A talent I wished I could pass on to others (with lots and lots of pictures)April 27th, 2007 @ 5:01 am
I read this story yesterday about a woman who, for her 80th birthday, celebrated by displaying the quilts that she has made in her life. This woman started making quilts when she was 12 and has made over 1,000 of them.
That’s a lot of quilts.
It is also an amazing legacy to leave behind to her family and friends.
While discussing this story with (the recently knocked up) Frema, she told me that she didn’t even own a quilt. Sure there was the afghan that she started years ago, and the one her mom had started to show her how to make one. But that was it.
I was shocked.
Mostly not only have I made many o’ quilts, but I own many o’ quilts. The first quilt I remember receiving was one my grandma made for me for Christmas when I was about 8 years old. It was made out of scraps of material, mostly pieces from clothing my mom owned as a kid. I remember her pointing out pieces to me and telling me what piece of her clothes it belonged to. My favorite was the material from her swimming suit.
I have longed believed that quilting is one of those skills that is beginning to be a lost art. Along with skills like cross stitching, crocheting and knitting. I hate to think of a time when there won’t be people around who can teach us these skills.
I began to think about all the blankets that we received as gifts for Babboo. I knew there were a lot of them, but it wasn’t until I got them all out to take pictures that I realized just how many of them we have.
Not even counting the store-bought blankets he was given (traitors!).
Here are the 5 blankets that are actual quilts. (#2 was actually quilted for me at my baby shower by my friends and family and finished up by my Mom and Grandma.)
Below are the blankets that are actually considered afghans. I hate to admit it, but while taking the pictures I realized I don’t remember who made #1 and #4. #2 was made by my friend Aly and #3 was made by my friend in real life that found (secret) blog last week.
Before Babboo was born, my Mom started to make these little blankets where you crochet around the edges. Um yeah, her and my Grandma made me a little too many of them. (Notice how #2 matched the one made at my baby shower.)
And then, you know, because Babboo didn’t have enough of them, my Mom made this new one for his first birthday last week. See how it’s Seattle themed? I love that. Babboo’s name is also embroidered on it. How cute is that? (Very cute, that’s how cute.)
To prove that I’m a good Mom, I had to make a few of my own. Of course my Mom taught me how to do the edging thing that she loves to do. It’s fun and easy and I really should make more then just this one. (I mean, hello, baby shower gifts!)
I lost count at how many Babboo actually owns. But look at this pile. There has to be like 35 quilts there. Or 15.
Either way, there are a lot of them.
What’s so great is that these were all hand made. Every stitch with love for my little guy. I don’t use any of them, of course. I’m afraid of ruining them. Even though everyone said “don’t be afraid to use this. I want you to use it.” But still, afraid.
I look forward to the day that I can point out each blanket to Babboo and tell him who made them and how much they loved him even before he was born.
Until then, they’ll stay in the box under his crib.
So tell me, am I the only one that owns this many quilts? I know I can’t be the only one.
————–
Remember how I promised to post more pictures from the birthday weekend extravaganza? Well, here you go.
We went to the zoo on Saturday. Babboo loved the fish and could have cared less about the elephants.
I promise he liked the cupcake. I uh, sort of, forgot to take it away from him and he ate the entire thing. Oopsie. Starting this year out with a bang.
We didn’t waste any time with traditional birthday hats. Our boy, being The Son of a King, got a crown. He even was a sport and wore it while he opened his gifts.
(just a few more over at Flickr.)
My Sweet Babboo · They're just my family · They're just my friends
Operation Pink Herring
said,
April 27, 2007 at 1:06 pm
Holy blankets, batman! I have no domestic skillz. I have no idea where you’d even begin to make something like those… um, shearing a sheep? But that is quite an awesome collection; I’m incredibly impressed! Preston looks mildly alarmed at the growing pile
Emily
said,
April 27, 2007 at 2:01 pm
Uh, not to make you feel like a freak or anything, but…..NO ONE HAS THAT MANY QUILTS! And if I did…I’d be using them, not stockpiling them under the crib! I loooove big comfy quilts, but I don’t have any handmade ones. Love the pictures of Babboo….too cute!
LaLa
said,
April 27, 2007 at 2:04 pm
Oh. I am so jealous. How is it that I am THIRTY and own ONE blanket my Grandma made for me.
She made one for each of her (16) grandchildren and each of her 3 great-grandchildren. As the weather is turning cold I have it on my bed RIGHT NOW.
Happy birthday Babboo, you big old quilt hogger.
LaLa
said,
April 27, 2007 at 2:07 pm
Oh, and I forgot to say… I ADORE my blanket. It goes with NONE of my carefully co-ordinated bedroom furnishings, in fact, it goes with nothing in my house, but it is warm and toasty and reminds me of Grandma who I love.
sbukophile
said,
April 27, 2007 at 2:08 pm
Ok, maybe my grandmother had that many quilts… growing up my mom got into quilt making, and I also remember a lot of afghans in the house–they were always really scratchy though–don’t look nearly as comfy as yours!
