuffed and tied together. it’s not real pretty but she made it. I’m sure it’s fabric she either got at a mill store or on a bargain table somewhere but it kept us warm and it still warms my heart.
She was a treasure!!!
Kate says
I have a quilt that is partially made from little one inch squares that a friend found in his mother’s boxes after her death. The box was marked “quilt my mother cut”… So – these were his GRANDMOTHER’s little squares. They appear to come from the 1930s. They were safely tucked into a Whitman’s Sampler box, along with a little square of cardboard she used to cut and measure them. I love the idea that this woman started this quilt nearly 80 years ago…and I finished it… I will give it back to my friend one day, after I have loved on it a bit more.
pat says
I have a block quilt a older lady made me.
and it was all tied down with yarn.
the blocks don’t match in the seams but it was made with love.
Pat
I treasure it and it is on my bed to look at too.
Becky in VA says
I inherited the love of quilting from my grandmother. I have a mourning quilt made by my great grandmother from her mother’s dresses at the time of her death in 1908. My great grandmother documented the quilt by writing a message on the back of an envelope and pinning it to the quilt. It says in part, that some of the fabric ‘was from a dress mother had cut out and hadn’t made up yet.’ The note and rusty pin saved the history!
Kristy says
I have 2 quilts that were made by my great-Aunt Gracie. My grandmother had put them (and others) in her yard sale. When I saw them, I asked if I could have them all. Grandma (not being a super nice person) said that I could have 2 (in exchange for lunch). She put the others up and I never saw them again. When she passed away, I had hoped to find those other quilts, but they were gone. I wish that I had been able to keep them all, but those 2 are my absolute favorites. I am trying to re-create the pink (now faded to white) basket quilt, the Sunbonnet Sue is in great shape and will be kept as it is.
JudyJ says
I have a quilt that my mother pieced before she got married. She said that it was a tradition in her family to piece at least one quilt before getting married. I also have a quilt top made from blocks that my mother and I embroidered about 35 years ago. I recently put the blocks together, and my mother hopes I will get it quilted while she is still here to see it.
Katie says
I have a wonderful quilt made by my Great Aunt Helen. She was a wonderfully eccentric woman who I loved to visit. And this quilt is a treasure to me. There are 48 pre-printed state bird patterns and part of the designs on each are painted with fabric paint and other parts are embroidered. The alternate squares are a 30’s green, plain, but the whole quilt is hand-quilted. I used this quilt on my bed for quite a few years and even took it to college with me my freshman year, but now it’s in a closet until I have a need for it again. Thank you for making me remember it and my aunt. I think I need to do a blog post on her and this quilt because she was quite a character!
Gwen says
I have almost the identical quilt! Embroidered state birds with green sashing. We found ours in a bathroom closet when my MIL passed. We have no idea about its history. There were 8 or 10 quilts there that no one knew she had.
Dora, the quilter says
Absolutely! Frankly, all my quilts have special memories created in their making or use, and sometimes even in the collecting of the fabric. The one offering me inspiration right now is a work in progress–and it’s been “in progress” for over eighty years! It’s a quilt to be made from the incredibly finely stitched “Old Testament” stories red work blocks created by my paternal grandmother Dolly [Dora Maude] Shreve Scheer sometime before her death in 1932. I’ve had the blocks for around 35 years, have at last decided how to use [and honor] them, and am at the “searching-for-the-right-fabric” stage.
Sandra Neel Hutchins says
My grandmother died in 1963 at 86 years of age. She was a wonderful woman and talented quilter. She even grew her own cotton plants and picked and cleaned the cotton bolls to make her batting. I have one of her quilts that was made sometime in the 1920’s to 1930’s. It is a treasure on so many levels: it is a part of her, it is a beautiful reminder of what a dear person she was, it is a beautiful antique, and an example of hand quilted quilts from the last century. It will be passed down to my daughter one of these days to keep my grandmother’s legacy alive.
Ellie says
I have several quilts made by my husband’s great grandmother. She lived on a farm all her life, most of it without electrictiy. In spite of a hard life and raising 4 children she managed to make beautiful quilts, with amazing quilting. I think she would be pleased to know that her great grandson married a quilter and appreciates quilts.
Gari says
My grandma was a hand quilter and even quilted other people’s quilts. The only one I have of her’s is a butterfly applique quilt that has been not so gently used. I love this quilt both because she made it but also because it is in her favorite color, yellow. I keep it in my quilting room as a reminder that I am following in her footsteps, just a little more modern.
Toni says
The quilt I most love was just returned to my nephew after 25 years. My sister and I are very close and when I started quilting she was pregnant and lucky enough to get three baby quilts from me. All hand quilted. She ended up leaving her husband and left behind many things. Including the three baby quilts. Over the years our SIL ended up with one of the baby quilts and returned it. And then just this year, on my nephews 35th birthday, his Dad sent him another of the baby quilts. It is a wonder that Tom kept that baby quilt all those years but how nice to get it back.
Sandra Timmons says
I do. I learned how to quilt by taking a class after work. The quilt I had made was one of the ugliest quilts I had ever seen. I took the class so I would be able to make a cat quilt, my way. I wanted to make the quilt in black, white and gray. I ran out of the gray, so the quilt was put on hold until the gray fabric could be ordered. I finally got the quilt done and the lady that did the quilting for me told me to enter the quilt in our fair. Believe it or not, the quilt took lst prize. A lady had her eye on my quilt and wanted to buy it. I was so honored and touched, that both my husband and myself were in tears. This cat quilt was done in honor of my black and white cat who I died later of cancer. I love my quilt so much.
SarahB says
Sadly, none of the quilts that I was given as a child survived till I could appreciate them. However, my grandmother taught me how to hand piece quilt blocks so I consider that the family legacy! I am already teaching my daughters, 11, 12 and 17, the basics so when they turn 30 years old they can remember and appreciate it as well… My first attempts at quilting were saved for my kids in their keepsake boxes. My favorite is always the one I am currently working on!
Helen says
My favorite aunt, Mick, made a quilt for my sister and me when we were young. They were “summer” quilts and had no batting. They were made of 2 & 1/2 squares, all machine sewn. I treasured that quilt. My sister and I shared a bedroom back then. Mine was pink, my sister’s was blue.
The first quilt I ever made was for my soon-to-be-born child. Back then you didn’t find out boy or girl unless there was something wrong, so I made the crib-size quilt in baby blue and soft pink. It was tied with embroidery floss. My daughter (who is not sentimental at all) kept that quilt and I see it now and again at her house. That makes it very special for me.
I enjoy your blog a lot, Judy. Thanks for sharing your special memory with us.
Lynn says
I have a doll quilt that my great grandmother made as a child and a bed sized quilt she made as adult…very precious to me.
Katherine says
I’ve got an old baby quilt that my grandmother made as well as, somewhere, a bunch of blocks she pieced for a grandmother’s flower garden. I wish she had still been quilting when I was a teen and started quilting.
Karen says
The quilt I made for my mom just a year or so after my dad died is what really propelled me into quilting. I had quilted a little bit before that but 18 years or so ago is when I really got into it. The quilt pattern is called “Sadie’s Choice Rose” and I found the pattern and the fabric in one of my first trips to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania – the rest is history – if you haven’t gotten addicted to quilting after visiting that area you never will 🙂
We just moved mom to an assisted care apartment complex complete with nursing staff and I was looking at the quilt while I was making her bed and thought how poorly quilted it was – my hand quilting has come a long way since then. She has told me though this week that she has already been getting complements on it!
