for the love of hand quilting

i like to keep the thermostat hovering somewhere near 70 degrees (much to my husband's chagrin) so i keep lots of snuggly blankets near the family room for everyone to cuddle up with when watching tv, reading, or napping.  we love to snuggle with blankets.

my dogs love to snuggle with our blankets, too.  quite a lot, in fact.  so they're currently in the laundry room waiting to get de-stinkified. 

all of them.

which meant that i had to go searching for an adequate substitute tonight when Peanut wanted to cuddle up on the couch for a little tv before bed.  i walked into my bedroom when i spied the quilt my grandmother made folded up in the chair; i made a beeline for it.

Peanut stood in the doorway waiting to see what i was getting.  when she saw the quilt in my hands, her face lit up like a christmas tree.  i explained that it's a quilt that her great-grandmother made a very long time ago, she said, "for me?"  i said, "no baby, i'm sorry, this is mommy's quilt, but i'd love to share it with you - let's go snuggle up on the couch with it."   she said, "oh thank you, mommy!"

as we lay there together, watching Max & Ruby, i found myself studying the randomness of the nine patch layout, then each little hand tied knot (there are 5 in each square), then the visible-in-some-places, hand sewn threads on the binding...all of it encompasses the only reason i choose to hand quilt or hand tie each quilt i make:  love.

finishing a quilt by hand can take anywhere from several weeks to several years, depending on the level of detail and, of course, the amount of time one can spend working on it each day.  it's a slow process, to be sure, and therefore one that requires an intense level of commitment that can only come from a place of love.

and as i cover up with this quilt that my grandmother put together, her hands having touched every square inch, i feel the love and commitment that she put into it.