About 18 months ago our wonderful neighbours moved. They were the first people to welcome us into the home. Of course, they thought my husband had moved in with his parents not his wife, but we totally forgave them for that. Over the years we've shared anniversaries together, summer nights with gin, and family gatherings. They treated us like another set of kids and our kids called them Poppa and Grandma. We miss them terribly.
On the day they were packing up the house Poppa showed up on my doorstep many times. Dropping things off, asking to borrow something, needing a break. Then he showed up with a mystery box labeled Quilting Pieces. Rather than let his wife go through it and hold on to One. More. Thing. He squirrelled it away to my house, a loving home for it. Inside the box were many interesting things, but my favourite was the quilt top.
Over the holidays our old neighbours invited us out to Banff, where they had travelled to spend the time with family. It was a great opportunity to hand them back a finished quilt, and get the story of it. Grandma Betty tells me the top was made by her mother, probably in the 50s. It was filled with fabric from old clothes, plus some commercial fabrics. She recognized a few charms from her own clothes.
It was a thrill to be able to take something that had languished, site unseen, in an attic box and turn it back into a family heirloom. All I did was add a simple stipple in Auriful 2600. The piecing was good, but not great so I did not want to straight line quilt. A gentle wash removed the stains I found on the quilt top. And then binding in some vintage inspired Denyse Schmidt Flea Market Fancy.
I'm happy that this quilt is now back with its family, where it belongs. Three generations are living on the same street, so this quilt will be continuing a tradition of love and comfort.
On the name, French is their last name. This is not a French quilt nor does it have, as far as I know, French fabrics.
15 comments:
This is a great story and a great quilt! More memories created with special friends - good - no! Great way to start the new year!!
What a great story! The quilt is lovely and your friends must be thrilled to have a real quilt to admire and use rather than a forgotten object in box in a dusty attic! This is why it feels good to be a quilter...
Very nice! They must love it.
What a special quilt...so thoughtful of you. It is a beautiful quilt.
Nice! Is the background color more blue or lavender?
A finished quilt is a gift, but I feel the love you shared is the bigger gift. What a blessing!
What a lovely gift for them, a quilt from you and memories for them as well as the family on their street. Thank you for this reminder of how powerful our talent can be when we find ways to share it.
It's a lovely quilt and what a nice idea. I hope you manage to keep in touch with these lovely former neighbours.
what a lovely thing to have done for your friends and it looks delightful updated like that
I love everything about this quilt- the story, the color (that purple!), the history. Thank you so much for sharing.
What an absolutely lovely and thoughtful thing to do, Cheryl. Your finishing adds another layer of beauty, story and heritage to this quilt.
Quilters with big hearts like yours can do amazing things with their hands. This was a priceless gift for them.
awwwww ..
what a wonderful gift!
Love this quilt!
Awww, what a sweet story! ~Angela~
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