Karen
Doreen says
Actually it’s a quilt I made using flower appliques from a tablecloth that was my grandmother’s. I blogged about it here: http://treadlemusic.wordpress.com/2012/02/08/creating-a-memory/ That quilt was given to my daughter-in-law and I have enough of the flowers remaining to make myself one. Everyone has a role model and, for me, she was the one!-D
Sandra Timmons says
I learned to quilt in the 90’s. I took a class after work and made a lap quilt. I need to learn the basics because I wanted to make a cat quilt on behalf of my black and white cat. The cat was done in black and white with a gray background. I ran out of the gray background and had to put the quilt on hold and had to wait for the gray fabric to be backordered. The quilt was finally done. The lady that did the quilting for me told me to enter the quilt in our fair. The quilt took lst place and a lady wanted to buy the quilt. My husband and myself were so touched and honored that this quilt created so much attention that we were in tears. My cat later died of cancer, but is a quilt I will love and cheris forever.
Sandi T.
sandit1@sbcglobal.net
Helen says
When I was learning to sew my mother had a stash of fabric hidden under her bed. She wouldn’t let me have any of it. She used to sew when I was little, but it was only to save money and I don’t think she ever enjoyed it. When my father was dying I went to visit them. My mother told me that I could have some her fabric, there was a fraction of what there had been twenty five years before. I have no clue where the rest went. I took the few pieces of cotton, including a floral that was vintage early 70’s. Amazingly when I went to see what I could get to go with it the retro movement was well under way so I got some bright oranges, pinks and greens. I really love my vintage/retro quilt!
Judy Pirtle says
My baby quilt was appliqued by my mother and quilted by my grandmother, great grandmother and neighbors. When my mother was pinning the appliques to the fabric, she used her very pregnant torso as her table. The story is that I kicked and ripped the pattern. My grandfather roared with laughter. I am 61 and feel like a little girl when I think of this story. 🙂 That’s what makes quilts so special. Not the fabric or pattern; it’s the people.
cityquilter grace says
i have a small quilt i made while living in a homeless shelter. even though there was chaos all around me and in my life every day, i made the effort to pick up a few FQ of fabric, a needle, scissors and thread and piece this quilt of summery sailboats. every time i hang it up (august) it makes me think of those days and how much comfort the hand piecing and quilting brought to me and how fortunate i was that i had such a peaceful place to go even with people all around me.
Deborah Harmon says
I have a scrappy baby quilt quilt my husband’s aunt made when I was pregnant with our first child in 1980. I sewed clothing then and that little quilt was just a wonder to me! I never dreamed I would make many quilts like that one! I gave it to my daughter and I hope she has a child some day to use it. Debbie in WV
Ellen says
The first quilt I finished about 12 years ago is still on our bed. I can see so many imperfections now, but my husband loves it and won’t hear of me changing it for anything else.
Rita E in AZ says
My daughter’s great aunt made a quilt in the early 1980s with embroidered quilt squares of people from other countries bordered and backed with green gingham. She used it every day (and I think she may have spent some time trying to remove the embroidery floss as it started to fray). I still have the quilt (it just has an outline of people on each block with no embroidery floss remaining). I hope to some day take it apart and re-embroider the blocks and replace the green gingham borders and backing (for a grand child?)
Dorothy Schreyer says
Although I would love to say it was my first that I made or the ones I got from my grandmother, but oops those aren’t done, still just flimsies…so it would have to be the courthouse quilt I did for my Mom, for Christmas of 1999, it is southwesterny colors with Kokapelis on the fabrics. She took it to the hospital with her 2 weeks later when she had a blood clot in her arm, followed by a severe stroke 2 days later, that took her home to be with the Lord. After we lost her, my 4yr old dgd slept with it for about a year whenever she missed her Nana.
Kelly Grace says
I took a sampler class and made my first quilt. While I was making that I decided to work on making quilts for my friends 2 girls. They are like my own kids and I just had to make quilts for Xmas. Finished their quilts before I finished my sampler quilt from class, even took one on vacation to finish the binding. If I remember correctly it had it’s own suitcase!
Margaret says
I had a quilt that my gramma made for me before she died. I used it until it was so ratty my mom said it could not be fixed and she threw it away. To this day I wish I still had that quilt no matter how ratty.
patti says
i am fortunate to have a couple of quilts with great meaning… the grandmother’s flower garden top was made by my husband’s grandmother and given to me. just two years ago i finished quilting it, a 25 year project! when i moved i was given a quilt made by my small quilt group in 30s repro fabrics that each signed and wrote a nice sentiment which i will always cherish. and always at the foot of our bed is the quilt i made for my husband to celebrate our 15th anniversary. it was a two year labor of love made in secret — an english paper pieced pattern that he saw laying on the counter and commented that he really liked it. hand quilted and full of love. our house is filled with quilts that i made or antique ones that i bought or gifts from my sweetie. guess i should have one of those signs that says, “a quilter lives here” but then again it’s pretty obvious!
Diane says
I am the first (and only!) quilter in my family but my mother-in-law knew that I appreciated the beauty of handwork and she gave me several drawer scarves and table cloths that she lovingly embroidered. They are very special to me!
Johanna says
I have several quilts that my grandmother made for me. Funny, when you’re younger you really like to receive them as a gift and know that a lot of work went into them. As you get older, you have a different appreciation for them.
Claudia Wade says
In my earliest days of quilting, back in the early 1980’s, I made a very undistinguished twin size log cabin quilt. This was in the days before you could find good 100% cotton fabrics for quilting so some of the fabrics in this quilt are polyesters and some are rayons. It lived on my younger daughter Bridget’s bed until it became too tattered and worn. By the time she was in high school it was put away, but any time she was sick she would get it out to snuggle with it. It became known as her ‘sick in bed’ quilt. It still is called that to this day. She is now 35 and her beloved ‘sick in bed’ quilt has been awaiting some much needed repairs in my sewing room for a couple of years. I should get to it! Claudia Wade
Pat Bandura says
I have a quilt made by my Grandmother out of my Mother’s dress scraps. It is a grandmother’s garden quilt. My Grandmother passed when My Mom was 18 so I never knew her and the quilt was just a top until the 70’s when My Mom had it hand quilted by the Amish near Pittsburgh PA where she was living at that time. I remeber how proud my Mom was of that quilt and how privileged I felt when she put it on the bed I was using when visiting her. When My Mom passed that quilt came home with me
Mair says
Great comments!
I made a quilt for my parents’ 50th anniversary. They both loved it, but my mom was the kind of person who would put something away rather than use it. After my mom passed away and my dad was clearing out her closet, he found the quilt and put it on his bed. When he moved into assisted living, it went with him. I was very glad to see this quilt used rather than saved for … who knows what.
When my father passed away my sister made me an offer. She loved the quilt and suggested an exchange for the cross-stitched family tree she had made for their 50th. I took the offer, and now that quilt is on her bed. I’m glad it’s still in the family and is still loved.
pat says
my son’s first quilt. it was embriodiered blocks by family members and a dear friend pieced the blocks together and quilted it before I started quilting myself. he carried it everywhere with him and now almost all the embroidery is gone and it is thread bare! too delicate even to wash~my son has since placed it in his closet with his other treasures.
