The Warmth of a Quilt

I love quilts. I really can't remember a time when I didn't. Even as a little girl, I remember preferring to be snuggled under a quilt at night. I loved the way a quilt felt. It felt a little heavy and a little cold when I first slipped under the covers, but after a few minutes, there was NO other feeling like it! As I warmed up beneath a quilt, it gave me a feeling of satisfaction and security too. I remember loving all the designs of quilts. Remember I told you that I've always loved pioneer days, even as a youngster? And, I remember especially loving patchwork quilts...even to this day!

As I got older and saw people quilting and realized all the work and love that goes into a quilt, I grew to respect and admire anyone that could quilt. I truly believe quilting is becoming a lost art form! I don't quilt although someday I think I'd really love to learn. But I ALWAYS wonder about a quilt when I see one...who made it...how long it took to make it...for whom it was intended....what their lives were like....

I think a quilt is something to treasure and I do treasure the ones I have. When we got married, Jason's grandma made us a quilt. I've always loved owls, so the quilt she made us had owls. This one is actually on the upstairs guest bed. I pulled down the bedspread to get a picture! :)



Through the years, I've acquired quilts along the way in different places and ways. I'll share a few more with you.

This one was given to me by Jason's aunt when she realized how much I loved them. She got it down from her closet and gave it to me. It was made by his other grandma. This one hangs in Joy's room.



This one was a quilt top made by my grandma. A friend finished quilting it for me. My mom and aunt recognized some of the fabric from when they were younger. It hangs on my quilt rack, which is currently at the end of the hall.



This quilt was made and given to me by another one of Jason's aunts whom I really loved for her spunkiness, Aunt Thelma. :) She brought it to me one time when she came to visit. It's the bottom one in the stack on top of my entertainment center. The rest of them came from flea markets.



One of my very favorites is an antique quilt that I purchased when Colt was a preschooler. I absolutely love the patchwork (probably my favorite)...and the colors in this one. It was made in the late 1890s. It hangs over the side of my staircase. I really imagine all sorts of stories about this one and the farmhouse that it might have come from and the family that lived there.



And that reminds me of a story to tell you when Colt was about three or four years old. I used to get videos of quilts from a gallery which allowed you to view, then call and purchase a quilt if you saw something on there you liked. Well it was so funny at the time because Colt would sit right with me watching those videos and he knew the names of the different patterns and would call them off! He would say, "Mama, you like that Grandma's Flower Garden one?" lol! (He would probably have a fit if he knew I was sharing that with you....shh..don't tell him)! He's nineteen now and he wouldn't admit it!

Here's another quilt folded on the bench in my foyer that came from a flea market. Sometimes they're not in the best shape, but folded up, they're just fine!



And of course, I have machine stitched ones too bought in department stores because I just love the way they look. Mostly those are used as bedspreads or hangings, like this one that hangs high up on the wall in our living room that has a vaulted 17ft. ceiling.



Although they're packed away and I can't show them to you today...soon I'll show you our Christmas stockings. They're made from old quilts that were made by a dear lady from a local flea market...Mrs. Shelby. We had the three for Jason, Colt and I...then Joy came along...and she made one for her too. I wouldn't trade them for any other kind at all! I love the homemade feel of them and the fact that they came from a well loved quilt!

And still to this day, I prefer a quilt on a cold night. I actually prefer a stack of quilts above an electric blanket. I love the heaviness of the quilt(s) and the way I feel all snuggled under it. And my kids prefer the same. As a matter of fact, I just asked Joy and Colt, "What is it that you love about a quilt?" Colt answered, "It feels cool to the touch kind of like the cool side of a pillow." Joy's answer was "It's just SO warm and makes me feel cozy." Actually, that's exactly what it does...not only does it warm our bodies on a cold night, but a quilt warms the heart!

What about you? Does a quilt hold special memories for you or provoke a certain thought or feeling when you see one or snuggle beneath one?