Stitched in Love!

(My Aunt Macie and Aunt Bonnie)

When I visit some of my friends  houses, I love to see a quilt that has been handed down through generations.  This small, hand-sewn cloth takes me to my childhood.  Handmade quilts have always been a part of my family.  My Aunt Macie was a shining example of quilted love.  She made each one by hand, paying particular attention to each stitch.

Without any formal training, my sweet aunt taught herself through trial and error, eventually perfecting her craft that have lasted through time. She made many quilts that she loved to send home each time family visited her .

My sweet Aunt Macie was what would be classified as 100% deaf.  She taught herself to read lips and placed her hand on your chest and listen to the vibrations of your voice in the dark.  This allowed her to listen to every word. It was the neatest thing when you would sleep with her, even in the dark she knew every word you said!

(Aunt Macie on the end, Aunt Maxie, Uncle Brub, My Great Grandma, Aunt Ethel all on back row. On Front I am really not sure)

Aunt Macie was a wonderful seamstress!  She would always use the scrap pieces of cloth and make beautiful, colorful quilts, hand-stitched with love.  Guess you could say she was a devoted to recycling.  Every time I visited with her, even if it was just for the day, she insisted I take a quilt with me.  We didn’t have fancy, expensive comforters on our beds.

Actually, we didn’t have shabby looking comforters neither.  Instead, we had my sweet Aunt Macie’s quilts.  Looking back at my times with her as I pour over old photo albums, I can still feel her love as I wrap myself in one of the many quilts she made me.  One more hug from my aunt.

[clickToTweet tweet=”She selects wool and flat and works with eager hands. Proverbs 31:13″ quote=”She selects wool and flat and works with eager hands. Proverbs 31:13″ theme=”style2″]

(The quilt my Aunt made me from Thelma’s sheet and one of the boys quilts)

My Aunt Macie, along with my mom and grandma, taught me to value a good, quality quilt.  Quilts will last many generations as long as they’re properly taken care of.  How do I know?  Because my boys now own handmade, stitched with love quilts that were made many years ago before my sweet Aunt Macie passed on into heavens gates.

[clickToTweet tweet=”Let all that you do be done with love. 1 Corinthians 16:14″ quote=”Let all that you do be done with love. 1 Corinthians 16:14″ theme=”style2″]

I have several friends who are Ex-Amish or Mennonite.  They, too, love their quilts, all hand-stitched in love.  Many of them have been passed down from one generation to the next.  Most of the quilts will continue to be passed down, but all of them will last for many years to come.

In Amish circles, you can find quilting Bee’s.  All the ladies in the community get together and hand stitch a beautiful quilt for wedding gifts, baby births, and sometimes for no reason at all.  Some women quilt out of love.  While others quilt out of necessity.

The preservation of their needlework is very important though.  It truly is an art.  In Amish circles, normally when a person dies, they are wrapped in a quilt that was hand-stitched in love.I can remember times that I would go with my grandma to my Aunts and my Aunt Bonnie, My Grandma, and my Aunt Macie would sort through fabric scraps, sew, or work on needlepoint. This is what gave me the love for sewing and needle point too. 🙂

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My sweet Aunt Macie had a daughter named Thelma.  Thelma Mae was such a sweet cousin and, honestly, she was like a second mother to me.  I adored her.  When Thelma passed away, Aunt Macie took Thelma’s sheet and made a quilt for me.  I still have it after all these years.

It has covered every bed I’ve owned.  It has lasted the numerous military moves.  It has comforted me when I have been ill.  It made me feel loved when life wasn’t going just right.  It reminds me how much my Aunt loved me.  It reminds me how much I adored and was adored by my sweet cousin Thelma.

(My beloved quilt)

[clickToTweet tweet=”She makes tapestry for herself; Her clothing is fine linen and purple.” quote=”She makes tapestry for herself; Her clothing is fine linen and purple.” theme=”style2″]

My sweet aunt and sweet cousin were both Godly women.  Towards the end of my cousin’s life my mother had many talks with Thelma about God. I would go visit her in the hospital and crawl up in bed and lay with her, I adored her so much! I can imagine if the Lord hadn’t called my cousin home, I could see us all sitting around with my Aunts quilts wrapped around our legs, studying God’s word. Thelma was thirsty for the Lord in the end.

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My Aunt didn’t have much money. Out where my family comes from on Wilson Creek, in a small area of WV, there wasn’t even running water. Yet one thing I can tell you, is that my Aunt loved. Every time I went over to see her, she also fixed us a wonderful, home cooked meal. She never had much, but she was generous with everything she did have. No matter how many of us were in and out of that house, we always had a good meal.

(My Aunt Macie)

[clickToTweet tweet=”Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers. Hebrews 13:2″ quote=”Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers. Hebrews 13:2″ theme=”style2″]

Dear Quilty: 12 Easy Patchwork Quilts + Great Quilting AdviceMaking a sampler quilt

 

When My Mother’s Quilt devotional arrived, I wrapped myself up in one of my Aunt’s handmade quilts and turned the pages.  This devotional was inspired by thirty family heirloom quilts, each devotion shares the enduring legacy of faith, family and tradition in our lives.  Each devotional is a short story featuring Ramona’s family quilts.  Each story has a scripture to go with it and a good point to tie it all together.  Ramona Richards has truly written a warm, insightful devotional based on those thirty family quilts.

Thank you for remembering my sweet Aunt with me. She passed on more than her beautiful quilts, she passed on a legacy. I highly encourage you to keep the history, heritage, and legacy of needlework  and quilting alive by reading My Mother’s Quilt.