In The Beginning – My First Quilt

Quilts and Quilting. When did it all begin for me? Perhaps it began when I was a baby. My maternal grandmother made me a quilt for my baby bed or cot as they say in South Africa. I don’t know how old I was but I remember the quilt had gray and blue in it and it was made from wool material. It was scratchy. She also made me a pillow and after almost 60 years I still have part of that pillow.

My other grandmother had lots of quilts. She was not a quilter but her sister was. I suspect that granny set herself a challenge to see how many quilts she could put on one bed. Granted we lived in Tennessee and it did get cold in the winter but I do believe that there is such a thing as too many quilts on one bed. I remember feeling weighted down, I could hardly turn over because of the weight of those quilts.

When I finally managed to get out from under the load I remember looking at them. I have always loved color and I was fascinated by all the colors and shapes. I couldn’t quite figure out how they were put together. Now that I am a quilter I am still fascinated by the way all those pieces come together, one piece at a time joined to another and then another and then another until you have the desired design.

 
 

This sort of reminds me of creation. You could not walk into a room filled with quilt scraps or fat quarters and set off an explosion and expect to find a beautiful well made quilt lying on the floor when the dust settles. (Although, at times my sewing room looks like an explosion has taken place.) It takes thought, effort, precise measuring, cutting and sewing together in a particular order or sequence.

Creation couldn’t have begun with an explosion. God knew exactly how to lay out the world and in what order it should be done. He didn’t create fish on the first day. He first separated the waters from the land. He had to make a proper place for the fish to live. He made plants and then the animals so the animals would have food to eat. And when everything else was done and in place He made man.

But I digress back to the quilt story. I had my Great Aunt Sis make me a Wedding Ring quilt when I was 14. That quilt is on the back of the couch in my living room (lounge). So I suppose it was always in the back of my mind to try my hand at quilting.

I did piece together a baby quilt using scraps from my maternity dresses. This was long, long ago when everyone wore polyester knit. I did the patchwork (didn’t even know then that patchwork was its technical name) and had my grandmother put a back on it for me. I also still have that “beautiful” specimen of a quilt. It is of great sentimental value because I used it with both my sons.

Till next time, Becky in the Jungle.