I don’t have any quilts or afghans in the house now. But yours look much nicer than the ones I remember.
My grandma did make me one that I loved as a teenager. I think my sister has a lot of the quilts now…
P.S. If I lived in Seattle, I’d meet you for hot chocolate! And your kitty looks like he enjoyed the afghan photo session–wanted to lie down on them?
MK
said,
April 27, 2007 at 3:29 pm
We have lots and lots of blankets! And a handful of quilts. I have a wedding quilt that my Mom’s friend made for us. We have an Angels Baseball quilt that was given to me at my shower for us to use for the baby at basball games (our fav) and another one that was given to abbie. I also have one on my extra bedroom bed and one on my closet for our room on cold nights. I love them all! I wihs I knew how to sow. I have wanted to learn for years.. When I have sometime in the future it will be my next skill to try. I love all the quilts that people have made for us.
Frema
said,
April 27, 2007 at 4:10 pm
These are wonderful blankets. And I would definitely use them. But probably one at a time.
You could go into business for yourself and sell blankets, booties, and baby hats. I know a customer you’d get right off the bat….
Keri
said,
April 27, 2007 at 4:32 pm
I wish I knew how to quilt or sew or anything other than make new sew fleece blankets where you tie the edges. But, I digress. Both my girls got a few handmade blankets (my MIL can knit/crochet), but our 2 favorites are the quilts that each girl receive from their great grandmother when they were born. She was a seamstress all her life & most of the fabric have meaning - (My husband can remember his or his siblings clothes in some of patterns, etc)
We do use the quilts, but didnt when they were really little. Only recently, but they are very special.
Want to teach us how to do the edging thing?
Rachel
said,
April 27, 2007 at 5:04 pm
Alyssa has lots and lots of blankets, but most of them were store bought. I have one afghan that a former co-worker crocheted for her and a blanket that her grandmother made for her.
I do know how to cross-stich, my mom taught me, but I never do it anymore. It’s hard to find time for things like that, but maybe I should.
alison
said,
April 27, 2007 at 5:20 pm
My soon to be little one (due May 27th) doesn’t officially own any quilts yet but my mom is hard at work on one. Its really cool - you can see it here: http://uncommthreads.org/blog/2007/04/07/new-work/
on her quilting groups blog. She’s calling it baby Lola’s quilt becuase we’re keeping the baby’s name a secret.
I think its awesome you have so many hand made treasures, but it does seem like you should use them - even just a few of them so you can enjoy them more!
Audrey
said,
April 27, 2007 at 5:28 pm
Look how jaunty Baboo looks in his little hat at the zoo! Love it!
My grandma knits afghans all the time as gifts for people. One of my most treasured wedding gifts is the afghan she made for Tim and me. How lucky Baboo is to have so many hand-made-with-love quilts!
Also, did I miss something? What happened to King Fridays?
Durga
said,
April 27, 2007 at 5:42 pm
That pic at the zoo is absolutely beautiful and artsy. I love it!
I don’t own a custom made quit either. The ones you’ve got are so beutiful. It’s lovely when people know how to sew and put in so much work to make something like that for you.
Michael’s just left to Brisbane tonight. Since I have to finish Uni work and have to do something at church on Sunday I won’t be leaving till Sunday afternoon. We’ll be back on Tuesday night. His grandma had a stroke since we were there last in Dec and one of his cousins just came home from 2yrs away overseas andother is just about to go overseas.
Michael and I didn’t part on great terms coz he told me this afternoon that “you know that box you gave me to post in the city last week? I didn’t get around to it. Can you get it from the car?”.
So my mail for u is going to be even more delayed. I don’t know why he doesn’t think he should tell me these things. It’s all so simple for him.
Anyway I’m sorry. I’ll send it this coming week. Maybe even send u a postcard from Brisbane.
Love to Babboo.
:)
Durga
said,
April 27, 2007 at 5:42 pm
That pic at the zoo is absolutely beautiful and artsy. I love it!
I don’t own a custom made quilt either. The ones you’ve got are so beutiful. It’s lovely when people know how to sew and put in so much work to make something like that for you.
Michael’s just left to Brisbane tonight. Since I have to finish Uni work and have to do something at church on Sunday I won’t be leaving till Sunday afternoon. We’ll be back on Tuesday night. His grandma had a stroke since we were there last in Dec and one of his cousins just came home from 2yrs away overseas andother is just about to go overseas.
Michael and I didn’t part on great terms coz he told me this afternoon that “you know that box you gave me to post in the city last week? I didn’t get around to it. Can you get it from the car?”.
