The Care And Feeding Of Quilts And Children

Today, please bear with me while I forego the usual edible food and post a little about something I am doing to feed my children’s spirits.

I’m sure we’ll all agree that raising children is the most monumental task anyone could possibly undertake. We have these little beings with their little spirits and wide open minds looking to us to teach, mold, and guide them into being the wonderful people they are destined to become. As if that isn’t intimidating enough, there is also the fact that you will most certainly, regardless of intent, screw it up somehow. 🙂

Still, there are so many lessons that we want them to take to heart and so precious little time to impart these little bits of wisdom to them. I’m always looking for ways to do this while bringing us closer together at the same time.

My mother and I are both quilters. She is much more so than I, especially since I gave my daughter my sewing room (it was a sewing room or a second child – my poor Janome still feels slighted!). I began these quilts for my children several years back as “Advice Quilts”. Right now they are just pieced tops and I plan on having them quilted by the time they graduate high school, giving them as graduation gifts to the both of them. In the meantime, I fill them with advice. Some of it is whimsical, some of it more serious. I write something as it occurs to me and try to leave plenty of room to add in time sensitive material based on their individual character development or interests.

Its just a little something from me to my babies, while they are still my babies. You don’t have to be a quilter to do this though. Simply keeping a journal with letters to your child would mean the world to them. Scrapbooking is another great option for setting up essentially the same thing. If you would like to make your own advice quilt, be sure you choose one with plenty of light colored fabrics which are easily written upon. For Brady’s, this meant bleached muslin. For Katy’s, I chose a tone on tone white which actually doesn’t allow the writing to show as clearly as it does on Brady’s quilt.

The pens I use are Pigma pens by Micron. They are available at any arts and crafts store. Once ironed with dry heat, the pen sets and is light fast and fade proof. Most people would take time to write with a fancier hand but I just used my normal, barely legible handwriting. This is personal so I’m not going to put on airs :).

My mother is an amazing quilter. Most every issue she has a quilt featured in McCall’s Quilting or McCall’s Quick Quilts. We’ve honestly lost count! I’ve had quilts in there twice…did you see those? ~Frowns~ No? Must have missed it, I suppose. I’ll have to bring them with me on my big world tour…

Neither quilt is finished, they both need additional borders and such. you are just seeing the centers here. Note: I am not the perfectionist my mother is when it comes to Quilting.

If it looks good from ten yards on a galloping horse, its good with me!

Now keep in mind, this is my personal advice to my own children. It is not in any way intended to be politically correct or filtered to accommodate anyone’s opinion or outlook. These are things that, if I died tomorrow, I’d like for them to carry with them. No holds barred, saying what I want.

I wear mine on those particularly bad days.

Its amazing how the simple act of wearing a tiara peps up your house work 🙂

That is advice my mother gave me when I was pretty young and engaged.

I took it to heart and didn’t marry until seven years later – different guy ~winks~

You’ll notice a Mickey Mouse theme going on in my advice. We’re true Disney diehards.

I was living with my grandparents while I went to college. One day, Grandaddy came downstairs to find me laying out with suntan oil in a lounge chair on the back porch.

“Babe, what are you doing?”

“I’m trying to get a tan!” I said with a grin.

He looked so sad all of a sudden and said “Baby, please don’t do that. I don’t ever want you to have to go through this.” Grandaddy died a few months later from skin cancer. I’ve had a healthy “moon tan” ever since.

I would just like to say that this has nothing to do with my sixth grade math teacher...honest.

I place a pretty high value on education……long story 🙂

‘Nuff said!

Did I iron these for the pics? Course not! its just us here, right?

My standard saying up top.

Boy howdeee was he ever!

I always loved this quote from Mama Reed.

Told ya…

Its never too early to start teaching them this, on both counts!

I started buying the fabric for Brady’s quilt right after 9/11. Patriotic seemed an appropriate choice and I’m still very pleased with it. So much has happened in our country since his birth and this is just another way to share the magnitude of all of that with him.

Once I put the outer borders on his there will be more white space for writing and embroidery.

I used thirties reproduction prints for Katy’s quilt. They are some of my personal favorites. I really enjoy spring colors and the pinwheel block is one of my absolute favorite quilt blocks. It just looks so whimsical and happy.

I’ve left room to do some hand embroidery in the center of Katy’s as well as around the white outer border. I also plan on having the kid’s living grandparents sign these tops as well.

