In 1989 or so, I did a swap on Prodigy (remember that forum/bulletin board? lol)...and got a lot of black/white fabrics. I decided I was going to take a piece of vintage red fabric w b/w tiny flowers on it and make a serged log cabin quilt. My son kept saying...ugh, it's dull, ugly, etc. By the time I put the borders on and was quilting it (on my old Kenmore)...he was telling everyone that it was HIS quilt. I gave it to him...he later went off to College, then when we moved to CA, and he came back home...he had a jet ski...had taken some classes & was a boat mechanic...so...he tells me he needs my help with a part..."It's really dellicate mom, and with my eyes, I need you to help get it out of the trailer cubby." Ok...didn't understand, but went get it out for him...that precious part for his jetski...it was all rolled up in the log cabin quilt! Greasy, and looked like it had torn in places...I gently unwound the quilt from the part and my son held the part in place while I put the screws in (I have smaller hands, have since Lon Jr was 4 years old...he's 6'4"+ now, a very tall man of 39)...he thanked me...and started to close the lid on his trailer cubby... I told him to give me the quilt, I had something better for wrapping parts...an old wool army blanket. I broke out every time I touched that thing.
On closer inspection of the log cabin quilt...it was not torn, the serger thread I used to quilt it was in tact...some of the fabrics (my favorites...had Bob Hope, James Cagney, Mae West, etc. on it) had disintegrated! Just left nice quilted rectangle holes where it used to be. I still have that quilt...never replaced the missing sections...I use it for family picnics as a table cloth, to sit on, etc.
My son said later he expected a lecture from me on the quilt's treatment. I said, "Nope, you loved that quilt to death, and when a nice soft protection was needed for that part..you used the quilt...it was an honor to see you still had it. It was made with fabrics that I had no idea of on the content...Yet, even after the pieces were gone, you didn't toss it."
I actually was proud he still kept the thing. Now, It's so worn, it's really ready to be tossed, but I'm gonna finish using it to death!
The fact that whoever uses the gift of a quilt, no matter how it's used...is an honor in itself...it could be in the back of a closet, or in the goodwill bin...just be glad it's there.
Originally Posted by
TanyaL
When you have given a quilt as a gift and later you see it used on a bed, but it is not being shown, another quilt is on top, or a comforter or a bedspread, are your feelings hurt? When you have given a lap quilt and you see it displayed on a sofa, but the back of the quilt not the front is the side that is being shown, are your feelings hurt? Do you say anything? If you gave a lap quilt and thought it would be used on the sofa and you saw it used in the car, would you be hurt?
I'm thinking of a comment that "The front of the quilt was just too busy with all that pattern and color - the solid color of the back was so much nicer."!!!!