Quilting and Patchwork

Granny’s Quilt Inspires a Baby Quilt

by Mary Emma Allen on May 17th, 2008

QuiltingAndPatchwork.com 

In this guest post, Kristen King relates how Granny’s Quilt inspired her to attempt a baby gift quilt.  Although Kristen’s attempt was much simpler than Granny’s experienced project, I agree that Granny would have been proud.

Granny’s Quilt Inspires a Baby Quilt

Guest post by Kristen King

 There’s something so soothing about the systematic design of this white, flowered quilt, hand made by my great-grandmother, Flora, whom I always called Granny. The thin rectangles stitched into alternating squares and the narrow pure white border have always made me feel serene. Even when my bed was covered with much more dramatic, wild blankets and other coverings while I was growing up, this was always somewhere in my room.

Now, it hangs over the foot of the brass bed in my guest room, where it’s a source of extra warmth and comfort for my visiting guests.

When one of my closest friends told me she was having a baby about a year ago, I immediately decided that I wanted to make her a quilt - and this was the one that came to mind. For me, this is the perfect example of quilting perfection. Unfortunately, my skills as a seamstress are far from anything even remotely resembling quilting perfection. I’m not even good enough to make callbacks for the quilted toilet paper commercial. Seriously, I’m terrible.

So my workaround ended up being buying pre-made backing and just doubling it so it was the front and back, sewing on a border, attaching a cute bear with embroidery thread (it wasn’t an appliquÈ, but I don’t know what else you might call it), and then using ribbon to connect the front and back so they wouldn’t separate and buckle.

No, it was far from quilting perfection, but my friend loved it, and it’s really the thought that counts with gifts like those. And I think Granny would have been proud of me for trying.

Kristen King is a prolific blogger who writes for b5 at Lively Women (www.livelywomen.com ) and Biz Chicks Rule (www.bizchicksrule.com ). You can also find her at freelance writing blog Inkthinker (www.inkthinkerblog.com).

(c)Kristen King

Photo (c)2008 by Kristen King. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission. 

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POSTED IN: Guest Post, Quilting / Patchwork Memories, Quilting/Patchwork Projects, quilters