Vintage Quilt - A Precious Family Heirloom

"Your Great Grandmother made this," I was told. She worked on it for weeks and weeks, her hands never idle. 'Idle hands are the devil's playground'. Those strong, farm-weathered hands created this masterpiece of colorful, practical beauty; the same hands that soothed the fevered brow of her dying child and wrung the neck of a chicken, doing what she had to do. I close my eyes and try to picture this woman whom I never knew. I imagine her hands, connected to her heart, always moving and making the most of every tiny piece; washing and pressing, over and over the fabric of her family's life. 'Waste not want not.'

The dresses, aprons, bonnets, coats, and flannel shirts; even the curtains…sewn with love, worn soft by time and hard work; all pieced together by my Great Grandmother's hands. Nothing goes to waste.

I am honored. I lovingly hang the beautiful quilt across the back railing in my upstairs landing, wondering if she is pleased that I am now the caretaker of her work of art. I gaze at it and ponder her life, her wishes, and dreams; this woman whom I never knew, but whose DNA is part of me. Would she remember every piece; the tiny dresses, her husband's shirts, her little boy's coat? Would each faded print remind her of the hard work, heartache, joy, and most importantly, love?


All of her children are with her now, together forever. Love never dies. I believe it and I will forever cherish this treasured gift created by my Great Grandmother's Hands.

My Great Grandparents, Hattie and Morman James

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