I have been trying for years to get my mother's stash sorted into mine. I just can't do it. It always stays separate somehow. And that's okay.
mystery quilt
She kept her fabric sorted by colors in bins that fit under the beds. It was easy to move that way. I just stacked the bins under the table (also hers) and would dig through when I needed a certain color. On one of my attempts to get it sorted at least in a way that I would have better access to it I came across a bag of what appeared to be leftovers from a Trip Around the World quilt. Some of the longer strips were already sewn together and there were plenty of squares already cut and even a bit of yardage.
The fabric was unlike any of her other fabrics, but I was not there for months and years at a time to see what she was working on. I know that many people gave her fabric and scraps since she made mostly charity quilts so in my mind I wondered if that was where it had come from. I could not say for sure that it was hers or not hers. I made a plan for the remains and put it together. I only had to add a bit of red to make a few squares and the neutral inner border. My sister contributed a solid blue sheet for the backing.
And then the quilt sat for a few more years.
Finally I decided to give it to my youngest nephew for Christmas, since he had never gotten a quilt that his grandmother had made. I just stepped out in faith that this had been her project and that was that. I even made a label saying that she had started it and I had finished it.
I wish I had captured the looks on my brother and sister-in-law's faces when D opened his gift. They recognized the fabric. They recognized the design. They recognized all of it. My mother had made them a large Around the World quilt for them at some point. We lived overseas for so long that I had no idea. I am so glad I listened to that little voice that said "give it to D".
I'm still not ready to mix her fabrics in with mine and that's okay. I will continually be grateful for the reminder of her I get every time I look at that shelf.
mystery quilt
She kept her fabric sorted by colors in bins that fit under the beds. It was easy to move that way. I just stacked the bins under the table (also hers) and would dig through when I needed a certain color. On one of my attempts to get it sorted at least in a way that I would have better access to it I came across a bag of what appeared to be leftovers from a Trip Around the World quilt. Some of the longer strips were already sewn together and there were plenty of squares already cut and even a bit of yardage.
The fabric was unlike any of her other fabrics, but I was not there for months and years at a time to see what she was working on. I know that many people gave her fabric and scraps since she made mostly charity quilts so in my mind I wondered if that was where it had come from. I could not say for sure that it was hers or not hers. I made a plan for the remains and put it together. I only had to add a bit of red to make a few squares and the neutral inner border. My sister contributed a solid blue sheet for the backing.
And then the quilt sat for a few more years.
Finally I decided to give it to my youngest nephew for Christmas, since he had never gotten a quilt that his grandmother had made. I just stepped out in faith that this had been her project and that was that. I even made a label saying that she had started it and I had finished it.
I wish I had captured the looks on my brother and sister-in-law's faces when D opened his gift. They recognized the fabric. They recognized the design. They recognized all of it. My mother had made them a large Around the World quilt for them at some point. We lived overseas for so long that I had no idea. I am so glad I listened to that little voice that said "give it to D".
I'm still not ready to mix her fabrics in with mine and that's okay. I will continually be grateful for the reminder of her I get every time I look at that shelf.
