Quilts That Span Time & Generations
As I look at quilt blocks found among family memorabilia or pieces saved from a quilt made for my mother’s wedding, I realize these are quilts that span time and generations. They were made more than 75 years ago, perhaps longer.
What was the story behind them? Who made them?
I know that the quilt was made as a wedding gift for my parents. If Mother ever mentioned who the quiltmaker was, I don’t recall. When I found the quilt again, Mother was too much afflicted by Alzheimer’s to communicate. Perhaps, some day, the story of the quilt will come to mind, for I remember her telling about receiving it as a wedding gift.
On the other hand, the individual blocks are ones I’d never seen before. They probably were passed along to my mom when her mother died. They were among some books and letters of that era. So did my grandmother, my aunt, and their friend Susie make them? Or were they from an earlier quiltmaker?
By analyzing the fabrics…colors, texture, pattern, weave…my daughter and I may get an approximate idea of the time they were made. Then we’ll decide what we’ll do with them and how best to save them for future generations.
This also is something we should do with quilts or pieces we’ve acquired at yard sales and thrift stores. We’ll never know the quiltmaker, unless they’re signed, but we can at least get an idea of the time they were made.
A very interesting and informative book on this topic of creating “new quilts from old tops” is Becky Herdle’s Time-Span Quilts. It’s full of information and instructions…and purely fascinating reading.
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POSTED IN: Books and Magazines, General Quilting/Patchwork, Memories
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