Old family quilts don’t have to be valuable or even beautiful to be treasured. I recently inherited a 19″ x 24″ doll quilt made by my grandmother when she was young girl about 8 or 9 years old. She was born in the early 1880′s so the quilt is at least 115 years old.
Notice the original symmetrical design
The quilt is neither beautiful nor finely sewn (she developed those skills later) but it is wonderful to me. She was born in a sod hut on the prairies of eastern South Dakota, so I am sure she was given a few wool, cotton, and silk scraps leftover from clothing construction and allowed to make something of her own. You can also see that she began practicing her embroidery skills on the quilt.
The surprising thing to me is that the pieces had been sewn together by machine before the embroidery was added. Given the place and time they lived, it seems unbelievable, but I am sure my great-grandmother made sure that one of their first BIG purchases when they came to America was one of those newfangled sewing machines! And she was going to teach her daughter how to use it so she wouldn’t have to sew everything for the family by herself.
How this quilt survived over the years, even in its battered condition is an amazing mystery. Most quilts made by children are long gone. I feel so lucky to have it.
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6 Comments
a real treasure!
That's wonderful!
What a treasure. I had the priviledge of quilting tops from both of my grandmothers, & one of a great-grandmother. It really made me feel more connected to them.
That is wonderful! I'm in South Dakota and its such a great treasure to have something like this in your family. I have a family quilt as well, I'm not sure of the ago of the quilt, but it too is amazing that it has survived all these years!
Carolyn, this is an amazing story and a real treasure. Your Grandmother’s story reminds me of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s!
And the quilt is remarkable. When I first looked at it, I saw the image of a bed with a blue and gingham headboard, depicted in perspective from the foot—with its mirror image below. Do you suppose she had that in mind?
Carolyn, I just returned from out of state and saw your blog. I am a crazy quilter so the timing of the hand stitching would have been about right for that trend.Amazing about the machine sewing.
What a wonderful piece. Interesting the life she lived and still found time to create a doll quilt. It is truly a treasure and an heirloom for your family.
I have a few pieces from great grandparents. I think of how they held them and used them. (and can’t believe they are mine. )
What a wonderful thing to know she played with it too. What joy for a child.
Thank you for sharing this wonderful piece and story.
Debra