Cousin Virgilia & Quilting

Cousin Virgilia and Quilting

My mother had a favorite memory about quilting that she recalled until Alzheimer’s captured her mind. When she was six-years old, she received a letter from Cousin Virgilia, her father’s cousin.

It’s amazing to me that Mother kept this letter and treasured it in her latter years. As she held it and read it to me, she’d recall other stories about Cousin Virgilia and early quilting days.

I’ve also quoted from this letter in my book, The Magic of Patchwork: “My Mama said when I was six-years old I had pieced blocks enough for a quilt, and I can remember sitting at her side sewing.”

Mother said she sat beside her mother, grandmother, and older sister with sewing tasks when she was that same age. They made quilts, sewed clothes, and, of course, did endless patching for the family.

This is part of my Trails End Quilting heritage, for that’s where my mother grew up and the quilting skills and lore passed along to me originated…on their farm at the “end of the trail” in New York State.
©2005

Feed Sack Fabrics

“Mom, there’s a yard sale down the road and they have printed feed sacks!” Beth called as we drove in the driveway when they lived in Ohio. “I got some this morning. But they had quite a few left.”

So I left Jim with unpacking the car while Beth and I dashed off to the yard sale. Yes, there were feed sacks there to add to our collection. These were of the era when I was a young girl making quilts with my grandmother.

Many of the fabrics Nanny and Auntie (the daughter who lived with my grandmother) used for their sewing projects and for quilts at Trails End. My family bought their chicken and cattle feed in burlap and plain white sacks. So it was with fascination that I looked over the fabric from sacks Nanny and Auntie acquired.

I still have a drawstring skirt I made from one of these sacks for a 4-H project. The first item I made to model in our 4-H dress review. It has a red background with small white flowers over all.

You’ll often find these feed and flour sacks at yard sales and in antique shops. The prices generally are higher in the shops than the yard and garage sales. Sometimes if you purchase a box or batch of fabric at an auction or estate sale, you’ll find some of this old fabric.

Feed sack fabrics for quilts and sewing projects constitute some of my Trails End quilting memories.

(c)2005

Introduction to the Trails End Quilters

I've discovered my quilting heritage evolves from the quilters who lived at Trails End Farm, in Milan, NY, the home where my mother grew up, where her mother and grandmother also lived and were involved in quiltmaking. This is where I sat beside my grandmother, in her country kitchen, when I was 8 years old, and helped sew my first quilt blocks.

That quilt was one of four Nanny made for her grandchildren. I still have the one we made for me, although it's well worn and faded.

I took up quiltmaking again, at my mom's urging, during this country's Bicentennial years of 1975-76. This developed into a quiltmaking and patchwork business, along with writing about this topic for quilting magazines. Eventually I wrote a book, The Magic of Patchwork.

My daughter has become a quilt designer and quiltmaker, who is gaining recognition in her field. Her daughter also has begun following in the footsteps of the Trails End Quilters.

I hope you enjoy the stories I share about my quilting heritage which began with the quilters at the Trails End Farm.

(I also write a general quilting blog at www.aboutweblogs.com/quilting. )