"Would you like to learn to quilt with me?" my friend asked. "Sure," I quickly replied. We signed up for a beginner's class and thus began the love of quilting I now hold so dear. This was not my first exposure to quilting. No, most certainly not, I vividly remember an earlier time when I enjoyed using handmade quilts.

When I was about 9 years old my cousin, Cyndi, and her family came to visit from Arkansas. We decided that a tree fort was the order of the day so we set out to construct one among the branches of one of Grandma's front yard trees. Back and forth we traveled weighted down with the many handmade quilts and blankets that had been neatly stacked and folded on Grandma's linen closet shelves.

These soon became our walls, doors, and furniture for seating. Following an afternoon of playing in our tree fort we were off on our next escapade. The next thing we realized was that a fort made out of quilts and blankets in a spring rain shower made a grandma who was impossible to make mad, mad!

COVER UP WITH QUILTS

Today when I do my Bible study in my living room I have a little seating area. This is a pair of upholstered peach chairs with a little marble topped table between them. While I enjoy my own little spot, I treasure the 3 handmade antique quilts hanging on the iron rack next to me. One of these bears the words embroidered by my great-great-grandmother to my great-aunt, "From Grandmaw to Little Martha, 1879," and is a hearty quilt that has withstood the test of time. It has warmed a bed through many a winter night, and weathered spring showers while it served as a tree fort wall. The red and white one is another survivor of the tree fort adventure while another of these quilts hangs in this place of honor because it was the little mint colored quilt that covered my mama when she was a baby in a cradle. These family quilts warm my heart instead of my lap.

I am not alone in my love of quilting and all things quilted. These days it is common to see a "Quilt Show" or shop in nearly every quaint little town. According to a survey the industry has steadily increased since 1997 to become a $1.8 billion business with more than 20 million quilters in the United States alone. The survey also found that 99 percent of quilters are female, 74 percent are college educated and 97 percent own their own personal computers. A typical quilter owns an average of two sewing machines and spends more than $1,500 a year on quilting projects¹.

Surprised? Today's quilters are not only very different than those of a hundred years ago; they also are making quilts for different reasons. In addition to something that keeps us warm, quilts are now an expression of creativity. Quilts have always been made for the family and many have been passed down as heirlooms, but quilts are also works of art and many now hang in corporate offices, in museums and are used for decorating the home.

SAVING MONEY?

I love the Latin word that "quilt" comes from, culcita, which means a stuffed sack. When you look at one of these antique quilts I have you can see that underneath the layer of fabric pieces that form the pattern, there is not batting but another layer of fabric pieces. When my ancestors found one of their quilts becoming threadbare they sat down to make a new top for it. They didn't discard it for a new one but instead, turned it into the insides of a new one—or the stuffing for a new sack.

The part my husband Randy finds so ironic is that when our ancestors redid a quilt top it was of necessity. This was the frugal and wise way to accomplish your goal. They took the dress that was too worn to be of use and the pillowcase that no longer was needed along with the flour sack that was empty and cut them into small pieces of fabric to be sewn into a new quilt top. As a result you might hear your mom say, "This red fabric is from my favorite maternity dress."

Women saved scraps from worn out pieces of clothing, things she had worn over the years. As a result quilts held wonderful memories and when she was ready to piece together a new quilt top, piece by piece, she would carefully choose and sew together memories from her life.

BUSY AS A BEE

One of the enjoyable aspects of quilt making in days past was the quilting bee. The ladies met to put a quilt together after the top had been pieced or appliquéd. This was one of the premier social activities in pioneer times. They arrived at the hostess' home in the morning, bringing their needles and thread and spent the day chatting and quilting. Often they exchanged quilt patterns and displayed samples of a quilt they were working on. Sometimes the ladies brought pies or cakes and the hostess prepared a meal. Frequently in the evening, the men joined them at the hostess' home. There would be a supper, perhaps some games and dancing. This was a way new people in the area became acquainted and long time residents socialized.

Quilting Bees became a social affair similar to barn raising. They provided an opportunity to get together, a rare treat due to the wide open spaces and resulting isolation. Working together, the quilting bee would often be a full day event with the women gathered around a quilt frame, sharing stories, news, and advice on how to run a home or raise children. In short, quilting classes today are quite similar to quilting bees of the past.

FOR TODAY

Here is an idea for you. Instead of donating everything old to Goodwill, save some of them (notice I did not say "all"). How about your 3-year-old's favorite pants? You know, the ones that he cries when you take them away to wash them. Do you have the dress your daughter wore in that picture of her you love? I have a cupboard full of various fabrics waiting for my next quilting urge to hit me. When it does I am ready to begin stitching together my first quilt of memories.

I have some pieces of my Daddy's clothing and some of his ties that I am going to cut up and use a piece of in a quilt for each child. I have a bridesmaid dress worn in my wedding ready to cut apart and use (I also have one that is intact that the girls like to try on every once in a while). I have the dress I used to wear on the Grandview Junior Miss float, and the ones I wore in each of my sister's weddings. I have an old apron of my Grandma's and an old dress of my great grandma's. I have their Daddy's cub scout uniform, and my Camp Fire Girls dress. All of these together, will make quilts to treasure.

Here is another idea for you. I have saved all the team logo's from the boy's various ball team tee shirts. I came up with this idea for my aunt. She said she wanted to sew all the shirt logos she had from her sons various activities together to make a quilt and wondered how that could be done. I told her I had been saving my boys shirts too for a quilt of "some kind, someday." We brainstormed and since her son was ready for college she made hers. The result is squares of denim with various size insets of tee shirt pieces all pieced together with old pieces of denim from jeans. I continue to save all the tee shirt logos from sport teams, VBS, church plays, etc. I cut them up as soon as they are done with them - they are ugly to wear after the event anyway - and this takes care of that. I say, "I'm saving them for you." By labeling each one I'll even be able to remember what year each one came from and whose was whose.

At first I struggled with the seeming "crazy" idea of ruining these pieces of clothing. Yet, each of these as a whole piece is not anything to display or even to want to keep. But by cutting them up and putting them together in a blanket of memories, my children will have something to cherish much more than just an old uniform. My boys would never want their old tee shirts but sewn into a quilt they will cherish them along with the embroidered date of its use. And besides, where do you think the crazy quilt got its name?

BEFORE WE SEW IT CLOSED

I believe quilting is still popular today for a few reasons. Just as quilts were a valuable asset for the physical aspects (warmth), they also nourish your heart with their beauty. Also, the fulfillment earned as a result of creating your own piece of functional art and the satisfaction that skill gives you, cannot be understated. And finally, a quilt is more than just a bed covering or wall decoration. A quilt, especially made by you or someone you love, symbolizes comfort, warmth, security, and beauty.

If you are interested in getting started or just want some good information, see our website, www.TEACHmagazine.com for a more extensive article with some fascinating tidbits of history included along with some books for you to consider.

FOOTNOTE

1. "Quilter's Newsletter Magazine"

Lorrie Flem has been honored to be the happy rib of Randy for 20 years. They make their home in Maple Valley, Washington until they reach the mansion Jesus is preparing for them. She considers it a privilege to be a stay-at-home homeschooling mom to their always precious and often precocious eight children.

Lorrie has always been prone to talk and as a result she has written a number of books, is the publisher of TEACH Magazine, a FREE bi-monthly ezine, and speaks nationally at conferences, retreats, and teas. Lorrie is known for her humorous and gentle words of encouragement to other keepers of the home. See her and get a sample of TEACH -- The Magazine that Puts the Home in Homeschooling -- For Mothers of Today with Yesterday's Values, at www.TEACHmagazine.com.