I hope you have fond memories of grandparents. Mine was an idyllic childhood, despite that I cried All. The. Time. It would take almost half a lifetime to come to terms with those tears.
Nevertheless, my grandparents’ home was a safe, homey, loving place. I still pray thanking God for them. She was always an inspiration for me. Quilting, of course, but also in many other areas of creating and building a home for family.
After looking through a jar of Volcie’s buttons, I just had to make a quilt with her likeness, renderings of her buttons and some of her lace. It’s one of my first art quilts and though some people find it weird, I still like it.
Why the little jaunt down memory lane? I miss my Ma-ma. It’s been 30 years since her death. I was blessed to be able to help her in small ways, such as driving to appointments, nursing home visits, and sitting with her at the hospital.
Volcie made the quilt top above and, after much guilt from sisters, I quilted it in 2011. It was horribly ugly, but I love it. I’m fairly sure that my grandmother created the pattern based on the shape of the fabric pieces that she had.
Quilt top that my grandmother made and I quilted ten years after her death.
You see, Richard worked at a garment plant, and after work he would pick up the larger scraps that had been thrown away. No doubt she made use of as many pieces as possible.
Certainly she made use of every kind of fabric possible: cotton, velvet fleece, polyester blends, and strechy knits.
It was a devil to quilt, but I used a good muslin for the backing and was extra careful to catch all the seam intersections. She had died ten years prior to the top’s discovery.
After I decided to love the quilted version, I made a pattern and then my own quilt in grays with a little yellow for a modern contrast. This one was a devil to quilt because of its size–an extra big queen.
What is one of your favorite memories of a grandparent or whomever you have fond childhood memories?
