Notice the bottom of the quilt. When you hang a quilt, you're supposed to turn it frequently, to keep it from stretching out. Well, that would be great on a quilt that looked right from any direction, but, we can't have these guys standing on their heads!
The result, as you can see, is that it has stretched, and the bottom has become wavy. But that's ok. We have it out where we can enjoy it every day, and to us, that is more important than keeping it in pristine condition.
George's grandma was making the quilt for him, but she died before it was finished. Several years later, his mom got it out, and finished it.
His grandma had all the blocks done but one. His mom didn't have anymore of the blue fabric that had made the pants and suspenders, so she improvised for the boy on the left.
This is George's mom Ada, the day she gave us the quilt in 1984. As I mentioned, she made the last block, then put the whole quilt together. Between George's grandma and mom, they sewed an absolutely beautiful quilt, one we will always treasure.
We have the quilt hanging on an old hay topper pitchfork. It had belonged to George's family too. It's about 10 feet long, much longer than a typical pitchfork. Why so long? It was used to throw hay on the top of a haystack.
When Jessica & Kevin were kids, they got into a friendly disagreement with their friends Kelly & Megan over "My dad has the best..."
You know... "Our dad has the best this...!"
Followed by... "Well, our dad has the best that...!"
Jessica & Kevin won that one when they proclaimed, "Well, our dad has the biggest pitchfork!"
How ya gonna beat that one!!!
1 comment:
Great shots of Ada's quilt! You mention enjoying the quilt at the price of it getting stretched at the bottom ... I was reading an article in the Jan. 2011 Better Homes and Gardens magazine about decluttering your house which said that, "Relegating a sentimental item you no longer have use for to a box in the closet, basement, or attic does nothing to honor it. Instead, take a photo of the item and put it in a scrapbook or load it on your digital frame. Then donate the item. It's both space-saving and respectful." Scott Roewer, professional organizer
This isn't your case because you definitely DO have a use for the quilt ... but the idea of not storing sentimental items away where you can't enjoy them rings true. If you think about it, antiques like those you sell in the store may very well have been sentimental to someone in the past - but by letting them go they can now be used and enjoyed by someone in the present. Those of us who love antiques are indeed grateful to those who gave up items they no longer had a use for!
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