Quilting is a witness to life

This morning I woke up to dreams about my quilting and realize that much of my work is a witness to what I believe; that rewards of my work are realized in direct proportion to the effort exerted.  There are a lot of people who still comment in ways that let me know they do not see great value in the work of fabric arts...or any art for that matter.

In my family, working with fabric arts skipped a generation. After WWII, women's work changed drastically, and the attention of their role in the nation left the home and eventually moved from the factories into corporations. As a result, most members of my generation (and not just in my family) did not learn the fabric arts in their homes as children, then as adults, they shopped with a more critical handle on their pocketbooks, AND were able to exchange their purchases when the color was wrong or threads came loose.

I finished another quilt last night as one of my PayItForward gifts. I made the quilt top with scraps that others had given me. It was an early-made top and not something I might do now. The pattern is called "Brick by Brick" and this was the third such one I assembled. 

Its surprises me that people like these random block quilts and that they say it reminds them of quilts their Grandmothers made. Certainly this style is not found in any store.

I put the back together by scrapping flannel pieces I had on hand as well.
And to continue with that method, I even scrapped the binding so that everything about it was coordinated.

This is a true utility quilt, made the way that I imagine quilts from a time gone by. I read somewhere that women made them as fast as they could to keep their family warm and as beautiful as they could to make their own hearts sing with joy.

The recipient of this quilt is in mourning over the loss of both parents last year. I don't know her. She was nominated for my seasonal PIF. All the time I worked on it, felt like I was sending her loving and healing energy. May it be so.