I don’t know how many quilts other quilters have made and keep for themselves, but I do know that I have made hundreds of quilts and have only kept three for myself. To clarify that statement, I have one quilt that I made as a wedding quilt for myself and my husband and that one remains ‘ours’. I have made my children baby quilts and now older-kid quilts and they have kept them. I also made a quilt for my husband many years ago and we still have that quilt.
But me personally? Not so much. And what I find even more interesting is that of the three quilts I kept and our family uses regularly, they all have RED as a main color! Red isn’t my favorite color. I don’t dislike it but it is obviously a color I’m drawn to though still not my favorite color. In fact, it doesn’t even rank as my top three favorite colors! LOL
I must also state that friends and/or family have asked for at least two of my quilts that I have saved for myself. One wanted the quilt outright because it matched her own favorite color palette. The other has been requested by a number of people (as a gift or to purchase it) but it is the most precious one of mine and I don’t care how much someone offers for it, I will not give it away or sell it
This is a smallish lap quilt. Well, small for my 5’9″ frame! But it is also the quilt that is nearest and dearest to my heart. When I was 12-years-old, I had already been moved to my third foster home. My foster parents had three biological children and one of them was a daughter who was a year younger than I was. She and I shared a bedroom and we became quite close – well, as close as to pre-teen’s could be. She was diagnosed with stage IV Hodgkin’s disease (cancer of the lymph nodes) about six months after I moved in and she passed away less than a year later. On the cards that were handed out at her funeral service was a quote, “God gave us flowers so we could have roses in December.” This quilt of roses is in loving memory of my foster sister and I am always reminded of her innocence and love when I touch it and allow its loving quilt-i-ness surround me and keep me warm.
I made two of these quilts, one in this deep red and dark green color tones and one in beach color tones which I gifted to a dear friend. Although there are parts of this quilt that aren’t ‘me’, the bold colors definitely add color enough to jazz up a room!
Finally, I come to this quilt. The design is fun and eclectic and is the first quilt I had designed using the newly released Charm Packs from Moda. There are only two fabrics that I needed yardage for, to make this quilt – everything else is made from 5″ fabric squares. Besides that, the reason I retained this quilt is because the fabric name is also my maiden name. Whether I’d like to distance myself from the paternal side of my family or not, it is part of me and part of a legacy for my children.
I have one more quilt that is already quilted (I just need to bind it) that I will keep – and believe it or not, it’s not red! :-) It is my 2013 BOM from BOMquilts.com “Pendleton Inspired” quilt. That quilt was designed with an amazing summer of fun inspiration where our little family spent three months touring the Pacific northwest. We stopped in Pendleton, OR for about a week and were blessed with being able to tour the Pendleton Woolen Mills factory. Once we read up on the history behind the Pendleton Woolen Mills and their woven Pendleton blankets, I knew I had to create a quilt design out of some of their historical blanket designs.
That leaves four quilts specifically saved for me. And each will go to one of my four children, at some future time – with a special handwritten ‘story’ about each quilt. Until then, we shall all enjoy some lovingly made quilted hugs.
