A Sweet Quilt Story

This has to be one of he sweetest quilt stories I’ve ever heard.  My quilt friend wanted to make a quilt for each of her grandchildren and she had several.  Now the oldest one was my friend, too, and he must have been ten or eleven years old when she told him of her plans.  His remark was ” I don’t want no quilt.”   

Okay, Grandma worked diligently making quilt after quilt for the other children; however, all this time my young friend’s mother and Grandma had talked about what colors my young friend might like, etc.  Time passed and Young Friend grew up — still no quilt — but now he’d like to have one.  By this time he is teaching school in the Birmingham area and has his own apartment.  Grandma died!!!

Here again time passed and Grandma’s belongings had not been thoroughly gone through.  She’s been gone five or six years and this last fall Young Friend’s mother was going through a box of Grandma’s quilting books and scraps and found 20 blocks stored away and in the colors they had talked about over the years.

She brought the blocks here, we laid them out on the bed and talked about how to handle the situation,  They were definitely meant for Young Friend’s quilt. Me being unable to physically help, the mother took them to a prize-winning quilter and she set the blocks together and suggested that  the quilt be put up at the home and invite family members and close friends to come quilt on it.  This is what happened and all this time it was kept a secret from Young Friend, but when he came home for Christmas he was told the story.  I’m told the tears rolled. The quilt was still in the frame and he quilted some on it himself.  For several months family members dropped by (some from out of state) and put a few stitches in.  I even got to quilt on it one afternoon., but  I’m not sure  what the pattern is called.

It is a prize quilt to say the least even though the stitches are not all short and even.   Now the quilt is complete and Young Friend wants to take it home with him, but Mother is reluctant saying,  “Afraid something will happen to it.” This sort of thing is just one of the many pleasures of country living.