Yesterday I was contemplating
moving my Grandmother's old Singer out to the storage building,
but I just could not do it ( the machine is in the middle of the
kitchen ) I realized she was the last person to put thread on it--the
last one to sew with the machine I learned to sew on--and I needed
her to be close and a part of my everyday life even now. I have
not talked much about myself or my personal life in terms of quilts
and quilting. It is a hard thing
for me to do. So to my Grandmother I would like to say “Thank
You!” even though she is gone. I learned to piece and tie
quilts from her, when I lived with her in Havre for 2 of the best
years of my life, 1976-1979. Every time I pick up a needle
and thread or sew on a machine there is a part of her with me.
She was 96 when she died. She saw outdoor toilets fall into disrepair;
she canned her own fruit and vegetables; she watched man walk on
the moon after having had horses be her primary mode of transportation. She
never had a drivers license and she did not read well or much,
but boy could she quilt. She taught me how to make cup cakes. She
was ALWAYS busy, but never too busy for me. Part of the time I
lived with her I worked late and would come home to sew. She
would bring me a cup of Cafe Vienna at midnight so I could keep
working. I learned about unconditional love from her my grandmother
Florence and I hope that love is reflected in my work I hope,
too, that this love is reflected in my interaction with my Grandson
Keagan who is now with me. I tell him that when he looks back on
his time with me that t he will be able to say "My Grandmother
loved me a lot and we had a lot of fun--she enriched my life." Because
that is the gift my Grams gave to me.
