Like the Hornbuckle Quilt mentioned
in Ellen's Story and all of the quilts in Gram's trunk, all quilts can
tell stories of the past. Following are a few examples.
| When Mrs. Kirby was a girl, she had a Sunbonnet Sue quilt on her bed. She thought the little girls on the quilt were being shy because they wouldn't show their faces. Mrs. Kirby really wanted to see their faces. She remembers being about three years old and hiding behind a door and quickly popping her head out to try to see if the little girls were looking. |  |
 |
Although this quilt was on my mother's bed when she was a little girl, the history goes back much farther. The butterflies on the quilt were cut from the dresses of my great-grandmother who passed away when my grandpa was a boy. Other family members made the quilt. It is fun to think about what types of dresses my great-grandmother wore that were made from the various fabrics. |
| Men quilt too! This quilt belongs to a friend of mine. The quilt was made by her father's great-uncle who was born in 1876. His family lived less than a mile from the one room school. The school teachers boarded at his parents' house. During the winter months, they would pass the time by quilting. He learned to quilt from these school teachers. This quilt was made from feed sacks. He gave the quilt to my friend's parents as a wedding present. The quilt has never been used. It still has a few specks of blood from when the quilter pricked himself. |  |
Activity:
Do you have a special quilt
in your family? See if you can find out about its history.
Who made it? What was used to make it? Can you identify the
pattern in the blocks? Is there a story to go with the quilt?
Write a paragraph about the quilt. Try writing your own story about
the quilt. Draw a picture of the quilt pattern to go with your writing.
Alternate Activity:
If you don't have an heirloom
quilt, write a description of the oldest object in your home. Try
to learn about its history. Where did it come from? How long has
is been in your family? What was it used for? Is it still used?
How is it important to your family?