Below is what I have on their quilts so far. Keep in mind that I am not in any rush to fill these up. It is a very personal gift just from me and I want to add more as both of my kids (and myself) grow and develop together.

Brady’s

1. Guard your good name. Don’t associate with bad people.
2. Good manners and a good education will always give you an advantage.
3. be a man of integrity
4. Go to Disney World every chance you get!
5. Family traditions are important. Remember them. Pass them down. Create new ones.
6. Listen to the stories that old people want to tell you. You’ll be amazed at what you learn.
7. Hold the door for people behind you, its just nice.
8. Be careful not to love material things. They will never love you back.
9. Be understanding towards parents with screaming babies. You were once a screaming baby yourself.
10. Say “Please”. Say “Thank you”.
11. Take an interest in your child’s interests.
12. Put the toilet seat back down
13. GO TO COLLEGE
14. Put your Christmas Tree up early!
15. Each day when you wake up you have a choice – you can have a good day or you can have a bad one. So you might as well have a good one. ~Mama
16. Friendly people go farther.
17. Your Mama loves you.
18. You can be a ditch digger if you want but by God you’re going to be the most educated ditchdigger around! ~Mama
19. Don’t trade your values for popularity
20. Take care of your quilts
21. ALWAYS laugh!
22. You’re never too old to get Mickey’s autograph! (Your first trip to Disney World was in January of 2003!)
23. You don’t marry someone because you can live with them. You marry someone because you can’t live without them.
24. Learn the words to the official Alabama state song. Then, lean to sing Row Row Row Your Boat backwards!

Katy’s

1. Wear sunscreen. Don’t TAN! My Grandaddy died of skin cancer. He said he didn’t ever want me to go through that.
2. Always own at least one rhinestone tiara.
3. No matter what, your Mama loves you.
4. Please have children. Only then will you come close to knowing how very much I love you. I don’t want you to miss out on motherhood.
5. Listen to the stories old people tell you. You’ll be amazed at what you learn!
6. Every day do your hair and makeup. You’ll just feel better! ~Janice Davis (grandmother) P.S. This is SO TRUE! ~ Ma
7. Don’t serve your family instant mashed potatoes. Make them from scratch with plenty of butter and evaporated milk.
8. Always set the table as if the president were coming to dinner.  ~ Mama Reed, your great great grandmother
9. Always Laugh!
10. Say “Please”. Say “Thank you”.
11. Put your Christmas tree up early!
12. Hold the door for people behind you, it’s just nice!
13. Learn the words to the official Alabama state song. Then, lean to sing Row Row Row Your Boat backwards!

I’ll also be adding several things to Katy’s that are already on Brady’s quilt as well. I was doing hers with a purple pigma pen and lost it a while back so I have to get another one!

How To Care For Your Heirloom Quilts

Many of us are fortunate enough to have heirloom quilts in our family, lovingly sewn by hand and passed down through generations. Of course, we want to preserve these as best as we possibly can for future generations and there are a few things you need to know in order to do that.

• The worst way to store a quilt – The absolute worst way to store a quilt is in a plastic bag. This is the most harmful to the quilt fibers as it seals in moisture and causes fibers to break down rapidly. Quilts are not allowed to “breathe” and will develop mold and mildew. If you do have quilts stored this way, please take them out and spread them atop a bed for a day or so to allow them to breathe. Then, carefully fold them, avoiding sharp creases and being careful to fold along different lines than you used before, and place them in a cotton pillowcase away from sun and changes in humidity.

• The best way to store your quilts- is flat atop a bed. Susie (of pecan pie muffin fame) says that some of her beds have layers and layers of quilts on them! As long as you have an extra bed, just layer all of your cherished quilts atop it and they’ll be in much better shape than any other method of storing. Its a good idea to make sure there is not bright sunlight shining upon them as well.

• General Upkeep – If you can’t store your quilts atop a bed, once or twice a year (I’d do it more if I were you), remove your quilt, refold it along different lines, and place it back in the pillowcase.

• Washing Your Quilt – By all means do not put an antique or cherished quilt in the washing machine or dryer. This is fine for baby quilts or newer quilts meant to get a lot of use, but for heirlooms, hand washing and flat drying is a must – if you absolutely have to wash them!   Best advice is not to get them dirty to begin with 😉

You can download a free Quilting magazine at Cotton Spice Quilting, here!

This is Mama n’ Me at the Quilting retreat I made these tops on. I look all glamorous, don’t I?

In truth, I just had a raging case of pink eye. ~giggle~

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