Thursday, October 9, 2008

An Oldie, But Goodie

When my youngest son, the Wonder Child, was about 4, I was looking for something to sew one day and found a couple of packages of pre-cut 4 inch squares that someone had given me. They were yellow and brown. I made triangles out of them and sewed them together into blocks and then into a zig-zag pattern and made a quilt for him. He stood by the sewing machine all afternoon handing me the triangles to sew together, then handing me the squares to sew into strips, and lastly, handing me the strips to put together into a quilt top. He watched me machine quilt it and sat next to me on the couch while I stitched the binding down. When it was finished, he took it and called it his "Bumblebee Quilt" because the colors looked like a bee, and he slept with it cuddled up by his face for years.

Wonder Child is 23 now. He was home from school last weekend and when I was helping him get his things ready to leave, I found the Bumblebee Quilt in his bed. He says one pillow isn't enough and two pillows is too much, but a pillow and the Bumblebee Quilt folded under his head is just right. It's badly frayed and nearly threadbare, and I offered to do some repair work on it. He forbade me to touch it. "It's perfect just like it is," he said.

I have to admit that it warmed my heart to know that, even though he's much too old to sleep with a "lovey" that he still treasures that quilt we made together so many years ago.

The Bumblebee Quilt ... in all its well worn and very well loved glory.

The binding is frayed. and nearly completely gone! The seams are coming apart.


But the Wonder Child still thinks it's "perfect."

And that dear friends, is just one of the reasons I love making quilts. It's like giving a part of yourself to someone to love and cherish forever ... or until it just disintegrates away from being so well loved!!

Wishing you all a blessed day!!

Terri

6 comments:

Vicki H. said...

I love that quilt and your son's attachment to it. I think it reminds me of bees to or Charlie Brown's shirt. I love giving quilts to my family. Don't worry about your stash of fabrics, it won't take long before you have lots to choose from. I even have friends give me fabrics when they have no use for it anymore.

Patty said...

Goodness, that's the type of story every mother will appreciate!

Sandi Linn Andersen said...

The first quilt that I made was a baby quilt for my daughter in 1970. It was just squares made from my clothing and sewing scraps. That quilt was always on her bed along with whatever pretty, girly bedding was popular at the different ages a girl goes through. By the time she graduated from high school, it was in tatters, too, but we repaired it a bit so it could make the trip to college. When she graduated from college the quilt was finally retired and now is carefully packed away in a pillowcase to come out when memories call. I could really relate to your story and just loved reading it! Thanks for posting a memory on my blog. That's how I found you!

Needled Mom said...

Oh Terri...what a lovely story. I am sure that the memories are too dear to part with it.

Our daughter still has a few odd bits of her well loved quilt that a friend of mine had made for one of my sons. She adopted it and has given it tremendous love ever since. She continues to keep a piece of it inside her pillowcase. The comfort that these blankets provide are so warming.

By the way....it does look like a bumblebee.

Andrea, the little collector said...

That is so sweet!

Purple and Paisley said...

oh, your son is wise beyond his years to say that the bumble quilt doesn't need repaired...i have an old quilt on my breakfast table that my mom made one of my boys when he was little...it is horribly frayed but mom says that means it was loved!