Family Quilts - Extra Special Treasures

Last week, I talked about how I found quilting and gave a quick glimpse of the family quilts that have become mine to care for. These quilts were made by my grandmother and great grandmother. They were a farming family and primarily quilted for utility. Each of these quilts is special in its own right. I love that I have such a diverse set of examples from the many quilts they made.

This scrappy trip around the world quilt stays on my bed all year round. My bedroom doesn't really have a color scheme so it is nice to be able to pull from the wide range of colors in this quilt.

 

This quilt is the only one that has anything other than a solid fabric on the back. 

This is my favorite quilt in the collection. It is wonky and scrappy, and modern looking. This quilt lives on my bed in the winter (on top of the trip around the world quilt). It has a heavier batting than the others. I'm not sure if there are multiple layers or if the content of the batting itself is different, but it does a great job at keeping me toasty warm in the winter.

There are some really great fabrics in this quilt.

This modern looking grid fabric is fun. I have no idea when any of these quilts were made but these prints make me think this one is from the 1970s. I eventually hope to make my own version of this quilt.

This sixteen patch quilt stays folded in a cradle most of the time. It has a wide pink binding which is highly faded in one corner. That corner of the quilt saw a little bit of sunshine every day when it was in regular use.

This quilt is the first one where special fabric was used to give consistency to the pattern. The purple sashing and pink cornerstones add to the girl appeal of this quilt. It is purple on the back, too.

I love the pop that this navy and white striped fabric gives to the quilt.

All of the quilts are machine pieced, most likely on a treadle machine, and hand quilted. The quilting on this one is really beautiful.

This last quilt was completely planned. Every fabric has its place. There is nothing scrappy about this one, which makes me think it was made for an extra special purpose.

The red cornerstones are an interesting choice.

Sometimes I think about the stories that these quilts could tell. Stories of my grandmother working hard every day to take care of her family. Stories of my mom and her sisters growing up. So many stories. I will treasure these quilts forever.

Do you have family quilts? I'd love to see them.

Linking up with Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt.