Legacy of the Quilts

A few weeks ago I drove up to visit my grandpa who is 94. He is by himself now, my grandma passed away 6 years ago. My grandpa lives in a condo they bought before she passed away. He zooms around it in his hover-round because his knees are so bad he can hardly walk anymore.  We all laugh at the things he has dinged up with that hover-round. The fridge has a dent in it, the dishwasher pushed back into the space for it, a hole in the bathroom door, the corners of the walls chipped off.  He still has his independence, hes so happy to be able to stay in his own home, and that is priceless.

While I was there my mom and I went through my Grandma's quilts, spread them out on the bed and looked at all of them. We were so amazed and in awe of them. My grandma was very crafty. She was known for making braided rugs and crocheted afghans. These quilts were a work of art! Of all the times I remember being at my grandparents house I do not remember seeing any of these quilts on the bed or displayed anywhere. I am sure they were used at some point because of how soft they are but they have been in the closet for years.  Alot of them were very old, they were the one's she worked on with her mother and some friends.  Here is a picture of my grandma's mother. She is the second from the left. Her name was Helen. In the picture she is cleaning chickens for my grandma and grandpa's wedding.

                                       
                                         Here are the quilts she made with my grandma.

This one is a masterpiece

I love the edging on this one

The poppy quilt

Can you imagine the time it took to embroider these baskets on here

This one is my grandpas favorite. The pattern is called log cabin. Look how it was put together so that it made alternate  lighter colored and darker colored stripes in in diagonally.

This one is not as old as the previous. I recognize some of the fabrics used in some of the things I remembered from my grandparents house.

Grandma won many ribbons for her crafts

   I don't know how many hours were spent working on these quilts. I do know that they were hours well spent with family talking and laughing together. What is this generation going to leave behind for the next one? It's not just the quits that we are to pass on to our loved ones but the lessons learned from spending the time to make them. What are we doing with our spare time?