https://padlet.com/gjrq55bgxf/u8cefhckztd5hoxl My brief immersion in the world of quilting en-us 2021-09-27 00:42:16 UTC 2025-10-23 11:57:45 UTC hello@padlet.com gjrq55bgxf https://padlet.com/gjrq55bgxf/u8cefhckztd5hoxl/wish/1769490192 My recent fascination with quilts began with an early-morning freewrite. I was looking around my bedroom-office for inspiration, and I became transfixed by the quilt on my bed— and the dozens of intertwining stories it represented. I thought of its maker, my wife's dearly departed Auntie Dot. I thought about the play, Quilters, that I saw in our small-town Heritage Theatre many years ago. And I thought about the stories that must be embedded in each piece of fabric Dot used to piece together this fabric manifestation of love and art. Then I thought about the hand-made blanket I bought in Peru decades ago, during an epic trip with my uncle and father, and I realized how often I take for granted such simple luxuries as having a roof over my head, or a blanket on my bed.]]> 2021-09-27 00:49:58 UTC https://padlet.com/gjrq55bgxf/u8cefhckztd5hoxl/wish/1769490192 gjrq55bgxf https://padlet.com/gjrq55bgxf/u8cefhckztd5hoxl/wish/1769506048 As my fascination with quilting grows, I wonder where they came from—who thought to patch together bits of fabric to form blankets that are every bit as artistic as they are functional. I recall the essence of the play Quilters, about the women settlers who patched together new lives as they quilted together, and I want to know more about these women and their traditions. I think about modern day quilting—is it a dying art, or is it still being passed down through the generations? And are there any men who quilt, as there seems to be a growing number of men who knit? How difficult and time-consuming is it to make a quilt? Is it something that I might consider doing one day, using my daughter's sewing machine, the skills I learned in Home Economics eons ago, and fabric from the bags of clothing and linens that are earmarked for the local thrift store? ]]> 2021-09-27 00:56:52 UTC https://padlet.com/gjrq55bgxf/u8cefhckztd5hoxl/wish/1769506048 gjrq55bgxf https://padlet.com/gjrq55bgxf/u8cefhckztd5hoxl/wish/1771386230 I ask my wife, Sheila, about Auntie Dot's quilts, and the stories they  represent. She smiles nostalgically and says, "She used some of our old clothing. I can remember looking at a quilt and thinking, 'that was my brother's t-shirt" and 'those were the pants I wore when …'."]]> 2021-09-27 14:41:01 UTC https://padlet.com/gjrq55bgxf/u8cefhckztd5hoxl/wish/1771386230 gjrq55bgxf https://padlet.com/gjrq55bgxf/u8cefhckztd5hoxl/wish/1771393858 What memories do these patches on my son's quilt, bunched up at the end of his bed, represent?]]> 2021-09-27 14:43:08 UTC https://padlet.com/gjrq55bgxf/u8cefhckztd5hoxl/wish/1771393858 gjrq55bgxf https://padlet.com/gjrq55bgxf/u8cefhckztd5hoxl/wish/1771404576 "Quilting can be traced back as far as ancient Egypt.  In the British Museum is an ivory carving from the Temple of Osiris at Abydos found in 1903 which features the king of the First Egyptian Dynasty wearing a cloak or mantle that appears to be quilted."

Quilting came to America from England, a craft brought by the Puritans (settlers from the religious reform movement known as Puritanism) in the late 16th century. At that time, quilts were purely functional, used as blankets and to cover doors and windows to keep the cold out. I'm sure that even those earliest quilts had a certain artistic charm, as they wove together fabrics that each carried their own histories.

"Quilting may well have been a relaxing activity for a pioneer woman, especially when the women of the community or rural area would gather at each other’s home for a quilting bee.  Whether a social event for these early women, or the result of a gathering of the community for a barn building, these times were often the highlight of these women’s challenging life."

Quilting became more of an art form in the 1700s, and by the 1800s "whole cloth quilts"—those made from a single piece of fabric, stitched using elegant needlework. Another technique, called appliqué, layered smaller pieces of fabric onto the larger cloth purely for aesthetic reasons.

"Those early quilts tell the history not only of early American quilting, but also the early history of the country."

(Quoted and paraphrased from https://www.ablockaway.com/long-history-of-quilting-explored.htm)]]> 2021-09-27 14:46:07 UTC https://padlet.com/gjrq55bgxf/u8cefhckztd5hoxl/wish/1771404576 gjrq55bgxf https://padlet.com/gjrq55bgxf/u8cefhckztd5hoxl/wish/1771479741 This is my daughter's well-loved quilt, made by her granny Ruth (Dot's sister), which currently resides with Iris in her Kelowna dorm room—leaving the dull brown-and-white commercially-sewn blanket on the vacant bed that awaits her return visits. I have a strong desire to find a quilter—or take up the craft myself—to replace the worn-out patches on this blanket that will keep my daughter warm through her first winter away from home.