Julie L. says
My favorite quilt is one I made for my daughter when she was 2 in 1983. It is a log cabin in pastel colors and was made in the days before cutting mats and rotary cutters. All my seams were different so needless to say it had issues . I had to tie it out because it wouldnt lie flat. It became even more special because my daughter died when she was 4. I put the quilt away for years,then this year I took it out and took all the ties out. I took it to our church quilt group and had it quilted. I love it because of the story. My husband and I just had our pictures taken for our church directory and have the quilt in the picture with us.
Kate says
I have four quilts that are dear to me – my great-grandmother’s that she made for each of her children. I’ve been repairing them, bit by bit, over the past year. Three will go back to my aunts – my father’s will become mine.
Quiltinggranna says
One quilt of many I treasure was made by church friends of my parents when we moved away from a little town where my father was the minister. It must be about 50 years old. Signature blocks that have been embroidered. I remember most of the names, but not all the faces that go with them as I was a young girl. I now have it in my home as my parents are both deceased. Another quilt made by my husband’s grandmother when we married almost 42 years ago.
Jan O in STL says
My dad wrote a memoir in 1995 entitled ” A Legacy of Episodes,” a collection of over 50 stories, anecdotes, etc. For his 75th birthday I made him a quilt with the titles of the stories printed in each block. Now his memory is gone, but his book and his stories, and this quilt, live on. You can see it here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/63060903@N02/5735568058/
Much as I love this quilt, I’d give it up in a heartbeat to be able to have a coherent conversation with this once articulate storyteller.
Quiltinggranna says
Forgot to add my husband’s grandmother lived on a large farm outside Brady, just south of you! My husband has been down there the last couple of days working and goes right through B’wood coming and going. Had to stop for Hard Eight BBQ while in Brady for supplies one day. He said it is closing next week. Bummer
Mary C in WA says
My Double Wedding ring quilt is my Heirloom. The top was made (all by Hand) by a little older lady that I would stop and visit on my way home from Elementary school. She asked my mom for a bag of scraps. I remember taking that big paper bag of scraps to her. When I received it at my Bridal Shower- I was shocked. My mom and Grandmother had hand quilted it for me. I’m so glad I have it! My Sister is soooo jealous that I got it and she didn’t. She hints that I can make her one…she wants it California King sized and hand quilted. LOL she’s a dreamer.
Debbie W says
I have a few quilts that are very special to me. One that I treasure is thread bare and worn but it was my baby quilt made by my mom. It has four blocks with kittens appliqued on it. My mom now usually does whole cloth quilts that she hand quilts and her stitches are beautiful and each one is stitched with love. I don’t know how many quilts she has made but I don’t think she has one as they have all been given to her children and grandchildren as well as a few friends.
Sandie says
Hi Judy…
All of my quilts are important to me, but the one that has the special place in my heart right now, is the one I designed for the final challenge round of the first McCalls Quilt Design Star Competition. Our Challenge was to design a quilt using our original entry as inspiration for a new design. I had loved the original quilt, and enjoyed reworking the elements in it to come up with something new. I could not come up with a name for it no matter how I tried, but one late night working on the silk ribbon pansies for the quilt, I was also chatting with a Facebook “friend”, and she shared a very personal story with me detailing the loss of her infant daughter, when she was born 3 months premature. She lived long enough to meet her parents and receive the name they had chosen for her… Sarah Beth. From that point on, I was unable to work on the quilt without thinking of her, and since Pansies signify remembrance and friendship, I named the quilt “Blooming Baskets for Sarah Beth” with her parents blessing. The quilt has been donated in her name to a non profit organization dedicated to helping improve the lives of women and children who have been victims of domestic abuse, in her honor. The plan to use it as a raffle quilt to raise funds to continue their work.
Cathi says
Unfortunately, I have no antique or family heirloom quilts. As far as I know, I’m the first “quilter” in my family. I’ve made a couple of quilts that I will cherish the rest of my life, others not so much although I still like the “putting together” part….not the actual quilting part!
Amy O'Donoghue says
When my children were small, I machine pieced a simple quilt two color quilt. My mom handquilted it for me. It has been the go to quilt for babies to play on , snuggling on the couch to watch movies, covering up for naps, and wrapping up when we are sick. The binding is in tatters, and there are a few small holes in it, but we cannot retire it because it is our favorite!
Alycia says
My Mom recently moved some boxes and found a quilt that my Grandma had made for me when I was little. Its really cute, with fussy cut dogs and cats with pastel blocks.. I have it hanging right next to my kitchen…
Bett says
I have one finished quilt and 2 tops that my paternal grandmother and great grandmother worked on. All three done in the 1800’s. They hand pieced them, but quilted them on a treadle sewing machine. The fabrics/colors in the finished quilt are called pumpkin and leaves (orange and greens with some brown) and was a very popular color combination during the War between the States. The aunt that had these and passed them on to me, learned to quilt when she was 80 years old. I had to teach her to use an electric sewing machine, so she could take a beginners class (I had to take the class with her, because she didn’t drive). She loved quilts, only completed the top from the class and after she died at age 100, I got that top. I plan on quilting it and giving it to her only grandchild.
Ann says
I have the last quilt top my mother hand pieced. I cut the pieces for her and took needles, thread and thimble to her at the nursing home. Even though she had Parkinson’s disease she stuck with it and finally got the top together. A few months after she passed away I had it quilted and now it’s put away. It is so special to me.
Billie says
Yes, the one on my bed, which was made by my mom (and my dad helped her pick the fabrics.) My mom got into quilting a few years after I did, and made everyone in the family a quilt but me. I asked her why she hadn’t made one for me and she said because I quilt so she didn’t think I’d want another one. Wrong! Having one made by my mother for me is my most treasured possession.
BillieSews
Sandy K says
I have the quilt from when I was a little girl. I am now 68 so that quilt
is quite old. I bring it out of the drawer and look at it and air it out then
I fold it up and put it away for another day to treasure.
Shelia says
I have quilted since 1989 and made my children a bunch of quilts, but the one that brings me the greatest joy (so far) is the one I made for my granddaughter Natalie. She was 2 and I kept her 5 days a week (as my son was a single Dad). She had started talking pretty good and loves our 3 dogs, chickens, strawberries and flowers. I made her a big twin size quilt with 3 dog blocks, in the correct colors, chicken blocks, strawberry blocks, hearts, flowers and a big house block. The house block was MaMa’s and PaPa’s house where she knew it was always full of love and hugs. I used Nancy Johnson Srebro’s Block Magic books for the blocks. She was the only grandchild then, she’s 5 now and has a little cousin who just turned 1, a new little cousin due in October and a baby brother/sister due probably in November. She doesn’t know about the new babies yet. Looks like I have a lot of special quilts and special moments coming up. I can’t wait!!
Gwen says
I have a quilt that my grandmother and my mother made for me when I was little. It is butterflies hand blanket stitched to muslin. The butterflies are made from scraps from my dresses. The blocks are hand stitched together with a sashing and it is hand quilted. My grandmother passed away when I was 7 or 8. I remember playing under the quilt frame that hung from the ceiling of her living room. I sometimes was allowed to push a needle back up through the quilt. My mother taught me to piece a nine patch about the time Nanny died.
My only daughter will get the quilt someday. She is a quilter and already sees it as a treasure as do both of her quilting daughters. I am very fortunate to have such a legacy and to pass it on. The grandaughters made their first quilt for my mother when they were four and seven!
Kay Sorensen says
Of course I have a special quilt.
I started it for my oldest son before he was born.
I didn’t finish it until his birthday.
His 29th!
So it is in pristine condition and I still am it’s caretaker!