So my mail for u is going to be even more delayed. I don’t know why he doesn’t think he should tell me these things. It’s all so simple for him.
Anyway I’m sorry. I’ll send it this coming week. Maybe even send u a postcard from Brisbane.
Love to Babboo.
:)
Britt
said,
April 27, 2007 at 7:15 pm
After all of my baby showers, Callaway had over 45 blankets.
Don’t worry! The sewing arts will not die. At least not where I live
Your blankets look like you’ve never used them.
Christar
said,
April 27, 2007 at 7:35 pm
I’m sad to say, I don’t own a quilt either.
Shaun’s brother taught me how to knit about 7 months ago, and I’ve been working on a few things with that, so I guess that makes it a little better that I don’t own a quilt.
Lisa B
said,
April 27, 2007 at 8:45 pm
That is so cool — all of those pretty, pretty, fun blankies. I wish I knew how to quilt and knit too.
Happy Birthday little man! The crown is awesome and he’s so beautiful. (I know. i say that alot. BUT HELLO! ITS SO VERY TRUE!)
janet
said,
April 27, 2007 at 8:51 pm
I think it’s safe to say little Babboo will never be cold (well, if his mama would let him USE the blankets already!)
I love all the names in that article: Betty Lou, Myrtle, and Rhett. It’s like another world
Fraulein N
said,
April 27, 2007 at 11:09 pm
I love the idea of making handmade quilts and blankets for a new baby. Nobody in my family knows how to do that, though, so it’s not something I’d ever get. [sad face]
angela
said,
April 28, 2007 at 2:41 am
We own only one handmade blanket that we received as a wedding gift and that is it. I wouldn’t even know what to do with so many blankets! Babboo’s little blankets are great though and I’m sure he’ll love having them as keepsakes someday.
SJ
said,
April 28, 2007 at 4:15 pm
I have a lot of blankets for both my boys, but only a handful that were handmade with love. I think it’s awesome that you have so many from so many different people, and I’d be afraid to use them too.
Love the pictures, that boy of yours is handsome!
Anth
said,
April 28, 2007 at 5:19 pm
Baby E has approximately a gazillion handmade blankets too. Two I crocheted for her. My mom sewed a few. Various other ladies contributed. She even has a couple quilts!
(Quilting is something I don’t know how to do. I know, weird. It’s on my list of things to learn…and has been for years. I need a teacher.)
I agree about needlecrafts - I think they are beautiful and full of love - and I don’t want those skills to ever “die out” - I was crocheting & knitting waaaay before they became cool again.
I went to Craft Warehouse for some cross stitch supplies. I figured, If you’re calling your store Craft Warehouse, you’ll have craft supplies, no? NO. The employee told me cross stitch just isn’t popular enough. Bah. I spit on them. Needlecraft is not about popularity!
Okay, that’s enough. Sorry to take over your comments! Ha ha
Lizzy
said,
April 29, 2007 at 3:33 pm
I’ve noticed the blankets in other photos you’ve posted over the last year. Specifically the one with the monkeys.
Because? You can’t slip a monkey past me!
I love the tradition behind quilting, I just wish I were more adept at that kind of thing.
La Turista
said,
April 29, 2007 at 5:14 pm
When Peach was born, we also received the mother lode of blankets, some handmade, some just way expensive and beautiful. Thankfully, when Olive came along, we didn’t get too many more to add to our collection. I, who keeps EVERYTHING, decided that the new and nearly new ones we really weren’t using would be loved by the moms’ group our church assists, and the rest, plus all the crib bedding I had made, I’m saving to make - guess what? - a couple of big quilts for Peach and Olive.
And by make, I mean have someone else make, because me? Not so great on the sewing. Although, I did make a kick ass pair of Jamz in a textiles class I took in high school.
Della
said,
April 29, 2007 at 7:06 pm
Call me crazy, but I actually used all those blankies and mini-quilts my babies received. Sure, they got dirty and they got washed, but it added to the character of the fabrics. They got softer and snugglier. I simple stitched some of them together as the boy’s got older and made bigger patch work type blankets. They came in handy everytime the boys wanted to make “tents” in the living room. I have a few of the mid sized ones in the ottoman in the living room for when there is a little chill in the family room when we are watching a movie, etc. Now that the boys are teenagers, they get a kick out of asking me who made them and it progresses into stories about when they were babies…sigh…they grow up so fast.
Marriage-101
said,
May 1, 2007 at 1:55 pm
I’m ashamed to say I can’t even sew a button. My great-grandmother was a wonderful seamstress and used to make dresses for my mom and my aunt. DRESSES! Like, prom dresses! And here I am struggling with hems and buttons. And by struggling, I mean, too afraid to even attempt for fear I will ruin my garments. sigh…I’m a disgrace. I envy your quilting talents.