Grandma's Quilt

This is me with my Grandma, Anna Margrete Gilbertson, on her 90th birthday, standing beside the family quilt we made for her.

Grandma’s Quilt

By Mary Wienbar

     Where do I begin? 

     With one small scrap...

     With one small scrap, I think of Grandma and the possibilities.  I gaze at the colorful pattern and texture of the fabric.  I caress it between my fingertips and imagine... 

     This undertaking is not a small one and cannot be taken without conviction.  Endless hours of energy and undying patience are prerequisites to the task at hand.  But I take on the challenge, just as Grandma did before me. 

     Grandma’s first quilt was her quilt of life.  She pieced together the colorful fabrics and textures of individual lives, her husband, her children, and grandchildren, to build her family.  Each stitch; each task, bore the labor of love.  She tied her quilt with security and faith in God and its binding kept us together. 

     I often watched Grandma sit at the treadle.  The needle arm clicked up and down, weaving thread through the fabric patches.  Piece after piece, the quilt’s life emerged, as if by magic.  Finally finished, Grandma wrapped me up in it and I felt completely surrounded by love. 

     I want to give that back to Grandma.   That “completely surrounded by love” feeling.  So patiently and thoughtfully, I begin.  With the pattern carefully contrived, red, green and yellow pieces are clipped from cloth.  Plain cloth, with no personality.  To each cousin, uncle, aunt, brother, sister, child and parent, a single square is sent.  Each individual is assigned a special task.  To relive a memory, retell a moment of how Grandma touched their soul, and capture that message on their quilt square.

      As I piece the completed blocks together, the quilt breathes in life. Relationships, love, and faith reveals a cherished life. 

     Life with Grandma.