Bev in NC says
One of my early quilts was made for the middle son – the first son to get his quilt. I considered it a lap quilt, but apparently he did not. A few years ago when he bought a queen size bed, he told me he was going to have to buy a comforter, since he could no longer sleep under the quilt I made him which he had done EVERY SINGLE NIGHT since I gave it to him, which had been several years. Needless to say, he now has a new queen size quilt made with love by Mom.
Angie C says
My son has a very well loved quilt made by my Aunt Wendy when he was born. After 12 years of use it is very worn but he has no intention of giving it up 🙂 I hope the quilts I have given are as cherished.
Judy P says
I still have the hand made quilt I had when I was in grade school. It was in yellow rectangular patches and was hand tied. It was made by the ladies from our church. I don’t use it– it’s starting to tear as it is 50 years old. But it is still beautiful to me.
WiAmy says
I bought 2 pieced tops from one of my quilt mentors last spring. I quilted one of them and I will quilt the other one sometime this year. I have some fun documentation and pictures to go along with the tops.
terri says
My great gramdmother @ 81 made one for my son, in 1981. She used the fabric paints since she couldnt see to embroidery anymore. It was very well worn and he owns it now.
KT says
When I was young, my mother took a quilting class and made a quilt of my life for me–I don’t know how many years it took her to make it–at least 8. It is made of 12″ squares, with squares depicting our house, our animals, my hobbies, schools (including college), friends, etc. She used a quilt as you go method on it, and each night when I went to bed she would bring up the part of it that was done and lay it on top of me.
Diana W. says
That is so sweet!
NancyB says
I made Eleanor Burns’ Christmas Log Cabin Wreath years ago. It was my first quilt project. I have used it every Christmas since. So many happy Christmas memories.
Leslie Sorenson says
They are all special but one in particular holds me in God’s hands. When my DS Stephen passed away in 2009, my BFF and quilter Barbara made me a quilt from his shirts. I will treasure it forever and hope that it becomes a family heirloom.
Debbie says
I have a family quilt from who knows what era – the Depression era, for sure. My mother, who quilts, has no appreciation for it. Don’t tell her I said that but she cannot believe I still have it. My great uncle was a garbage man. He would bring home the scraps from the factories and my great aunt used what he picked to make utilitarian quilts. It needs repair. I love it. I don’t know if I’ll ever part with it but I don’t know who would take it and the history of it.
Thanks, Judy….
Marlene says
I have a quilt my mother made when she was still a teen. Her brother smoked the kind of cigarettes that you roll up – the tobacco came in small (like 2″ x 4″) muslin sacks. She and her mother saved the sacks, unstitched them, dyed them and made them into a quilt. It was only when she was in her 70s that she would willingly use new fabric to make a quilt! blessings, marlene
Becky in Georgia says
My son had several baby quilts. His grandma (my MIL) made him a special quilt to go with the nursery. She drew some applique animals and hand quilted the whole thing. I’ve kept it for him. I never could use it. We used others she made, but this one has remained special.
I do know the part of I 10 that you mentioned. I got such good memories of Louisiana just reading her name:) Thanks for some great memories!
Elizabeth says
I have a quilt that was made for my grandma. She lived up in the Ozarks and all her neighbors embroideried a square and my great aunt sewed them together and quilted it. When I was a little girl my mom would cover me with it when I was sick but that was the only time anyone could use it. A few years ago my mom come to visit us when we were in Oklahoma and she brought the quilt for me to keep. Every once in awhile I bring it out and read all the names, I wish it wasn’t falling apart I would love to be able to put it on the guest bed and have our friends enjoy it too!
Diana W. says
Me being a quilter, I have a few quilts around here 😛 My favorites are ones that were given to me as gifts however. Two were baby quilts when my daughter was born. I used them a little but like you, I mostly kept them in good condition and they will be handed down if I have any grandchildren. One is from a good friend of mine. When I was ill a couple years ago and in the hospital, my friend came to see me when I got home and brought me a quilt she had made. She doesn’t often give her quilts away unless it was made for you so it meant a lot to me that she made that gesture.
Deb Shetler says
My favorite quilt is a log cabin quilt made with all green fabris and a blue center square. Definitely not the traditional colors for a log cabin quilt but it’s special to me because my mom and I spent hours at the local quilt shop picking out all the fabrics. She made it in 1982 and hand quilted the whole thing for me. I still use it and treasure it today.
Toni in TN says
I have the quilt my paternal grandmother made as a wedding gift for my parents. She died before I was born so this quilt is a way I feel connected to her.
Margery says
I have two old quilts made by my grandmother (who died before I was born). They are both simple wholecloth Durham quilts, made in County Durham in the UK where she and my mother and aunts lived. One is green – pale on one side and medium on the other, and one is pale yellow on one side and darker on the other. They are the only thing I have of my grandmother’s – I think her other things probably went to my mother’s sisters, and Mum died nearly five years ago so I can’t ask her now that I’m interested!
Marilyn Smith says
I have 2 quilts. One is an old crazy quilt that has been in the family for a number of generations. It is literally falling apart. Very dusty and threadbare in many spots.
My favorite quilt was handmade by my MIL for our first child. Not knowing what flavor we were expecting it was bordered in yellow with bunnies appliqued on white background squares. They had puffy bunny tails. A darling quilt that was well used. I have used it again with our 2 grandchildren when we had them overnight. I will hand it down to Scott (the one is was made for). I doubt that he will ever have children as he is in his 40’s and so is his girlfriend.
Brenda in KY says
The first quilt I ever made is a wallhanging that currently hangs in my kitchen. It is hand-quilted. The binding is too wide. I have learned so much since then, but I am still proud of it!
Bev Hoek says
My Mother passed away when I was four years old. One of my Aunts had a baby quilt my Mother made and she gave it to me 25 years ago. It is an embroidered piece and I cherish every stitch.
Debbie says
When My grandmother passed away in 1980 my mom and her six sisters found some quilt tops… mom got a couple and quilted them and gave me one for Christmas. After “petting” it I realized that one of the fabrics used was from the dress I wore in my kindergarten picture. I was 18 when grandmother died… I still find it amazing that that quilt with that fabric made it to me!….
Jennifer says
My most special quilt is the one my mom made me from a bunch of my Girl Scout quilts. I use it a lot but take very good care of it so that I can pass it down to my daughter one day (she is just starting her girl scout journey).
Barbara says
My mother did not quilt, but she did beautiful embroidery and cross stitch. I have my baby quilt which my mother embroidered and my grandmother pieced and hand quilted. I think they were hoping for a boy, because it is yelow, white and blue! I display it in my office, over the back of an inherited rocking chair. Both the quilt and rockwr are over 60 years old.
Kathaleeny says
I have a quilt my Aunt Irene made for me in 1948. There’s no sign of the pink satin binding that I can still feel with my fingers when I close my eyes and think of it. When my daughter was born 40 years later and I was struggling financially Aunt Reenie gave me $200 and said $100 had to be spent on me because she knew I was putting everything in to the baby. I took a quilt class with Pat Birmingham in Shreveport and that’s when it all began. Two years ago I took a class with Judy. All my life’s a circle.
Nancy says
The quilts I treasure the most contain blocks that my mother made in the 30s or 40s. My sisters and I found a treasure trove of hand-appliqued blocks (Sun Bonnet Sue, Butterflies, and Stars) after our Mother’s death. We divided the blocks and each made quilts.
judy says
I still have the first big quilt I ever made. It was suppose to be for my big brother’s wedding, but he never got it. By the time I got it finished he had already divorced. Its really ugly but its my first!!!
