When exploring the book “The Keeping Quilt” with Nolan and Brooklyn last week, I knew the memories of my paternal grandma’s quilts would come flooding back. Now that I am “grandmother quilting” age, there are things I wish I would had known in my pre-grandmother days. I wish I had known to take better care of them. My dad reminded me several times what a special gift it was from grandma but I wish I would have known how incredibly special. I wish I would had known about each tiny stitch put in by hand. I made my grandkids simple quilts with a sewing machine. She made detailed quilts by hand. Every. Stitch. By. Hand…with love. I wish I would have known about each piece of fabric and how she collected it. Who’s old dress…shirt…sheet? I wish I would have known about the pattern she picked and how she embroidered our names on the quilts. Was that the finishing touch? When we visited her one of our jobs was to thread needles for her and leave them poked in the arm of her chair. Now that my vision is compromised, I wish I would have known that wasn’t just a “job”…it was a gift for her…for her gift to us. I wish I would have known to tell her the comfort the sunbonnet girl quilt brought me growing up when sleep came slowly and fears came quickly. That quilt enveloped me in comfort so many nights. My grandmother was amazing. She raised 3 boys on her own. She lived in a small humble apartment. Each time we visited she made an amazing chicken dinner and she gave us each a $1.00 and an orange to eat in the car on the way home. And she cried each time we left. She would sit in the chair by the window and wave to us as we pulled away. The same chair where we left the threaded needles for her quilts…her keeping quilts. Being a grandmother gives you the gift of re-living memories that might not have been born again. I wish I would have known to be more appreciative when she gave us the quilts. There are not many gifts you cherish for the rest of your life…these quilts…these memories…are one of those gifts…I wish I had told her that. I wish I would have known.
I Wish I Have Known – The Keeping Quilt – Part II
When exploring the book “The Keeping Quilt” with Nolan and Brooklyn last week, I knew the memories of my paternal grandma’s quilts would come flooding back. Now that I am “grandmother quilting” age, there are things I wish I would had known in my pre-grandmother days. I wish I had known to take better care of them. My dad reminded me several times what a special gift it was from grandma but I wish I would have known how incredibly special. I wish I would had known about each tiny stitch put in by hand. I made my grandkids simple quilts with a sewing machine. She made detailed quilts by hand. Every. Stitch. By. Hand…with love. I wish I would have known about each piece of fabric and how she collected it. Who’s old dress…shirt…sheet? I wish I would have known about the pattern she picked and how she embroidered our names on the quilts. Was that the finishing touch? When we visited her one of our jobs was to thread needles for her and leave them poked in the arm of her chair. Now that my vision is compromised, I wish I would have known that wasn’t just a “job”…it was a gift for her…for her gift to us. I wish I would have known to tell her the comfort the sunbonnet girl quilt brought me growing up when sleep came slowly and fears came quickly. That quilt enveloped me in comfort so many nights. My grandmother was amazing. She raised 3 boys on her own. She lived in a small humble apartment. Each time we visited she made an amazing chicken dinner and she gave us each a $1.00 and an orange to eat in the car on the way home. And she cried each time we left. She would sit in the chair by the window and wave to us as we pulled away. The same chair where we left the threaded needles for her quilts…her keeping quilts. Being a grandmother gives you the gift of re-living memories that might not have been born again. I wish I would have known to be more appreciative when she gave us the quilts. There are not many gifts you cherish for the rest of your life…these quilts…these memories…are one of those gifts…I wish I had told her that. I wish I would have known.
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AuthorSheila Sims Iding Archives
February 2018
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