My Grandma Bought Me A Quilting Kit
I don’t know where this story comes from, but I wanted to share it with you, as it has a similar feel to something my Grandmother left me. My own Grandmother had made me a teddy bear out of lace from one of my own dresses and only a couple of months before she died, she gave it to me. It had beautiful pale pink and white sequins embedded in the embroidery and it had literally millions of little stitches all over it! She told me every stitch was made with love. . . now read this story. . .
“My family and I have been apart for a long time. We were a close knit bunch when I was growing up. We had tons of family get-togethers, played games, had holiday meals, played musical cars. But when I got into college, all of that changed.
The Miles Between Us
When I was accepted into my college of choice I was ecstatic. I felt like I floated the whole 1,200 mile drive there. I knew what going out of state to college meant. It meant that I was going to miss out on all the family gatherings, and it meant that I was going to grow apart from all of them. I thought I was ready to branch out on my own. I thought that once I got busy with school work, it wouldn’t hurt so much to be away from home. I was wrong.
She Knew My Heart
My grandmother was an avid quilter. She loved the feeling of creating something with her own hands. Even more than that, she loved giving her quilts away.
The miles between my grandmother and I, were long empty miles. I missed her so much, and she knew it. My grandmother, the most intuitive person I know, sent me a quilting kit. Why did she send me a quilting kit? She sent me a quilting kit because she knew that if she and I were doing the same thing at the same time, somehow we would be together. I totally loved the idea! I wanted so much to do this with her.
Unfortunately, school got in the way of our togetherness quilt. I had intended to spend hours a day piecing together the precut quilting squares that came in the quilting kit. It didn’t seem like hard project, but I just kept putting it off, and putting it off. Before I knew it, almost the entire year went by and I was still making excuses to her about why I wasn’t making the quilt.
I Broke Hers
My grandmother was the most amazing, loving, gentle woman. She was loved by everyone who knew her. She was such a giving person, and she was so forgiving. I think that is why I knew I could just keep putting the quilting off, until I felt like doing it. I figured that if I wasn’t doing my quilting kit, then she wasn’t doing hers.
Three weeks after Easter, I got the phone call that would shatter my world. My grandmother had died that night, in her sleep. I was devastated. All I could think of was the fact that I had taken advantage of her kindness all the way up to the point of her death. She died believing that I was going to make this quilt with her. She believed that I was doing my best to be with her, in spirit. All I was doing was ignoring her spirit all together. I wanted to curl up into a little ball and die.
Her Heart
The day I was supposed to leave for home and her funeral, I got a package. It was from my grandmother. Inside the box was a beautiful quilt, wrapped in tissue paper. I sat down on my bed, and just stared at the wrapped quilt in the box. After a few seconds, I reached into the box and unwrapped the quilt. At this point all I could think about was the fact that my grandmother had made this. Her loving hands crafted this quilt for me.
I stood and unfolded the quilt. My breath caught in my throat as I saw the quilt for the first time. It was a quilt she had made using the same design as the quilting kit she had sent me. The tears flowed. Despite all the lies I had spoken to her, despite all the times I took advantage of her kindness, and forgiveness she still loved me enough to create this beautiful quilt for me.”
The Right Quilting Frames
Quilting frames are the easiest way to finish your quilts. Many of the joys that you can experience from quilting are in the design and pattern making. The picking out of the fabrics and design to use is very rewarding. Once you have the top of the quilt made, you will need to sew it to the batting and bottom piece. It is a very heavy item to try to hold together. It does not matter if you use a machine or hand-sew the quilt, you will want to learn to use quilting frames to help you complete the quilt.
When deciding on using quilting frames, you will need to consider a few other things. The main thing to think about is the space that a quilting frame will take up. If you have a living space, you may not be able to spare the room for the quilting frames to use. Frame size is an issue that can cause problems later. It is possible that you will want different size pieces made. If you get a frame, you will need to get poles of different sizes. You may want to consider your décor when choosing a style of frame. You can get the frame to match your individual room and taste. Not only is this a great way to incorporate the frame into the décor, it offers you an option that you will fell comfortable having in your home. Are you going to be quilting alone or having quilting parties? Quilting frames need to be easy to get to if you are going to have others helping you. You will also need to consider the lighting that will be available if you use it in a certain place. You may need to purchase extra lights to see properly.
When considering the right frame for you, you will need to look for the different features the quilting frames offer. You need to look for a frame that will adjust for you to be more comfortable. You may be there for awhile and you will need to try to be as comfortable as possible. Some quilting frames offer a height and tilt option so you can adjust it. This will make it easier to use. Try to find out how easy or hard it may be to set the frame up. If you have to roll the quilt on the frame to use it, you need to see if you have the space on the floor to do that. Finally, the price of the quilting frames must be taken into consideration. Frames that offer an option to use different size poles will be the best option. This will save you money in buying more frames. Remember, quilting frames come in all prices and with many different functions. The options are limitless.
Frame That Piece Of Art
You will need to look at a multitude of things before buying the right frame. The cost and easy use of the frame is essential. You will need to find the right size for you and one that offers the use of different poles. Space that is required for the frame needs to be decided on and the availability of that space to hold the frame is necessary. Choose your frames wisely and carefully for the best results. When all is said and done, you will have a quilt that is beautiful and the quilting frames will be the key!
