Family is so important to me. My kids and my husband are fabulous. I have a wonderful, smart and beautiful granddaughter. I am really blessed.
Today happens to be my son’s 32nd birthday so I thought it was a great time to show you one of my most personal and favorite family quilts.
I made this quilt for my mother on her 80′s birthday (1998). She passed away in 2009 at the age 92. My mom lived a rich and full life with her husband, 5 children, 21 grandchildren, and great grandchildren.
To make the quilt, I had each grandchild trace their hand on a piece of paper and send it to me. I cut out each hand using various pieces of colored fabric, which I then appliqued onto a block. I set the blocks together (sewing them together) – machine pieced. The top and bottom strips were embroidered. Under each hand, I embroidered the name and date of birth of each grandchild. The quilt was then assembled, machine quilted, and given to her as a surprise birthday gift.
I chose primary colors because of her love of all things bright, flamboyant (she had blue hair when I was in high school) and for the zest she had in every aspect of her life.
Giving “…grandma a hand” was a symbol of the love that my mom’s family had for her and surround her with. The quilt hung in her home in Florida and then in her home back in Wisconsin until her passing.
It’s an old Amish tradition for those who have passed to be buried with a quilt to “keep them warm on their journey”. My mom left us wrapped in the love of her family. I’m proud to be her daughter and to have been able to use quilting to bring us together as a family.
