Quilts With Meaning

What makes a quilt special? I love a beautiful artistic quilt as much as the next girl...but my favorites of all time are the ones attached to memories. One that's been used to make forts in the living room and for picnics in the yard have way more meaning to me than anything packed away and kept in pristine condition because it's too good to use. Or how about one made out of a loved ones clothes? Now that's a treasure!

This month, I've had the privilege to help preserve some sweet old treasures for a new generation. These precious quilts had lived good lives. Some of the hand stitching had come loose. Some of the fabric was disintegrating from being loved and used for so many years. The proud owners still treasured them, but had packed them away in a closet to prevent further damage. Well what good is that? Who's going to enjoy them now? That's where I come in.

This one wasn't in too bad of shape. One corner block was damaged, and the binding was torn, but the rest of the quilt was just fine. They just didn't want it on a bed and it was too big to use as a throw. I cut off the row with the damaged block, split the whole thing down the middle, and added new binding. Now there are two throw-sized quilts ready for couch cuddling.





Then there was this one. Several bad places on the original. Not enough to salvage for one large quilt or throw...but it still had some good spots with life left in them. I cut eight 16" blocks, added flannel sashing between them, and new batting and backings. Then I quilted right over the top of all of it and put on new binding. Now it's two baby quilts!





This one was the most-loved of all...and it showed! It was all I could do to get 30 6-1/2"x10-1/2" rectangles out of it. I zig-zagged with clear thread over any sections that were coming loose. Next I added 2-1/2"x10-1/2" strips to the long sides of my quilt pieces, and alternated them vertically and horizontally. Here it is sandwiched with new batting and backing and it's ready to quilt. See that bottom right corner there? It was the original label from the back of the quilt embroidered with the giver and recipients names on it. I knew they'd want to save that piece!

If you've got an heirloom hiding away in a closet, I urge you to LET IT OUT! It was meant to be used...and I believe the original quilt maker would smile if she saw these re-quilts. Her work was loved and lives on for her great-great-great-grandchildren.