Quilt Tops

     Chatting on Face Book last week with a cousin, Bennie, she shared that she was going to her Quilting Club. So many memories that commit brought back. Thank you for that reminder. It took me back to my grandma Aarant and watching her sitting at the large loom in her living room. Then to my mom and the quilts she made and so many quilt tops. These are memories I want my children and grand children to be able to at least read about and know of their heritage.

                                                               Quilt Tops

     Chatting on Face Book a few days ago with my cousin, Bennie, she shared that she was going to her Quilting Club. Oh, the memories that commit brought back. You know, the Lord delights in reminding us of the special times in life that helped to shape who we are today. 

     When mom would take Linda and I to visit grand ma Aarant, she often had a large quilting loom, set up in her living room. She would be sitting at the loom quilting, making perfect tiny stitches. Grand ma also had a small bowl that sat on the quilt, it held her needles, thimbles, and thread she needed, within easy reach. That small bowl is now apart of my family. Grand ma also taught mom to make those tiny stitches, sadly the ability was lost with me. I can't even sew on a button correctly. Taking Home Ec. in school didn't help. That large old loom showed up in our home from time to time, but mostly, those tiny little stitches showed up in the many quilt tops that mom made.

     For many years mom went to our church once a week and joined in on the Quilting Bee.You could always find the quilt loom set up in the activity building.There the ladies would spend time adding their stitches to the quilt they were working on. It was also their time to catch up on family news and share concerns. Most of the church was related in one way or another. So it was family time for the ladies. 

     As the years went by mom didn't have time for the Quilting Bee and only went when she could get away from family duties and work. Mom continued for many years to make her beautiful quilt tops. Alzheimer's finely required that she put aside the piecing of the quilt tops. With every single top that she made her tiny little stitches were a part of what made them so special. Every top was beautiful and made with love. One quilt top each year was donated to the Hospital Auxiliary for them to quilt and sell, to raise money for special hospital projects. 

     The last quilt top mom made was a special one for my family and very unique. When David's mother, Ruth,  passed away we found a quilt top she had started but only finished half of it. Fortunately it was in a box with all the pieces already cut out for the other half. Mom finished that quilt top for us. It is now in the position of our youngest son. One half pieced by grand mother Schantz and the other half pieced by grand ma Carney. What a unique gift, along with this story to someday hand down to his family. 

     After dad passed away, mom loved to sit near a window, so she could look out. It was there that she had all of her supplies, for piecing her quilt tops, within arms reach. There she sat happily making those tiny stitches on her project of love for some family member. Those stitches that her mommy taught so make so many years ago. I will always remember her sitting and stitching, often looking out the window to enjoy an animal in the yard.



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