My maternal grma was the quilter, my paternal grma was the seamstress. As a liittle girl I remember Grma L. quilts frames being up in spare room off the living room. Grandma L. made quilts up until her passing, the Nursing home even gave her space to put up her frames. Grma's specialty was DWR with scalloped edges all hand sewn. All 16 of her children, and some of her grandkids received quilts. The tradition in the family is the quilts are passed down to the granddaughters. I have two and they are my joy! My mom said more than once that when people would ask how she could find time and patience for quilting with all her kids, Grma would say "It's what kept her sane"
My Grma J. was the sewer, she sewed my sisters clothes while she was in college, my sister still can say the clothes were beautiful. Grma J. made me a whole cloth tie quilt, pink with blue and gray kittens, it was quickly delegated to the brothers beds upstairs where it stayed for years, when I saw it again it was tattered and torn. (Kind of a sore/sad point now.) My mom took a quilt with her to assisted living, when she finally handed it down to me I found it wadded in a corner of the closet with a wet urine spot. The thing washed up like a champ. I have had one of the quilts looked at by a antique appraiser she deemed the quilt from the 1930's. If the house catches on fire it with be my quilts and furbabies that I grab first.
I miss my grandma's now more than ever.
I spent a Summer learning hand embroidery from my mom sewing on Tea towels. I free hand drew the design(a dog), my mom used that towel for years. Wish I had grabbed that now, wow the little things that get away.
Thank you for a wonderful thread, nice to share such memories at this time of year when we are missing our loved ones.