Grandma and Quilting and Owls - Oh My!
I am sure your grandma is cool - but mine is the coolest!
She is 90 years old, sharp as a tack, full of sass, and addicted to sewing. She quilts, makes pajamas, book bags, diapers, and countless other tidbits that catch her fancy. All of which she donates to help those in need. It is in no exaggeration to say that she has touched hundreds of thousands of lives across the globe. She's that good.
And loves it every minute of it saying that it keeps her heart and head happy. She may sewing keepss her sane, but she is cleary nuts about fabric, the brighter and wilder the print the better. Her basement overflows with bolts, squares, and scraps in every color imaginable. All waiting to be turned into something practical and fabulous!
The early part of her winter is dedicated to flannel pjs that she makes for a mission in Kentucky. When the pjs are finished, she cuts squares from the scraps to make quilts. Some are kid-sized and some are bigger, because as Grandma says, "I don't care how old you are, everyone needs a good blanket."
During my latest visit she mentioned how she imagines the blankets leading to bedtime stories, each square an inspiration for a new tale. Now quilts and storytelling have long gone hand in hand, but something about my grandma's words at that specific moment rang a bell inside of me louder than anything I have heard in ages. Loud enough that I had to remind myself to breathe. My ears are still ringing.
Now I am no quilter, but I have always been a storyteller. Be it on the page, on the stage, or with a with wineglass in hand, I know how to tell a story. So it's pretty clear where this is all headed generally, if not specifically. Right now I have as many ideas as grandma has fabric, I trust they will sort themselves out.
While I don't know where it may end up, I do know exactly where to get started. It begins quilting style with a square--this square.
Why I am so sure?
Because Grandma pointed at this square and said, "This guy, write a story about this little guy."
And a wise woman listens to her grandmother.
She is 90 years old, sharp as a tack, full of sass, and addicted to sewing. She quilts, makes pajamas, book bags, diapers, and countless other tidbits that catch her fancy. All of which she donates to help those in need. It is in no exaggeration to say that she has touched hundreds of thousands of lives across the globe. She's that good.
And loves it every minute of it saying that it keeps her heart and head happy. She may sewing keepss her sane, but she is cleary nuts about fabric, the brighter and wilder the print the better. Her basement overflows with bolts, squares, and scraps in every color imaginable. All waiting to be turned into something practical and fabulous!
The early part of her winter is dedicated to flannel pjs that she makes for a mission in Kentucky. When the pjs are finished, she cuts squares from the scraps to make quilts. Some are kid-sized and some are bigger, because as Grandma says, "I don't care how old you are, everyone needs a good blanket."
During my latest visit she mentioned how she imagines the blankets leading to bedtime stories, each square an inspiration for a new tale. Now quilts and storytelling have long gone hand in hand, but something about my grandma's words at that specific moment rang a bell inside of me louder than anything I have heard in ages. Loud enough that I had to remind myself to breathe. My ears are still ringing.
Now I am no quilter, but I have always been a storyteller. Be it on the page, on the stage, or with a with wineglass in hand, I know how to tell a story. So it's pretty clear where this is all headed generally, if not specifically. Right now I have as many ideas as grandma has fabric, I trust they will sort themselves out.
While I don't know where it may end up, I do know exactly where to get started. It begins quilting style with a square--this square.
 |
| Who you lookin' at? |
Why I am so sure?
Because Grandma pointed at this square and said, "This guy, write a story about this little guy."
And a wise woman listens to her grandmother.
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