06/30/2026
Every quilt has a story to tell.
This one has been on a journey.
I don't know who the woman was who saved, selected, and pieced these beautiful Dresden plate blocks. They appear to be made up of feed sack fabrics from the 1930s.
In the early 2000s, I found the quilt top in an antique store in western Illinois. I wanted to rescue it but knew that it deserved to be meticulously hand quilted. I did not have the time, patience, or most importantly, skill to do it justice.
My Mom, however, was an amazing quilter. I took it to her and said, "If you need a project, go for it."
Go for it she did. She chose a very simple but dense grid pattern as well as stitching around each petal of the plates.
Time passed, and I was busy raising my family 2 states away, and the quilt faded from my mind.
Last summer, we began the process of cleaning out our family home after Dad died. I found this quilt tucked away in a basket. The thread, needles, thimble, and hoop with it. Mom had stitched about 80-90% of it.
It became my mission to improve my hand quilting skills and to finish it.
We lost Mom in February. She and the unknown woman who started this quilt are gone, but their story and this quilts story goes on. Stitched together forever. I'm honored to have been a small part of finishing the story.
