The blog question this week from the Create Crochet Team asks what your most cherished handmade posession is. I have been blessed with a very crafty and creative family, so this question is particularly hard for me.
One thing that immediately comes to mind is my baby blankie. I used that thing for years, until it started to fall apart. It is crocheted, and it is a huge cranny square. I used to put my fingers through the holes and that is what comforts me. I was irrationally upset when it started to fall apart because of how much I used it. Luckily, I learned how to crochet and made myself a new one. I've worn a few out from the stresses of college... but I can always make another one.
A couple years ago my mom started collecting grandpa's jeans, flannel shirts from grandpa and my uncle, and flannel pajamas from my great grandma. She also had some of her old jeans and a few pairs of flannel pajama pants of her own. She cut all of it into squares and made quilts for all of her kids, her brother and sisters, and a few other lucky family members. This quilt means more to me than almost everything because it is made from things that my family members wore for years. The squares from Great Grandma's pajamas are some of my favorite. For my quilt, my mom used a set of flannel sheets that I slept on for years for the backing. I didn't realize until I left home for college that I couldn't sleep on anything other than flannel. Having those sheets that comforted me for so long on a quilt means so much to me. So many people ask her how much she would charge for one of these quilts, but she won't make them for anyone but our family members. To us, they are priceless.
There is one more thing that is worth mentioning in this post. Last January I began to make my first quilt. Mom made her first quilt when I was in middle school and she took me with her to pick out the fabric and the pattern. I knew then that someday I wanted to make my own quilt, and I already knew what colors I wanted to use. Ever since I was little I've loved the colors of the rainbow, and I knew that my quilt had to have all the colors of the rainbow in it. Last winter I began to buy the fabric. I had all the fabric for the top of the quilt, I just needed some flannel to go on the back and a fabulous pattern. Mom and I knew that this quilt had to be special, which meant the pattern had to be spectacular. One night we were at Hobby Lobby and I came across some flannel that was on clearance that was absolutely gorgeous. I told her that was what I wanted for my quilt. We began to look through the pattern books at Hobby Lobby, and came across the perfect pattern. We spent hours at the store that night, and then I spent the next four days cutting out the fabric pieces and sewing them together. Finally I had the whole thing put together. When I saw how amazing it was I knew that I had to hand quilt it. So, needless to say, this quilt is not yet finished. I am just praying that I get the time to finish it sooner rather than later. This quilt is something that I want to pass on to my kids and grandkids, and on to further generations when I'm gone. This is the peice that I want to be my legacy. (this quilt is in the picture above)
