One Quilt's Purpose

When I got married, my grandmother gifted me a beautiful afghan.  She had only made a few quilts at that time, but many lovely afghans.  Then, over the next several years, she started making heart quilts for her grandchildren when they got married.  They are a simple design: 9-patch blocks alternating with large appliquéd hearts, usually in monochromatic palettes.  They became her signature wedding gift.  As I started quilting, I envied those quilts in spite of having a lovely wedding gift from her already!

Once, while visiting her, we came across a set of golden tan appliquéd hearts she'd made and decided not to make into a heart quilt because the colors seemed too "blah" to her.  (My grandma likes bright colors!)  Playing with some of the other fabric in her stash, I found a tan, gold and purple print and a few tonal purple solids that worked well with the hearts and she said I should take them and make a quilt.  I jumped at the opportunity!

I pieced the top and did the same basic quilting she did on her's...and then the quilt languished in my UFO stack for years.  A few weeks ago, I decided to get the binding on and finish it already.  Little by little, the binding was being stitched down.

However, I wasn't sure how excited I was about it anymore.  Since making the top years ago, I was generously gifted one of Grandma's heart quilts from my aunt which I LOVE, so this one felt less urgent.  And, frankly, I wasn't sure how much I loved the colors anymore.  But this week, my feelings changed about it.

This week, my daughter got sick.  Miserable sick.  Lay on the couch for a week sick.  And while she was lying there, she regularly reached for the heart quilt made by Grandma and me even though the binding was only 3/4 finished and held on by Clover clips.  It didn't matter if I loved the colors or if there was another "favorite" heart quilt in the house.  Suddenly this quilt is quite tender to me because it is serving it's purpose.  It is providing comfort, warmth and love to someone both I and my grandma love, someone who needed it.

p.s.  This week I also saw this video.  I love what she says about pottery as functional art, art that connects you to the artist because on a daily basis you interact with, touch, hold and USE what they have made.  It captures one of the things I love about quilting and what I experienced this week finishing the heart quilt.