Creating Hangings from Old Quilt Squares

When we found several old quilt squares midst my mother’s memorabilia after her death, my daughter and I wondered how to share them with my sister, her daughter and daughter-in-law…in other words, the other gals in the family. We weren’t sure who had made them. In all likelihood, it was one of the Trails End Quilters.

My mother grew up at Trails End Farm and her mother introduced me to quiltmaking when I was eight years old. I knew my mom hadn’t made the squares, so it must have been someone in her family since they were among other items she’d received after her mother’s death.

There weren’t many of these hand stitched quilt squares. If we made a quilt or hanging of them, only one person could enjoy it. My daughter suggested she add a border around each and put them in frames.

This is what we did. Now each female in the family has a bit of Trails End quilting in her home.

There are other ways we could have finished these bits of memorabilia ,and they can always be taken from the frame for the owner to create something else. For instance, they could become the centerpiece of a hanging, by adding more borders and other patchwork around it. A quilter could find older fabrics and make other blocks using the same pattern, then use the original as the center block of the quilt.

Or she could make a pillow of the square, a tote bag, a piece of clothing. We preferred, to place the squares in something to hang on the wall so they’d have longer life.

What have you done with your family quilting and memorabilia so the handiwork of previous generations isn’t forgotten?

©2005 Mary Emma Allen

(If you have questions or information to share, e-mail me. )