The Quilt

This is a picture of my grandma and me at her 90^th birthday party in December 2008.

My grandma has always been a quilter. She made the quilt that is in the background of the photo over twenty years ago. It’s made of fabric scraps from her family’s clothes over the years. It’s hand-pieced and hand-quilted. It’s beautiful. She started it because she had made so many quilts for family, but had never made one for herself. She told me that she was going to finish it on a trip to St. George, but didn’t get to because my grandpa wanted to go out for rides everyday they were there. Shortly after they returned, my grandpa passed away. She told me that she was so glad she took those car rides instead of staying home to finish the quilt. She finally did finish it after he passed away, but never actually used it.

For years, she made a quilt for each grandchild that got married: a tied quilt for her grandsons and a hand-quilted one for her granddaughters. In the past few years, it has become too painful for her to continue quilting with her various health problems. I admittedly felt a little sad that I wouldn’t be getting one. Imagine my surprise, then, when I opened this present at my bridal shower:

I got a little teary-eyed. Not only did I get a quilt from my grandma, but it was one of her masterpieces, and made from scraps of cloth that my mother wore. I can’t begin to describe how lucky I feel that she gave it to me. I’m so proud to be descended from such a wonderful woman, and am so glad to have a daily reminder of that.