My Mother made this paper-pieced quilt for Seth as one of her very first quilting adventures when he was about three or four years old. It's a well-travelled quilt, having gone far and wide by car and by plane. It's seen all sorts of folks: relatives, friends, doctors, nurses; and even several different states. Oh, the places it's gone!
This is one tired quilt! Mom's patched, mended and embroidered all over it in an effort to repair it as best as she can. But time, and lots of little boy love, have taken their toll.
He's a middle-schooler now, but the quilt stays in its place of honor on the bed along with about a half dozen of his other quilts. When he's sick, this is his go-to comfort quilt.
The prairie-point border is disintegrating from so many trips through the washing machine and the backing fabric is paper-thin.
The photo above signaled the end to this sweet little quilt's journey. When I told him there was no way it could be fixed again, that we'd have to retire it, he wanted to know how long it would take me to make him another. From the same pattern. Using the same fabric. Hey, no pressure here! Luckily, my Mom still has the pattern and I spent today hunting reasonably similar fabrics, hoping that close enough will be good enough.
How many of us can say we've been loved to pieces by a child?
Happy quilting!
This is one tired quilt! Mom's patched, mended and embroidered all over it in an effort to repair it as best as she can. But time, and lots of little boy love, have taken their toll.
He's a middle-schooler now, but the quilt stays in its place of honor on the bed along with about a half dozen of his other quilts. When he's sick, this is his go-to comfort quilt.
The prairie-point border is disintegrating from so many trips through the washing machine and the backing fabric is paper-thin.
The photo above signaled the end to this sweet little quilt's journey. When I told him there was no way it could be fixed again, that we'd have to retire it, he wanted to know how long it would take me to make him another. From the same pattern. Using the same fabric. Hey, no pressure here! Luckily, my Mom still has the pattern and I spent today hunting reasonably similar fabrics, hoping that close enough will be good enough.
How many of us can say we've been loved to pieces by a child?
Happy quilting!
I just love this story! When I was pregnant with twins, I wondered what their 'love' would be.. Turns out these can be very strange, indeed.
ReplyDeleteFor my son (boy/girl twins) it is a 'christmas scene' that you can find during holiday seasons complete with tree, snowman, and 2 penguins and of course, songs, when you press a button.
Now it has no tune after being washed. (I mean, I HAD to wash to it). We are down a penguin. And every night - he says 'no snowman' and I have to hide that part with a pillow so he can wallow in the tree...
My Mother made the twins matching quilts with 'pillows' that were like mini bolsters. My daughter took both. of both. She sleeps with both quilts every night. One pillow has been disintegrated. The other is on its' way.
She too, would like another, exactly the same, that also smells the same and feels the same. My mom said she would do her best. Good luck Mom. (I really hope she doesn't get the smell 'just right' though!).
Thank you for sharing this story and reminding me that I have my own to share as well:)
PS - the absolute weirdest part is that we are Jewish and my son lugs around a Christmas toy.
Oh, the horrors if I had to duplicate my 11 year-old son's smell!! And you're right, kids are so funny: what you think they'll love and what they actually wind up loving are so different. Thanks for the comment!
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