Baby, it's cold outside! How about a quilt?

Since it is really cold outside today and it's supposed to stay that way all week, I've been throwing extra quilts on the beds. There is nothing like a handmade quilt to keep you warm on the most blustery of days! Somehow a storebought blanket just doesn't do the trick.

I've always had a weakness for quilts. When we go to the Amish Country, one of the first places I like to visit is Grandma Fannie's Quilt Barn. There are patterns, fabrics, old quilts, new quilts, quilted wall hangings....you name it. My favorite part of the store is where they have the Ziploc baggies of scraps. I am one of those odd folks who doesn't really sew much (and not that well when I do) but I could spend hours in a fabric store. I love the colors, the patterns, the textures. I just LOVE fabric! And I have a semi-decent stash, too. What I'll ever do with it, I'm not certain. But I think there will be quilts involved. I HOPE there will be quilts involved. (I must first cultivate much patience. I tend to love the planning process and even the beginning stages of a project, but I grow impatient to see the finished product and end up frustrated to the point of giving up long before it is complete.) :(

Anyway, when Ginny passed away I inherited 27 quilts. Yes, TWENTY-SEVEN. And I wouldn't trade any of them for all the gold in Fort Knox. Most of these quilts were made by Ginny's mother, but Ginny and her sister Pearl helped out on them, too. I thought I'd share a few of them with you. You'll never know how I felt last summer when I washed them and hung them on the lines to dry. Such a beautiful sight to behold! :)


This one is comprised of squares containing the state bird, state tree, and the names of each of the 48 states embroidered on it. Yes, you read that right...48 states. It was made before Alaska and Hawaii joined our fine union. Pretty cool, indeed.


At first I found the red piece in the center of each of the flowers to be distracting and not so pretty. Then it started to grow on me. I just can't sit and look at all the work that goes into a quilt like that and not find it beautiful. I love all the colors and prints they used, and I still think that something other than the red would have been much more appealing, but still...


A few of them hanging out to dry.


A close-up to allow you to fully appreciate all of the deatailed work that went into hand quilting these pieces. Yes, they were all hand-pieced and quilted. Isn't it amazing?


This one is probably my favorite. I was trying to decide which of my kids would get which quilts and this one immediately screamed 'PERRI'! It just looks like her. :)

There are many others and if you enjoyed these, I'll share them with you another day. I still can't believe my good fortune. :) Ginny kept them stored away in an attempt to preserve them and also because I think it made her sad to look at them and remember. I will use them, cherish them and share them with my family and friends because I think they were made by loving hands and with the intention of being put to good use. I also think they were meant to bring joy to those who would appreciate them, and I most definitely appreciate them! :)