This is why I have always begged quilters to labeltheir quilts. I'll tell you the story how it happened.
My Aunt Marcia (my father's sister who had no
children) had to go into a nursing home because
of Altzheimer's disease. My two cousins, Anne
and Jane, and I spent a weekend cleaning out her
house. It was a task, let me tell ya. She kept every
piece of paper that ever crossed her path. But, she
also kept many family heirlooms. I pulled this quilt
top, all balled up wrapped in a sheet, from the
back of her linen closet. I had only been quilting
for a few years at the time, but my heart started to
pound. I could tell it was old. On further
investigation Anne and Jane and I realized that
there were names printed or stamped in the centers
of those hexagons. My heart kept pounding! We
recognized two names as our great-great-great-
grandmother and our great-great-grandmother.
Then, OMG, we saw a date!!! July 3, 1843. (It's
written in the green hex in the bottom right
corner) Well I just about fainted. There was no
question about who this quilt top was going home
with. Poor Anne and Jane didn't even hint that they
would want this because I think they knew I would
fight hard for it. I think if I had any hint of
resistanceI would have grabbed it and ran!
I am having trouble getting a clear picture of the
date but I will try again tonight. We also found
some more goodies that I will share with you all later.
The moral of this story is LABEL YOUR QUILTS. At
least name, date and place. Imagine who will be
holding your quilts years from now and how excited
they will be to have just this small connection to
their past.
Until next time...
Susie
11 comments:
What a wonderful find! How blessed you are to have something to hold that your ancestors touched with their love. Enjoy! And get that puppy appraised! :o)
Lucky you!
A Timeless Treasure! Point well taken with regards to labeling. Keep carrying the banner because even still, I'm terrible.
Unlabled with Love, *karendianne.
What a precious treasure, an heirloom of your family! Wow! Going on 200 years old. And went to just the right gal! Now, excuse me, I have some labels to make...
Oh my gosh, that is too awesome! I don't even think anything that old exists in our family possessions anymore.
Wow..what a treasure!
Wow - what a family heirloom! Yes, labels, labels, labels.... when I started quilting three years ago, my quilting teacher had that drilled into my head. With her, it was labels AND hanging sleeve. I recently made a reversible quilt, and for the first time, I didn't do the label or hanging sleeve -- and I FELT GUILTY!!
That is absolutely thrilling. Could we maybe see closeups of the fabrics? Love that it's dated.
What a treasure. Lucky you!
How fantastic that you have this family heirloom :)
What a great find, lovely to have that connection to your family past.
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