The Comfort Quilt

Making a quilt for a grandchild or a new baby evolves into a tradition in many families.  My grandmother made patchwork quilts for the four children in my family when I was about eight years old.  I remember, because I helped her make mine.

I stitched quilts for my grandchildren when they were infants.  These, for some reason, became “comfort” quilts or blankies for both Kara and Alex.  They wanted Nanny’s quilts on their bed most nights while they slept or with them as they napped.

Kara outgrew hers fairly early.  Alex clung to his quilt for several years, desiring it each night to help him sleep.

I used my quilt into my teens and it became almost as well worn as Alex’s blankie.  I was pleased to find, that for some reason, my mom had kept this quilt.  I discovered it as I cleared her house, when Mother had to move from her home to ours in a distant state. 

This quilt, made long ago, beside my Nanny in her kitchen long ago, comforts me with memories.

Sometimes we find comfort, too, in the process of making a quilt.  In the book, The Canada Geese Quilt, a young girl learns much and finds comfort in helping her grandmother make a quilt for the new baby in the family.