Judy
Janna says
I have a quilt which belonged to my great-grandmother. When my sweet Grandma asked me in the presence of my sister if I would like to have it of course I said yes–way before I ever thought of quilting. When we got out to the car my sister said to me, “what made you the favored granddaughter today??” I replied, “I don’t know but I’m taking it today!” Grandma and I had a special relationship, she was a nurse as am I.
Helen Koenigl says
My grandmother made 3 gorgeous 1″ hexagon Grandmother’s Flower Garden quilts – one for my mom, one for my sister and the other for me. Two of them were identical – but the third was very similar but definitely all mine. All 3 were hand sewn and hand quilted – just gorgeous!
Unfortunately the time was in the 40’s and sometimes the new fabric was not of the best quality – and such was the case at least of mine. Regardless, I cherished that quilt – even after over 50% of the centers of each hexie had gone. It brought memories of my grandmother to me, of sunny Sunday afternoons sewing doll clothes, watching my grandmother make this quilt. The “flowers” reminded me of the blooming iris in her garden, of lilac “season” – lol, even of spring cleaning and my rug beating chores.
Some years later I tried to see what – if anything – could be done to restore the beautiful quilt – but it would have to be almost a complete re-do. Still – I keep that quilt – it’s sunniness of the backing and border cheer me – and I would like to think that perhaps I am helping to carry on the quilting tradition in our family today. At least I’ve started another “hexie” quilt of flowers and although I certainly don’t have my grandmother’s expertise, it has a bit of our family history with it.
JoAnn says
There was no one in my family who quilted, so I have no treasures that have been passed down from my family. My husband’s grandmother and great aunt were prolific quilters though, and my mother in law has some of the quilts they made. They are simple applique quilts, but treasured nonetheless. Someday I will inherit those quilts. In the meantime, I get to see them and/or sleep under them when we visit my mother in law.
Sandra says
My most cherished quilt is one from my Granny Lofton. It was a Grandmother’s Flower Garden, made out of silk or rayon fabrics that was the scraps from her “sunday-go-to-meeting” dresses. It was on her bed from the earliest time I could remember as a child. When I graduated from high school, she gave me that quilt. Some of the hexagons have completely worn away, but I still treasure that old quilt.
Lynne says
My lap quilt was made with fat qtrs from a trip to the US from the UK . My best friend and I flew to boston for a leap peeping, quilt shopping trip. 2 years later I moved to th US and she moved back home to New Zealand. Every time I look at it, it reminds me of all the fun we had together and that 14 hour time difference and umpteen thousand miles doesnt seem so bad
Ava says
My mom was a patchwork quilter. She quilted by hand. She tied some of her quilts when she was in a hurry. She enjoyed making them and I’ve enjoyed using them for many years. They’ve been well used and loved. The one I use most is a bow tie red, blue and white quilt. I hope I can give my children something that will be as well loved as Mom’s quilts have been for me.
Ray J says
When I first started quilting in the late 90’s, I was part of a small mail list. Those women actually taught me to quilt long distance. When I got married (at 50 – actually remarried), they made me a neutral quilt. One of the members of the group was Bonnie Hunter, and she custom quilted the quilt. I cherish that quilt for the love I received from those wonderful women!!
Bonita says
I have the last quilt my Grandmother pieced before she passed, she had run short of fabric so some of the bow ties are pieced together. I love how frugal people were.
Bonita
Janet says
the first quilt I made is truly very awful, but I kept it because… My cat, who is now 17, took a liking to it several years ago, and drags it all around with him. He thinks it’s priceless!
Kate says
I’m pretty attached to a pair of 1930’s flower garden quilts my great aunt made. She was the only woman who did any quilting in the family. She had lots of kids and a huband etc. and did these both by hand. She was my insperation to make the one (and only) totally by hand quilt I’ve made. I figure if she could do it with all her responsiblities, I ought to be able to make one since I dont have any kids. My hats off to the women of the past…
Cathy says
My grandmother worked at an underwear factory when she first got married. She didn’t drive and every day after work she went home with a friend until my Grandpa got off work and could come pick her up. Everyday after work she worked on a quilt. She got married in 1929. The quilt was all red and white and the pattern was Hearts and Gizzards. The year she celebrated her 50th wedding anniversary she gave me that quilt. It will always be special because I think of all those days she spent piecing that quilt after work. It was hand pieced and hand quilted.
Regina says
I have two “quilts” that are only blocks … one is the tattered remains of the quilt my grandmother made me. Sadly at one point it was folded and placed too near an air conditioning vent and picked up moisture and mildewed. I saved some blocks an plan to remake it. The other blocks came with our home -it was an estate sale and the owners, two cousins, had given us the opportunity to go through the house and purchase any furniture and other items before they sold them off. I found a bunch of Cathedral Window blocks in the attic – and put them with our stuff to buy. The one cousin told me I could not buy them… thinking they were family items I put them back… but she came back to me with them and said “no – you can’t buy them because I want to GIVE them to you … just please finish Monica’s quilt one day”
Eileen Foley says
No one in my family sewed, so I have no “heritage” quilts. The quilt I treasure most is the first quilt I made, almost 30 years ago when my daughter (my first child) was about 3 years old. It is appliqued bears on a background of white with brown pindots. DD hasn’t asked for it back yet, so I still take out now and then. I STILL have small portions of that fabric, and am slowly using it up in scrap quilts.
Linda says
The first quilt I made was made while my Mom and Dad were very sick with cancer (unfortunately they both succumbed to the disease), each time I went down to visit I took my quilt to hand quilt on a hoop. Anyone that came to visit my mom would spread out the quilt so that they could see. After they died I had to put it away for several months but it is finished and on my bed…falling apart now (I did lots of stuff wrong that I didn’t know!) but it is so soft and has wonderful memories for me
Sherry Moran says
I have several quilts my grandmother made and I love them all, but I didn’t start quilting until after she was gone. She’d be so thrilled to know I was quilting! Since I didn’t know any better, I asked her to make me a quilt in the 1970’s. Do you know what material was being used in the 70’s? Polyester!! Bless her heart, she made and even hand-quilted that thing! Every time I use it, I bless her and think of her poor fingers as she quilted that heavy polyester. She never told me, but if I’d known then, what I know now, I wouldn’t have done that to her. A grandmother’s love is a wonderful thing!
crystal karley says
Hi Judy
I loved your quilt story. My quilt story is about my mother in law. She was a lovely women and I miss her badly. She would make clothes and especially quilts for my children. My kids loved her and her quilts. The quilts were all meant to be used and loved. On the day she died my kids were inconsolable and I couldn’t get them to settle down for bed. Then I had a idea. I opened up the linen closet and had the kids pick their favourite quilt their Nanna had made for them. They settle down to bed even though there was more tears. I have always felt that my kids felt their Nanna’s love that night through the love she put into her quilts.
Thanks for sharing your quilt story and I hope you liked mine.
Crystal
Janet says
I have a quilt that my Grandmother made out of men’s neckties. She asked all her children for ties but still did not have enough. She told my Mom that she still did not have enough ties and Mom called the funeral home to see if they had “extra ties”. The funeral director said they had lots of ties since people would bring in 2 or 3 and tell them to use the one that looked best. Mom picked them up and Grandma finished her quilt.
