My avatar is the third quilt I ever made, and the first full sized one. I made it for my grandfather's 90th birthday. The photos are of family, and the top row shows him and Grandma, their wedding photo and their 50th anniversary photo. The lattice blocks are autograph blocks that family and friends signed. Grandpa was from Ohio, hence the Ohio star with the heart in the middle. The photos were done by a special process that guaranteed they would last for at least 50 washings, and since this quilt has been washed at least 10 times, they were worth the price.

The little pillow is one I made for Grandpa after Gram died. He kept it with him always.

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Awwwhh, this is such a special quilt, your Granpa must treasure it Gail!! Beautiful :D :D :D

Oh I jumped in before your pictures had finished loading....I changed my mind...your quilt and pillow are AWESOME!!!

How YOUNG does your Grandpa look!!!!!! :shock: :D :D :D

Sorry about the loss of your Grandma though :cry: :cry:

This is so special, you made me miss my grampa. Memories are such a wonderful thing.

Beautiful Gai. I am glad you posted it. This is definiatly more beautiful then your avatar shows.

Thanks Izzy! Grandpa was 90 years old in 1995. Wasn't he a handsome man!!! He died in 2002, aged 96 years. He was strong and good until the last year or two, and I still miss both he and Grandma. I really learned how to quilt specifically so I could make that quilt for him.

Oh dear, I am sorry for your loss, so was the quilt returned to you, on Granpa's death? It must mean the world to you and your family, what a treasure :D

WOW!! That is precious and gorgeous all in one quilt! I love his 90th photo--what a dear.

Thanks Izzy. Yes, the quilt came back to me, and my only niece has already told me that it comes to her. So it will be appreciated in the future

. I think I need to go back over some of the signatures, because they have faded in the wash. But the photos have lasted beautifully.

What a precios gift and remeberance for grandpa.
I'll bet he shed a few tears over it.
Way to go.

LOL I just realized--it's not my avatar any more!! I had changed it to Tuffy! Oh well!! I guess I'll change it back for a while!! :P :P :P

This quilt is outstanding!! :D
What a treasure you have made
for your Grandpa. He must love
you very much!!
:D :D :D :D

What a wonderful memory to make for your grandfather. They both must have been very special to you.

The quilt is beautiful too.

What a beautiful loving tribute. A very special and heartfelt piece. Thanks so much for sharing the story and letting us see your lovely work ...a true celebration of their love.

What a wonderful gift Gai! You are amazing. Sounds like he is too!

Wow!!! What a beautiful remembrance gift you have made for your grandparents!! That is so special!

That is such a beautiful quilt! Thanks for sharing it with us.
What was the process that you used for the photos? They are outstanding in quality.
Linda

Thanks, Linda. I had them done at a place here in Houston. It isn't the same as the t-shirt imprints, which melt plastic onto the top of the fabric. This actually bonds the material into the fabric, so it is very durable. Like I said, they guaranteed them for at least 50 washings. It was a little pricey for so many photos, but it was well worth it. That quilt has been washed a lot, and the photos are still great.

What a beautiful quilt and what great memories to!

Gail,

What a special gift for your grandpa. He had it for 6 years and I'll bet he treasured both the quilt and the pillow for every minute of those years. He must have felt wrapped in love sleeping under the quilt.

They're both very beautiful.

What an awesome quilt Gai,

What a wonderful quilt and pillow Gai! So much love and memories wrapped up in that quilt! What a special gift for your grandpa and a wonderful family heirloom! Thank you for letting us in on this special quilt!

I so enjoyed seeing it. I have played around with printing pics onto fabric but haven't gotten one I liked. It was interesting to see what you did with yours.

Gai what a beautiful thing. The photos are so precious, especially the one of your Granma on the pillow. That must have brought him lots of comfort. He looked such a sweet man, God bless him. :D

K3n, there is a story for the pillow. He LOVED it. He slept with it every night, and in the daytime usually had it on the couch with him. He took it with him when he traveled. He wintered here in Texas with us, but went back home in the spring and spent the summers and fall in Ohio. Over the years that pillow became VERY dirty. It was spilled on and dropped and loved. But since it was real velvet and satin, and all the embellishments, it wasn't washable. It got to be pretty gross. Mom kept telling me to make him another one, but I didn't feel it would be the same. Anyhow, when Grandpa died, the plan was that it would go in the casket at the very end. But mom was sick when Gramps died, and in fact, when we went to the funeral home the day after he died, to make his arrangements, they thought we were coming in to make pre-arrangements for HER! Turns out she was in big time heart failure, and ended up going into the hospital that day and having heart surgery within the week. Grandpa was buried in Ohio, but Mom was so sick, and frankly we didn't think she was going to make it, so none of my immediate family were able to go to Ohio for his funeral. And somehow, the pillow didn't get sent with him.

Soooo, after Mom was better we discussed what to do with it. Really, there was no other option than to throw it away. But I couldn't do it and neither could she! I think we had one of my brothers actually do the deed! Did I mention that by then it was really pretty nasty? Even then we felt guilty! LOL

I can imagine but the pillow had served it's purpose, so there was no need for guilt. :D

Precious Memories, How They Linger, How They Ever Flood My Soul...name of a gospel song. Don't know writer, but that just came to me. At least you have the Pictures of the Pillow, so that serves to show how beautiful it was. I've never seen a signature quilt done in that style, but it's gorgeous & lovely. I know they really loved you & your Mom as well. So sorry she couldn't go to the funeral; however, she had to have the surgery or she'd have needed those arrangements for herself. She is still around to pre-make her own this time.

Very nice. What a great gift.

How beautiful!

That is so special! It brought tears to my eyes..made me think of my own Granda...he died in 1979,age 88, and I still miss him. Thanks for posting your photos.


ranger

Wonderful memories - I even had a tear.

Wonderful gift, Gai. :thumbup:

Beautiful!!!

I don't think I'll ever forget the story of the pillow.

Thank you for sharing such a lovely memory.

Such beautiful gifts! I love the quilt, but the pillow simply brought tears to my eyes. So nice to see such love

OK -- so that was only your THIRD quilt?!?! I was still learning how to thread a needle on my third. What did your first two look like?

The history of that quilt and pillow is so touching.....especially after seeing a picture of your grandfather. What an incredible treasure to pass down.

The quotation on the pillow came from a song I played for Grampa after Gramma died. He liked it so much he had it sung at her funeral, and swiped my cassette. He played that song over and over and over every single night for the rest of his life. And of course it was played at his funeral too. Here are the words:

Deep the joy of being together in one heart
and for me that’s just where it is.

Chorus:
All I ask of you is forever to remember me as loving you.


As we make our way through all the joys and pain,
can we sense our younger, truer selves?

All I ask of you is forever to remember me as loving you.

Someone will be calling you to be there for a while.
Can you hear the cry from deep within?

All I ask of you is forever to remember me as loving you.

Laughter, joy and presence: the only gifts you are.
Have you time? I’d like to be with you.

All I ask of you is forever to remember me as loving you.

Persons come into the fiber of our lives,
and then their shadow fades and disappears.

All I ask of you is forever to remember me as loving you.
Forever as loving you.

Sounds to me that your grandparents left behind the greatest gift of all to your family -- a legacy of love.

The story just keeps getting better and better.

What a special quilt, Gai, amazing!!