noveltyjunkie

I've posted before that my mother is a talented seamstress, but not a quilter. It was only after I started quilting that she mentioned, quite casually one day, a quilt they had at home when she was growing up in the 1930s. She didn't know anything about it but felt pretty sure it was made either by her own mother as a 'bottom drawer' piece, or by her maternal grandmother as a wedding gift. We spoke about it at the time, but it seemed there was not much to say about it once we worked out it was a traditional log cabin with red centers, double sized, and in daily use. My mother hasn't seen it for more than sixty years- the old family home is long gone, so there seemed to be no point wondering what happened to it. My grandmother died very young and so many of her stories died with her.

So, this morning, my mother and I are having a chat about everything and nothing, and I tell her what I am working on, and how my middle daughter has me making a madly scrappy and rule breaking log cabin for her bed. And..... You know what's coming, right? She says really casually that last time she was talking with her sister they were talking about the old quilt and her older sister confirmed that their mother made it, and said... Drumroll.... SHE HAS IT!!!! So, apart from wanting to jump in my car right now and drive over to my aunt's, my head is buzzing. I never saw it in her house because it is apparently falling apart, but she kept it. Happy dance!

So, when I get to visit it, what is it important for me to ask? Obviously I'll be asking what stories she was told about it, if she recalls any of the fabrics being in clothing, or any stories of where the fabric came from. I'll be looking really closely at the construction, taking photos of everything- front, back, innards, quilting pattern used..... What else? How does one behave when one meets an old family quilt for the first time?!!!! I am so excited!!!

You guys are the only people I know who understand this stuff, so I had to share. :-)