My mother decided it was time for me to get into quilting and make friendship blocks out of my childhood dresses, her dresses from the 50's and 60's and a few new fabrics. I married into a very large family and it was to be a "family" quilt instead of friendship quilt. Several of the women in the family embroidered their names on their blocks, some of them signed them and I embroidered them, and two of my six grandchildren have blocks that I did after they were born. That was in 1985!! I didn't get interested in quilting until 2000. The top is pieced and ready for batting and backing. I hope to get to it the first of next year when it will be cool enough to have it lay on my lap. Three of the family members with blocks have since passed away so this is very precious to me. I have to think of a way to include blocks for my four additional grandchildren in the backing.