March is National Quilting Month. I love old quilts and some of my most treasured keepsakes are quilts. Quilts are works of art, family heirlooms and for many of us, are full of memories, love and sentiment.

This flour sack quilt was pieced by my Grandma Davitt, I just love it. When I see it, I think of all the good times we had visiting her and Grandpa Davitt and playing with the cousins. I remember my Grandma Steinhauser using my Grandpa’s old suits to make comforters. They used what they had on hand to create necessary items, and now they are part of our family history.

I want to continue that tradition, and this past year I have learned so much about piecing and quilting. During the pandemic I participated in a couple of quilt-a-longs and read about old techniques and new methods. I have pieced several quilts this past year and have learned so much! Now I am getting ready to take another class, where we will do the background quilting on a embroidery machine.

My sister, Laurie, makes a rag quilt to welcome all of her grandchildren.

Now quilting has become a popular hobby. The repetitive motion of quilting and sewing helps relax the brain and feel less stressed. I also enjoy the creative process of cutting up the fabric and arranging it to create a special quilt. Baby quilts are an easy way to ease into quilting.

How will you celebrate National Quilting Month? Get out treasured keepsake quilts and enjoy them! Create a record of your keepsake quilts so future generations will know who made them. Start a simple quilting project, such a wall hanging, table runner or Christmas stocking. Get out that quilting project you started earlier and work on it.

Enjoy these facts about quilting from HolidaysCalendars.com

• Quilting goes back to Ancient Egypt—approximately 5,400+ years ago.
• The word quilt comes from the Latin world “Culcita”, which means stuffed sack or bag.
• Medieval knights used quilted pads under their armor to protect against chaffing and to prevent the armor from rusting from sweat. 
• The earliest American quilt made is from 1704.
• During the 19th century, it was customary for girls to make quilts to show off her quilting skills to her new husband.
• Quilting was popular 100-years after the sewing machine was invented at the end of the 18th century.
• There are three basic quilt types. These include Plain Quilts, Applique Quilts, and Patchwork Quilts. 
• The most expensive historic quilt ever sold was a Civil War-era quilt that was sold in 1991 for $254,000.
• The average quilter is 63-years old. (I am guessing that this average age is lower now.)
• In 2017, the quilting industry was worth over $3.5 billion dollars. 
• During the 1960s, quilting became popular again after interest had waned in it during the early part of the 20th century. 
• Patchwork quilts became extremely popular in areas that only had leftover fabrics for people to quilt

Enjoy today!

Easter is usually a very fun holiday at our house. Everyone gathers together to see one another, share stories and our favorite foods, engage in a few competitive games and just enjoy the wonderful spring weather.

Just knowing that we are all going to be hunkered down in our own homes this year makes me sad, but we also want everyone to be safe. My kids had a great chat using Zoom the other night, it makes a momma’s heart happy to know that all her children are laughing and giggling as they visit with one another. Some of us “old people” are going to have to learn how to take better advantage of technology to stay close to our families.

Touches of spring and Easter decorations around the house make me feel better. I also love that spring flowers are starting to bloom outside. I even mowed the yard last week – love that smell.

Decorating for Easter means getting out the traditional bunnies we have had for years and adding a few new ones. Here are a few of my favorites:

Happy Easter to you and yours! Have a safe and healthy holiday!

How will you remember who made or gave you those special keepsakes that you have? How will your children know? At the time we are given a special gift, we think we will remember it forever, but as time passes, it is too easy to forget.

When I was expecting John, our first child, a lady from Gallatin named Eddie Binney (an amazing woman with so many talents), told me I should start a Keepsake Album. I had never heard of that before, but I thought it was a great idea. And now that we are expecting our first grandchild and going through John’s baby box, I am so glad I did.

To start a keepsake album take a photo of your keepsake and type or write up a brief description of it. I used clear labels to type the descriptions on. I used a 3-ring binder and photo album pages, but you could also use scrapbook pages.

When John was a baby, two of his great-grandmothers crocheted a blanket for him. They are very similar, but because we have the photos we can easily tell who made each one. Now when John and Lauren use them for their baby, the baby will have a blanket made by his Great-Great-Grandmother Carr and his Great-Great-Grandmother Davitt. How amazing is that?

I made copies of these pages for John so he can start his own Keepsake Album. I also scanned them and have started a digital keepsake album, so I can easily share it with others. I like having the physical book, but you could do it all digitally if you prefer.

You could include handmade gifts that you made. This is a little baby blanket that I made for the nursery when John was a baby.

Since I was the oldest of six children, I have very few things from my childhood, but I do have my first doll, given to my Grandma Steinhauser. The Dancing Kitty from our good friends, was in Laura’s nursery.

Often certain pieces of clothing may have special memories. This is a dress that Mark’s sister gave to Emily to wear to her wedding.

Record special projects that you completed. I painted these Santas in a class right before John was born and we still use them every year. I also painted the recipe box in the same class and still use it. I need to take photos of the furniture that Mark has made and include them.

Whether you make baby blankets, wooden furniture or anything in between, always sign your work in some way. The next generation can treasure them, knowing that you made them. Depending on the project, you could embroider your name, use a permanent marker to sign on the underneath side, attach a note or whatever is appropriate for the material that you used.

I know the photos of these keepsakes is low quality. Many were taken as we moved last time. As we were packing up I quickly snapped photos of things I considered keepsakes. Think about treasures you have – maybe special books, furniture, photo albums, jewelry, dishes…the list goes on. Somehow document why they are important to you so that the next generation will know why they were treasures to you.

Just looking through the Keepsake Album brings back so many happy memories. If things are not written down or recorded, they are often forgotten.

One of my goals this year is to update mine. I want to make sure my kids will know which quilts were made by their grandmothers and which ones I just picked up at antique stores. Enjoy your treasures and make sure others know about them so they can create new memories with them.