Are There Quilting Secrets in Your Attic?
January 27, 2008 by Mary Emma Allen
Filed under Home & Living
Have you discovered old quilts and/or patches in your attic or a closet? Are there quilting patterns there?
When cleaning out a closet in the old farmhouse where I grew up, after my mom developed Alzheimer’s, I discovered some old quilting patches. Some were simply pre-cut pieces and others consisted individual blocks with the pieces stitched together.
I’d never seen these before and knew my mom hadn’t made them. Although she encouraged me in my quiltmaking, she hadn’t done any since she was a young girl. When I discovered them, Mother no longer had any memories about the blocks and pieces.
So I let my imagination take over. These pieces must have been something given to Mother after her mother died because there were other mementos of that era in the box. If my grandmother made them, it wasn’t when I was quilting with her. Perhaps they were from earlier days than that.
My daughter framed some of them as keepsakes for relatives. Now that we have some books on fabric history, perhaps she and I can somewhat date these pieces. This is another instance where I wish that quilts could talk.
Have you found any old quilting secrets in your attic or closet? Share with us!
(c)2008 Mary Emma Allen