AnnieO says
Judy, what a sweet story! I love that little quilt. My story is also about a baby quilt. When I was pregnant with my first child a baby shower was thrown for me by my mom’s friends and a dear neighbor made a quilt. I was flabbergasted that she would put such effort into a quilt for a neighbor. She obviously thought I was having a boy as it was all in blues and creams and had fussy cut bears in the patchwork. She turned the backing to the front and used a grossgrain ribbon to cover the cut edge, which I thought was so clever. This was years before I started quilting but I will always keep that quilt and love it. She was right about the baby’s gender, as my first born is my son Nick and he used it a lot 🙂
Linda(Petey) says
One special quilt I have is a doll quilt made by my great-grandma. She made it for my mother when she was very small and Mother will be 90 in June. It is a yellow (my favorite color) wholecloth. Her tiny stitches make the design and it is beautiful. It has a matching pillowcase with her embroidery on it. Such a treasure to me…when I quilt I feel very connected to all the grandmothers in my family as well as my husband’s. I am so proud to be a grandma now!
Jane says
Yes! I have a quilt my mama made from old clothing and it is as precious to me as any valuable antique. Mama, who is about to turn 93, much prefers even still to do outdoor work, so making quilts was a real “have to” thing for her to do. I think there are a total of three that she ever made. One is on the bed where I sleep whenever I go home and we always spend time tracing our fingers over the fabrics and remembering the dresses and shirts they came from.
Peggy says
I have a doll bed or bassenet quilt that is hand embroidered. I don’t know how old the quilt is as I have never seen anything that is comparable to the sashing and border. It is a peachy flesh color. I am not sure if the quilt was made for me or for my Mom. I am thinking my Mom, because of the general look. It has a stain on it that to me looks like blood, but for me that just add character. I love the quilt even if it is small and just tied.
Karen B says
My husband and I took a Valentine’s Day class at a local quilt shop. The husbands were to do all the cutting and the wives all the sewing. It was such a fun evening for all the couples involved. That quilt holds special memories for me.
Sarah N says
Probably my most treasured quilt is my very first quilt – which is actually technically my daughter’s! I made this quilt for her when she was only a year old. What makes it extra special is that my mom hand quilted it for us! It is one of those quilts that she is not allowed to use on her bed – only because she would love it to death! I am hoping to someday make a quilt with Maddie (my daughter) and my mom.
Vicki W says
That is a real treasure!
Melinda says
I have a quilt I made for my mother for Mother’s Day a few years before she died. She mistreated it and it is faded and shabby but it is my favorite quilt to take a nap with. I think of her every time I use it.
Vivian oaks says
My special quilts aren’t any that I’ve made. My bed has 2 quilts on it right now that were made by my DH’s mother and grandmother. The one my MIL made is a simple 9-Patch. It’s got some ripped seams that need repaired, but it’s still in good shape. The one from my DH’s grandmother is all wool on the front – old suits, blankets, and who-knows-what, the back is a plaid flannel, and I was told the batting is horse hair. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but it was definitely a utilitarian quilt. I swear it must weigh 10 pounds! I wouldn’t trade either of them! They are reminders of my husband’s ancestors that I’ll always treasure.
Dee says
The first quilt I ever made was for my mom. It was a BOM from JoAnn Fabrics. I’ve certainly learned a lot since then (like how important a quarter inch seam is), but she still uses it on her bed and it has been well loved. I’ve made many quilts since then, but that’s the one that started me on my love affair with quilting!
Patty says
y mother made a wedding ring all had stitched and quilted and gave it to me. Over the years she has given several quilt but that one is by far my most favorite. She is unable to sew any more because of macular degeneration, so it’s more important to me now.
HeideW says
I lost both my mother and mother-in-law to the same type of brain tumor that Ted Kenndy had. They died within a year of each other. I made quilts for both of them upon their diagnosis. I had two days to make a quilt for my MIL. Wanted my husband to take it back to PA with him on the plane. Luckily, I had a flower panel on hand. Took no time to sew it , quilt it and add the binding. Too make along story short, once my MIL got that quilt it never left her side. Felt bad for my SIL. Mom would not go to bed or sleep unless she had that quilt! She would not go anywhere without it. A real challenge to get it away long enough to wash it. Never understood her behavior, as I never thought we were all that close. I guess I’ll never know. I do miss her though.
Sarah in MI says
My favorites are the handquilted quilts that my mom and grandma have made for my kids. I know each is stitched with so much love! I never made something for the kids myself, because I thought these are almost more special because of the generations. Mom made my son a whole-cloth with Katy from “Katy and the Big Snow” as the center medallion, and is working on a pre-printed floral whole-cloth for my daughter. And since the kids are growing up with a quilter in the house, hopefully they’ll know how to treasure and care for the quilts!
Bernice says
I think my favorite quilt is the one I am working on now. It is for my Brother for his 50th birthday. He and I and my son are last of our family and means so much to me. I hope he loves it as much as I love him.
Roberta says
When my father was 4-5 years old he embroidered some squares, my aunt had them made into a quilt. It’s very dear to me as dad been dead since 71. This was all before I was making quilts or even married.
Hugs!!!!
jmniffer says
When my first son was born my eldest sister gave him a recieving quilt. It was a wonderful gift and we used it for years. Happily it is in good shape and I was able to save it for the time when he has a child and I can pass it along to him. My sister has since passed and having this memory of her to share is a wonderful thing.
Cindy in NC says
My grandmother kept chickens most of her life. She bought feed at a small store owned by one of her sisters (who happened to be married to my grandfather’s brother). In the late 90’s, while on a visit home to Louisiana, my mother got all of the remaining feedsacks. She used them to make a quilt, which she gave to me. It is hand quilted, and she put little chickens in the cornerstones of the sashing. When my mother died, instead of a spray of flowers we draped her casket with this quilt. If I ever have to leave my house in a disaster, this quilt goes with me.
Marla Willier says
I made a little pieced rocking horse for my son when we adopted him 23 years ago. It was from a pattern that my grandmother had in an ancient magazine. I sewed garments but had never made a pieced quilt before. It turned out really cute and I saved it for him after he outgrew his little crib. The top was polycotton and the back was flannel. Everytime I see the little quilt it makes me smile thinking of what a tiny tiny little baby he was at 5lbs.
Melinda says
I have two special quilts. I was born in Austin Tx and the neighbor lady and her mother made a Sunbonnet Sue for my twin bed out of scraps from my dresses. My Grandmother made most of my clothes so she supplied the scraps. The blanket stitching is awesome. The other special quilt is a scrap quilt made by my Grandmother. Both are hand quilted and I treasure them. They both show a little wear but are in pretty good shape.
Karen says
We have the baby quilt made for my husband by his Nana (grandma). She also made a Sunbonnet Sue quilt for our 1st daughter. She passed away in 1992. We also have a quilt (applique) made by my husband’s great grandma (Ma Lee) who I never met but she made quilts to sell.
Ana Earl says
When I made my first big quilt, I wanted it to be hand-pieced. I had never made a quilt with a pattern or a block so I took lessons from a group of ladies at the extension office when we lived in Greensburg Ks. from 1986-87. I worked so hard on that quilt, even made my stencil patterns out of cereal box cardboard, used scissors to cut out the block pieces.
I was and am so proud of this quilt for you see, on May 4,2007 an EF-5 tornado leveled that town. I often think about all of my friends there who lost all their quilts that they so loved. When we went through the fire scares here in Texas last year that quilt was the first thing that went in the car. It may not be the best quilt I have made, the points might not match but the memory of making it and where it was made is so special.
