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Volume IV, No. 1, Fall 1976 |
GRANDMOTHER'S QUILTS
Photos by Doug Sharp
When you enter Mom's bedroom and see on the bed
An heirloom spread, a quilt made by Grandmother,
You see colors in it blue, rose, yellow and red,
And the beauty that's in it can be matched by no other.
Squares, half squares or diamonds may make up the block.
This block was cut from Jane's dress of light blue.
This one from scraps of our cousin Sue's frock,
And these pieces were saved from a shirt made for Hugh.
See here is a piece from the first dress I made.
This lovely spriggled rose is from Mom's wedding gown.
This piece I got from Mrs. Smith in a trade,
This diamond shaped piece is from Dad's shirt of brown.
It's fun pointing out all the pieces you know,
Pieces sewed by skilled fingers a long time ago.
When she sewed all those seams do you think Grandma knew
That the quilt would some day tell its story to you?
This quilt on the bed is just one Grandma had.
Many more were put back in her old cedar chest.
All the quilts could tell stories, gay, happy or sad,
Of the years that she spent in piecing her best.
When Grandma got mad she sure didn't scream.
She'd get out her quilt pieces, 'twas her therapy,
And she'd piece on the quilt 'till she worked off her steam.
She'd piece until dark and she just couldn't see.
Now that Grandma is gone she has left us her treasure,
The Bear's Track and Star quilt the Rosebud and Fan.
The piecing of these was for her a great pleasure
And we'll cherish these quilts made by Grandma's dear hands.
Esther Griffin
Ray O'Dell pieced the String quilt above by sewing the odd shaped strips of material together on paper in order to keep a flat surface since there is no pattern. Afterwards the paper is torn away.
Ella Dunn's Jackson Star quilt at right is over 130 years old. It was made by her husband ' s
grandmother, Margaret Laura Devault, as a gift for her daughter's wedding. She achieved the
stuffed effect by pulling the heavy cotton filling into the raised places with the needle while
quilting. Notice each quilting pattern is different.
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Copyright © 1981 BITTERSWEET, INC.
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