I have a favorite quilt. I think it will always be my favorite. There are definitely other quilts that I love and my top five favorite quilts tend to shuffle around a bit, depending on what I’m working on at the time. That number one spot never changes though.
My favorite quilt is my Bookcase Quilt. I made it years ago right after my grandparents passed away. Don’t ever let anyone tell you that quilting is not therapy. It is just that! Through my mourning, I stitched. I designed. I quilted.
My grandparents had eight children and enough grandkids and great-grandkids that our holiday celebrations had to be held in a pole barn. No one had a house big enough for all of us! That being said, I did not inherit much from them, other than some of their clothes that I requested. No one else wanted those. I took those familiar shirts and cut them up to make my bookcase quilt.
The Items on the Shelves
Each item on the shelves represents something about Grandma and Grandpa. There’s a white squirrel representing the white squirrels they fed in their yard every day (fun fact: snow white squirrels are a real thing in our town), a coffee cup that looks exactly like Grandma’s white floral Corelle coffee cup, a pocket from Grandpa’s shirt, that is still home to a cigar and a scratch-off lottery ticket, and more. The books on the shelves are embroidered with topics pertaining to my grandparents or favorite quotes that they frequently said. My favorite: “Oh, that girl!” She was always saying that one about me. Ha!
The Memories
Sometimes it’s not the design of the quilt or the expensive fabrics in it that make it special. Sometimes it’s the memories. Sometimes it’s the healing process you’re going through when you make it. Sometimes it’s what the quilt stands for.
That’s the beautiful thing about quilting. We aren’t just creating blankets. We are creating keepsakes, heirlooms, and art. It is meaningful.
Do You Have a Favorite Quilt?
What’s your favorite quilt? Does it have a special meaning? Does it reflect a certain time in your life? I bet most of us have a quilt with meaning. I know several teenagers whose favorite quilts are t-shirt quilts. They feature the t-shirts they wore in high school. It’s easy to see why that’s their favorite quilt. It reflects a time in their lives that was exciting.
The quilts with memories exploding from the seams are truly the best.
In Memory of Charles and Rose.
‘Til next time!
Beth
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I love your quilts and am always impressed by your love of family.
I was somewhat surprised to see this site when I “fired-up” my old computer today…but must admit that it gladdened my heart. First of all, I think I learned how to sew from my Mother, Baby Ruth, when I was about 9. B Ruth could make anything…and did from her own “baby sister’s” formal gowns (all her friends were envious of her gowns), to my school outfits and more. When I found “Nancy” on TV after my Mother died, I felt that she’s come back to teach me some more…just in another form. Nancy’s televised classes and books kept me sewing when my daughter was small and I made all her clothes and was often called upon to sew for friends. I’m no “Nancy”, but have developed a love of quilting akin to hers. Now I call myself a “fabric artist” and make beautiful quilts for friends and family. Thanks for the impetus to sew, Nancy, and Bon Chance on your journey. We loved you.