Dana says
I have two quilts that were made by my great-grandmother in the 1940’s and a quilt that my grandmother made for her wedding in 1924.. Knowing (and loving) the women who made these treasures makes them all the more precious.
Lee says
I have a wool quilt, presently in disrepair as my mom took the backing & batting off to replace them, that was made by my grandmother from old Pendleton jackets. I remember it well from childhood and the numerous times that it ‘visited’ the cleaners and was returned neatly folded in a plastic cleaner bag. Re-assembling it (it was originally tied) is another one of those projects I intend to finish before I’m gone.
Deanna says
One of my very early quilts is a sort of scrappy, large-block, trip around the world that is tied. The binding is AWFUL! But, I gave it to my parents and they insist on having it out on the couch all the time. I have asked if I could take it back and at least re-do the binding,but they always say “No.” I have made them other quilts, but that one still stays out. It was truly a gift of love and the best I could do at the time. I guess that is why it means something to both of us, even if it is a little embarrassing.
Linda Kay says
When I married in June 1972, my grandmother, ‘Mama” made a beautiful star quilt (pieced and quilted by hand) and gave it to me for a wedding present. I put that quilt on our bed and we used it daily for about five years. Mama went to heaven. Oh,how I wish I would have asked her to teach me to quilt. She did teach me to crochet. I have the quilt in my cedar chest, and sometimes I take it out to just admire her handiwork! And remember how blessed I was to have her for my ‘Mama”.
Kathleen says
I’m the first quilter in the family, so don’t have any quilts made by someone else. I do have some beautiful Barbie clothes made by a family friend who was just like a grandma to me. I’m not a Barbie fan, but these outfits are special and have special memories of Regina.
Verna says
I have a simple quilt that I made when my boys were young. Every other block was white, and I put their hand and footprints on those with paint and had them draw pictures and write their names. It’s hard to believe now that their hands and feet were ever that small.
Diane Wagner says
Yes, I have a quilt that a dear friend of mine made for me. She made it all by hand. She hand stitched the patches, embroidered several woodland animals and plants as well as hand quilting the full size bed quilt. This was truly a gift of love which I will always cherish.
Mel Meister says
I have an antique yo-yo quilt that came from somewhere on my mother’s side of the family. It is gorgeous! I also have a very elaborate applique that I personally don’t care for, but I know that it’s a stunning quilt. Both very old…
Marge in Louisiana says
I pieced a four patch quilt in the 50’s with fabric from my clothes, my brothers PJs and what ever was around. My grandfather designed the quilting motif for the plain blocks in between and my grandmother quilted it closely enough so that it has not fallen apart. It was the on stage quilt for a high school production of “THE QUILT about 6 years ago by one of the local high schools. It has so many memories that it is my treasure.
Lorraine says
My most special quilt is the first one I ever handquilted. It is a grandmother’s flower garden…..made with fabrics purchased in the mid-70’s before there were very cottons available. It was my first summer out of high school and I was working as a mother’s helper near Chicago. Home was a farm in MI and I was terribly homesick. Working on the quilt helped me get through that summer. And then several years later, my sister-in-law and I quilted it. We talked about family, watched soap operas and ate malted milk balls. Great times!
Andi Stanfield says
I have the first quilt my mother made. The pattern is actually in the book “Quilts Quilts Quilts.” It’s panels of flowers and butterflies, and she made it in awesome shades of 70’s gold, burnt orange, and bright pink. I took it to college and it’s one of the things I would definitely try to save if the house were on fire!
Beth says
My MawMaw was a quilter. I thought everyone grew up around it, because that was all I knew. When I was in my mid-twenties, life took a turn and I wound up living next door to MawMaw. We did a lot of sewing, cutting, and planning quilts together.
MawMaw did all her piecing and quilting by hand.
My favorite quilt is an applique “Colonial Lady”, the one with the big umbrella! I cut out all the pieces for both our quilts, and she appliqued hers and I did mine. The blocks are huge, like 18″ tall and 14″ wide, something like that!
Then she quilted mine for me!! It is on a quilt rack in my living room where I see it all the time and remember MawMaw.
Beth
Pat McGuire says
I have the blocks from a Sunbonnet Sue quilt that was on my bed all my growing up years until I went off to college. It was falling apart so my mother took it apart to replace the sashing. I had always thought my grandmother had made it, but I don’t know it for sure. Anyway, my mom passed away before she ever got the quilt repaired. Luckily, my dad put it in her cedar chest for safe keeping. I discovered it there two years ago when my father passed. I brought it home like a treasure and now the blocks are waiting for me to resash them. I will.
Kathy C says
I have a half finished applique quilt that I have worked on over the years that my grandmother had started. She passed away in the late 80’s and had worked on it for a while before that. My mom did a bit of work on it but was not a quilter. I am not an applique quilter so the going is slow. I will probably pass it on to my daughter, still as a work in progress. By then it will be REALLY vintage fabric but will have been worked on by 4 generations.
Janet says
There are several quilts in my house that were made by various friends for my children when they were born. My favourite is a gawdy thing – made with old ties in Dresden plates on a hot pink background. But it is lovely and it reminds me of the lovely woman who made it for my middle daughter. She used to babysit for me when my kids were small. And it reminds me of those days when they were young too. A stressful time sometimes but cherished memories regardless.
Diana in TX says
I have a very scrappy bow tie quilt that was made by an elderly lady in Drift, KY. I was one of the adults on a kids mission trip from our church to that part of the country. Emma would not hear of myself and one of the other ladies along not taking two of her quilt tops. Jeanne took the postage stamp one and I took the bow tie top. It’s all from dress scraps and what not but still a treasure. I also have several quilts my Mother made and the last one she quilted before she died. And there is also the quilt Dad figures his grandmother made. back to the Ky quilt-found a picture I had taken of her, she had to be in her 70’s then if not older. Really need to put her picture on the back of the quilt with a little story it.
Joan in NE says
I have two quilts that mean the world to me. One is a seven sisters red and white quilt that my maternal grandmother made. The other is a yellow and prints, shoo fly that my paternal grandmother made. I hadn’t known they existed until we were cleaning my Mothers home after she passed, they were in a trunk in the attic. My older siblings knew the story of them and because I was the only quilter in the family I inherited them. I do cherish them so much as I didn’t get to know either of these talented ladies, they both had passed before I was born. So I still have a piece of them even though I never knew them in person. I really feel like they wrap their arms around me when I wrap up in one of the quilts.
Mary says
I have only been given one from a mere acquaintance and it just blew me away to think someone would be so giving and bless me with something like that. my favorite is a quilt that I made for my grandma who is now deceased–when I am under it snuggling it reminds me of her and how proud she was of me for learning to quilt.
