Thursday, October 20, 2011

handmade with love


All it takes for me to feel at home is a quilt, handmade with love. As I gathered up the quilts in my home for this photograph, I discovered my life story is here, stacked up in these handmade quilts. From the threadbare baby quilt on the bottom, embroidered by my Mom for me before I was born, it steps though the pink gingham of childhood to the blues of my young adulthood. The color-on-black quilt was a wedding gift from my Amish aunts, cousins and Grandma, a hand-stitched, queen-sized masterpiece that is a marker of a major life event. My son's aquarium-themed baby quilt heralds a new phase of life, and a new subject for my Mom's quilting. Each of the later quilts in this stack were made by my Mom as well, marking changes in my life.

When my Mom visited a couple of weeks ago, we picked the fabric for a new lap quilt she is making to match my studio colors. It was then I realized how important quilts are to my life history. Our house is not a home without the quilts. We carried them with us to Italy and carried them back again to Oregon in our suitcases, because we couldn't be without them for too long. It's no wonder when my Mom asked my son what he wanted for his birthday one year he answered, "A quilt that fits me!"

With quilts on my mind, I was happy to see this lovely bundle of fabric in the Flickr pool by Eskimo Kiss Photography. She is making a baby blanket for her soon-to-be-born niece. What a wonderful start to life for her niece, to be wrapped up in a blanket, handmade with love from her aunt. The perfect welcome home.

Kat of The Kat Eye View of the World

Linen

Linen by Eskimo Kiss Photography

11 comments:

Lissa said...

Love your quilts and the story of your passages. I had my day with quilting; even won an award at a County Fair in Arizona for wall hanging and was mentioned in a news article for my tiny stitches. Thanks for the memories.

Anna said...

Kat, love how you've pieced together the story of your life through your treasured quilts. Since I make art quilts for national competitions, quilting is a huge part of my life. Wether hanging on a wall or covering us at night, quilts add warmth and color to our lives!

Ashley Sisk said...

I know that my mom loves Amish quilts and so whenever I see them, I think of home. What a lovely piece.

Unknown said...

Such beautiful words and post. You really painted a story. Thanks for including my photo! You made my day!

Holly ~ Soupatraveler said...

you've got quite a stack of memories up there! love the association you have with all of them, the embodiment of home!

Anonymous said...

It's satisfying when a quilt is more than a blanket to cover you....thanks for the story!
The Mom

Kirstin said...

Your story and quilts are so beautiful. And I love how each one is filled with memories.

Kathryn Dyche said...

My mom is a quilter and made me a gorgeous quilt for the bed last year. It was the most amazing gift and something I will always treasure.

christina said...

honestly, this post warms my heart. your story of these quilts, is beautiful.
thank you for sharing!
xo

Cathy H. said...

Kat, this post touched me so much! What a treasure you have! I come from a family of quilters, but each generation quilts less. I treasure the quilts I have!! Thanks for sharing your beautiful quilts!

Jo Murray said...

Such a wonderful way to mark the phases of your life Kat. I love those quilts.

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