Wednesday, November 16, 2005

The patch work baby quilt

When my son-in-law gets home from Louisiana where he's assessing hurricane damage, he will dig out the box of baby things from their crawl space. I want to take a peek at some of the fabrics, because I'm thinking I might recognize some of them.

"Of all the treasures I can boast
I love the patch-work quilt the most.
She pieced it in the long ago,
With patient stitches, fine and slow,
Each block devised of dark and light
Samll diamond pieces, looking quite
Like piled-up boxes, or like stairs
To lead you upwards unawares.

I almost hear her voice once more
And see the quaint old things she wore,
The dolman, and the Paisley shawl,
Myself a child again, and all
My childish faith and love surge up
To fill my worn heart's empty cup;
Of all the things she once possessed,
I love the patch-work quilt the best."

"The Patch-Work Quilt," by Eve Egleston Hoyt, 2nd and 6th verses, part of an article on patchwork quilts (clipped from a 1920s farm magazine by my grandmother, possibly The Farmer.

February 1969, patchwork baby quilt made by my mother


No longer needed to keep a baby warm and cozy, it now becomes a tablecloth for a tea party serving legos and bowling pins.

1 comment:

Feed Fido said...

Pushing for the grandkids huh...