Bobbie BentNeedle says
Back in the late 40’s, my mother and her baby sister moved from the family farm (in South Taylor County) to the Big City (Abilene). They worked together at Langford’s, which was a sewing factory there that made military uniforms. Somehow, they wound up getting a BUNCH of pieces of olive drab twill fabric, and my grandmother made “the ugly quilt” – identical “bricks” of OD green twill in an offset brick pattern – BOTH sides are the same. In the middle, 2 wool army blankets. Not technically a quilt, because it’s tied – with Christmas red crochet cotton. The pretty quilts I had that Nannie made disappeared years ago – oh how I miss the beautiful DWR with the butter yellow background and old rose backing… but the “ugly” quilt has been through camping trips, a ground cloth at picnics, doubled as a moving pad for some furniture, never slept under because it’s so heavy you can’t move if it’s on top of you, and now it rides in my truck with me on my daily commute. If I ever get stranded in a blizzard here, near Houston, I will have my Nannie’s “indestructable ugly quilt” to keep me warm – it makes me smile every time I open the back door of my truck and see it ;0)
Teresa in Music City says
I started my first quilt in the early 80’s – a hand-pieced Grandmother’s Flower Garden made with scraps from clothes I had made myself and my little sister, as well as a few scraps my grandmother gave me. It was meant to be a gift for my grandmother who had taught me to love sewing and all things crafty. However, she died of cancer before I could finish it, so it went into a box in my attic. After about 10 years, I took it down and began working on it again, but just on and off. Six years ago when I met the ladies in my current sewing group and discovered the joy of quilting as it is today, I got that quilt down and finished it! Every time I look at that quilt I remember my Granny and how much I loved her…. still do…. always will !!!!
Kathy Rockey says
My most special one was hand embroidered and pieced by my Mother, who was not much of a quilter, but did beautiful handwork. I had a quilt with baby aminals she embroidered when I was a little girl, she hand quilted it. When my daughter grew up and left home, Mother was already gone, but there was an old top she had embroidered that I found in her things. I finished it and gave it to my daughter. It feels the most like Mother is still with us, and still giving her warm love to Mary, even now. I love that quilt, it is “her” and it is love.
Nina says
one quilt I have is one that I made with some fabrics given to me by my Grandma. lots of them are scraps from tops that she made for herself so when I see them I remember her wearing the tops.
Julie in WA says
I am the first real quilter in the family. But when my sister and I were young, my mom would make clothes for our dolls, and she made a small doll quilt that I still have. It is very special, made from leftover plaid pants fabrics.
candace says
I have a quilt that was made by my husband’s step mom. It is just 6 inch patches sewn side by side and tied with yarn but it means alot to me because they are both gone now. I remember the Christmas she gave this to us. After she passed I finished the one that she had started for my brother in law but never got to finish before the cancer took her away from us. That was right after I started learning to quilt! Time sure flies by….
Mary says
I am a retired Family and Consumer Science Teacher (Home Ec, to many) and I have a couple of small wallhanging quilts that were made in my clothing classes. I challenged each student (the classes were small) to make a quilt block to go in the quilt, then I made more blocks and constructed the quilts. One year we did embroidered blocks that represented each month of the year. The other year we did paper-pieced houses. The quilts then hung in my classroom for many years. I have many fond memoried of those girls, and am proud to say that I know that at least two of them are now quilters.
Carla in Ma says
My Grandmother started quilting when she was in her mid 60’s .
When she passed away shortly after making and hand quilting the quilt,
I became the proud owner of her one and only quilt.
I have to say I’m not crazy about the colors brown,orange, and off white. But this quilt means more to me than any quilt I could ever make.
If I had one wish it would be that my grandmother and I quilted just once together.
Laura says
Absolutely! My grandmother hand pieced and hand quilted a quilt for me from old clothing, etc. She was very thrifty out of necessity. She did this for most of her many grandchildren. It’s one of my most prized possessions.
Sherry says
The very first quilt I made was a baby quilt with random pink squares and a flannel backing. I was so proud of my effort. But as soon as it was finished, I gave it to a friend for his baby granddaughter. He was so touched. Now I need to finish some more.
SharO says
Yes,I have a grandmothers flower garden baby quilt made for me by my grandmother in the early 40’s.
Cathy Stoddard says
My Mother and Great Grandmother were wonderful seamstresses. When I was a teenager in the ’70s I asked my Great Grandmother for a quilt. It was an Irish Chain in shades of blue. In the early ’80s she made me a DWR in REAL 30’s prints with bubble gum pink and that shade of green that was so popular. Both quilts were loved and used. I now have her treadle sewing machine she used to make them.
While not a quilter, my mother could sew ANYTHING! She made most of our clothes and I never remember her buying curtains or drapes – she made them. Can you remember in the fabric store when they used to tear the fabric after measuring instead of cutting? While the sound may be annoying to most, I enjoy hearing it. That ripping sound takes me back to a little girl sitting in the cart with anticipation. That sound usually meant I was getting something new. I lost my mother, at 61, in a car accident. I took some of her clothing, curtains she had made, and some things she had made for my daughter and made my first quilt. I know she would be proud of it.
sue says
About 30 years ago my sister made a double wedding ring quilt for me.At that time we went to fabric store and bought a variety of material now knowing that a quilt should be made of cotton. We3ll this quilt is a combination of materials, poly, cotton blends etc. Needless to say after the first washing the cottons shrunk and the rest did not. It only added to the beauty of this quilt. Now after 30 years I not only belong to three guilds, president of one, and have learned a lot since. This quilt has a place of honor in my guest room and have had many comments on how we got the puckers in.
Pam in KC says
I have the two satin airplane quilts which were made for my mom when she was a baby. I remember her telling me that as a child she asked her mom why there were planes on the quilt — did they really want a boy. (one quilt is pink, the other lavender). The answer was, No, there were airplanes on the quilt because her father was a pilot.
Eden hunt says
I have several quilts my grandmother and great aunt made. One my father remembers from his very young days is a red work embroidery one that has scenes from nursery rhymes on it. He recalls that when his younger brother was born they were trying to think of a good name and pulled out that quilt and looked over the nursery tales in search of a good name idea. It is in kind of bad shape but I would not dream of parting with it.
Jill says
I love the needlepoint pictures I did for my mom and grandmother. I just found a quilt I made for my mother which I know I will love. Unfortunately, I did not start quilting before my grandmaother was gone.
Karla says
The first quilt I made was awful… but I was proud of it because I have a tendency not to finish what I started at that time. It was an applique quilt with huge blocks and the quilt was tied. We used it until it fell apart but it was what started me on my quilting journey.
Deb Sarhan says
My first quilt blocks were made because I was put on bed rest with my 3rd child. Since I already had a 4yo and a 1 yo at home, you know that didn’t work well. I had signed up to take a community class at the local high school to learn to quilt. We were piecing everything by hand. I was able to attend 2 weekly classes before my water broke at 26 weeks. I gave birth at 27 weeks, and by the time she was healthy enough to leave the hospital (about 2 months later) the classes were over. My classmates had gotten together and put all their best blocks into one quilt which the teacher quilted for them – and it was her very first baby blanket that wasn’t supplied by the hospital. It hung over the rocker her bedroom for years, until I packed it away until she’s old enough to have kids of her own. I knew every stitch was stitched by ladies who were praying hard for her survival, I finished learning how to quilt by books and internet – but during those first 2 classes, I realized just how special and caring quilters are !
Doris - The Quilting Queen says
I missed the drawing because I was spending time with my little princess but that’s ok. I have several quilts that are very sentimental to me, most made by my Grandma Cotten. However, I have one quilt that I made for my aunt and when she passed away her daughter asked me if I would like it back. When she was describing it to me on the phone, I kept saying I don’t think I made that quilt. She insisted I did and when I saw it, sure enough I had made it for her and completely forgot. I wonder how many others there are out there that I’ve forgotten I have made. In the 80’s I didn’t document any quilts. I’m better now but still not great!
barbara woods says
i have two guilt tops hand sewed by my mother-in-law who died last year at the age of 91 that she sewed many many years ago from flour sacks