As early as I can remember as a child, my grandma was always making quilts. As a youngster, I didn’t think about it too much back then.

I remember that she converted the front bedroom of her old house into her quilting room. Her quilting projects took up that entire room. Because I was so small at the time, her quilts seemed huge to me.

I’m sure that I slept under one or more of her quilts, but I didn’t really think about it much. My bed was warm in the wintertime, most likely thanks to grandma.

Recently my uncle gave me and my family members a book he had printed. The book had pictures of all of the quilts he could find that were made by grandma. She had made so many that she gave them not only to each of her children, but also to friends. In the book my uncle had made there were adult-size quilts, child-size quilts, baby quilts, and comforters of all colors, designs, and fabrics.

Quilting is an art. First of all, the fabric, color, and design are chosen. The fabrics that are used sometimes influence the overall design of the quilt. Different cuts and piecing techniques are used on the fabric.

The actual quilt first begins to take shape with the making of quilting blocks. The blocks are then sewn together to make the top of the quilt. Sometimes the blocks are all the same, and sometimes the design of the quilt overlaps each block making each unique.

After the quilting blocks are sewn together, a middle liner and bottom sheet are placed under the blocks. The actual stitching process begins to hold it all together. The best quilters make tiny stitches which are uniform. It’s not as easy as it may sound. Many a stitch has been removed and re-sewn to match the exacting standards demanded of most quilters. Finally, a border is usually added that accents the design of the quilt.

Grandma must have had tremendous patience, as the quilting process took her days to complete. Also, her quilting standards were quite high which increases the time needed to do the best work.

The results of her projects were a beautiful array of quilts and quilt designs. The blocks, the way they were pieced together, the quilting stitches, and even the borders were amazing to see in my uncle’s book.

My grandma is long gone, but the quilts she created are still around. They are reminders of how much she loved to quilt, and how talented she was.

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