I love reading all these memories. Has anyone ever read the book "Quilters"? Reminds me of a more recent version of that...
My earliest memories of quilts are of a couple of wall-hangings that were given to me when I was a baby.
One of my favorite quilt memories, though, is the summer of 1997, a year after I'd learned to quilt. I'd just graduated high school and went to visit my grandmother (who was the one who had taught me to quilt) and her husband in Virginia. Just a couple of days after I arrived, my grandfather died of a brain aneurism. Just a few days later, a large quilt show was held by my grandmother's guild, and her quilt (which was really a masterpiece- a replica of a quilt that had historical significance in her area) won best in show. It was a bittersweet event. I ended up staying with my grandmother for the rest of the summer, visiting with family I'd never met before, and continuing to attend classes and quilting groups with her. I loved that time and I still feel nostalgic when I think of that summer.