Looking at this photo over my shoulder, Sheila points out fabrics from her mum's dresses and her brother's shirt. Patterns, like a few bars from a classic song, triggering memories from decades ago.]]> 2021-09-27 15:06:02 UTC https://padlet.com/gjrq55bgxf/u8cefhckztd5hoxl/wish/1771479741 gjrq55bgxf https://padlet.com/gjrq55bgxf/u8cefhckztd5hoxl/wish/1771490410 The play that first made me open my eyes to the amazing craft of quilting.]]> 2021-09-27 15:08:58 UTC https://padlet.com/gjrq55bgxf/u8cefhckztd5hoxl/wish/1771490410 gjrq55bgxf https://padlet.com/gjrq55bgxf/u8cefhckztd5hoxl/wish/1771646810 September 20th:

Every flower tells a different story
They share the same shape
The same pattern
But why…
are there three light petals on one
and all dark petals on the next?
Why are the filaments that protrude
like cats' whiskers
thread whispers
in yellow?
These strips
by Dot
a finishing touch
to this perfect grid
six by seven
a whisper from heaven above.

I once went to see a play called Quilters.
I won't pretend I was excited
to see the theatrical equivalent
to a "chick flick"
even though I've always been a sucker
for chick flicks.

("Chick flick?"
Such an outdated term.
Was it ever really okay to say,
or just something we men said because
we didn't want to admit
that we liked "unmanly" things?
Fodder for another poem...)

I was quite taken by the spectacle
By the stories of women handed down
through generations
in patches of cloth
woven together
The stories
The women
The cloth.
Nurturing
Building
Creating new life
While creating a new life.

I have never looked at Auntie Dot's creations
the same
since learning the
labour of love
they represent.
For all her quirks and faults
For her sharp tongue
with its questionable judgments
Fabric was her language
of love.
From dish cloths
to slippers
to Afghan blankets
to her crowning achievements
Painstakingly layered
Bit by bit
Turning remnants
each carrying their own stories
into mosaics
bursting with joy
Stories
handed down
through the generations.


]]> 2021-09-27 15:51:30 UTC https://padlet.com/gjrq55bgxf/u8cefhckztd5hoxl/wish/1771646810 gjrq55bgxf https://padlet.com/gjrq55bgxf/u8cefhckztd5hoxl/wish/1771816052 This is the quilt that started my inquiry. I've now learned that it was the first quilt my wife took notice of at her Auntie Dot's house in Bellingham. It was made in 1982, as confirmed by these words written in thread in the bottom-right corner: "DOROTHY WATSON, BELLINGHAM, WA, 1982". Dot gave it to us shortly before her death in 2017.]]> 2021-09-27 16:45:30 UTC https://padlet.com/gjrq55bgxf/u8cefhckztd5hoxl/wish/1771816052 gjrq55bgxf https://padlet.com/gjrq55bgxf/u8cefhckztd5hoxl/wish/1771835170 I remember receiving this quilt from Dot for our fifth anniversary, in 2007. Admittedly, I probably didn't give it the appreciation it deserved, because I was clueless about how much work would have gone into this. I also didn't realize the depth of this fifth-anniversary tradition that began when my wife's oldest cousin had a "shotgun wedding" back in the '70s, and Dot gave her an Afghan instead of the quilts that were her hallmark. When asked why an Afghan, she said that quilts were a lot more work, and she wasn't convinced the marriage would last. She promised to make one for the couple's fifth anniversary, if they lasted that long, and a family tradition was born. For the record, that couple is still together more than 40 years later.]]> 2021-09-27 16:51:01 UTC https://padlet.com/gjrq55bgxf/u8cefhckztd5hoxl/wish/1771835170 gjrq55bgxf https://padlet.com/gjrq55bgxf/u8cefhckztd5hoxl/wish/1771864086 This "play quilt", which my wife deemed too beautiful to play with, sits in storage for my daughter to take with her one day, or possibly to hand down to someone in the next generation, if our family is gifted with a next generation. Just look at the intricate stitching—stripes on a sail, hot-air balloons patterned like Easter eggs, even chicken scratches—and marvel at the effort that this one small blanket represents.]]> 2021-09-27 17:01:22 UTC https://padlet.com/gjrq55bgxf/u8cefhckztd5hoxl/wish/1771864086 gjrq55bgxf https://padlet.com/gjrq55bgxf/u8cefhckztd5hoxl/wish/1771875752 Who needs a Rembrandt when you have a Dorothy Watson? I am told that this gem—my son's "play quilt"—won an award within the quilting community. ]]> 2021-09-27 17:05:06 UTC https://padlet.com/gjrq55bgxf/u8cefhckztd5hoxl/wish/1771875752 gjrq55bgxf https://padlet.com/gjrq55bgxf/u8cefhckztd5hoxl/wish/1771895021 Who says I'm not hip? According to StyleCaster.com, I'm quiltcore!

"Oh, and if the word “quiltcore” is strange to you, you can totally just refer to it as the patchwork trend. These days, any popular look has become its own -core, and quiltcore is in many ways an extention of grannycore and the grandma chic aesthetic." (quoted from StyleCaser.com)]]> 2021-09-27 17:11:42 UTC https://padlet.com/gjrq55bgxf/u8cefhckztd5hoxl/wish/1771895021 gjrq55bgxf https://padlet.com/gjrq55bgxf/u8cefhckztd5hoxl/wish/1771984690 Each of 30 panels on this child's quilt tells its own story. The epitome of "poetic things that are not poems".]]> 2021-09-27 17:41:42 UTC https://padlet.com/gjrq55bgxf/u8cefhckztd5hoxl/wish/1771984690 gjrq55bgxf https://padlet.com/gjrq55bgxf/u8cefhckztd5hoxl/wish/1771991610 No doubt inspired by the one-room rural Manitoba schoolhouse Dot and her siblings attended. An alien concept for my unschooled kids.]]> 2021-09-27 17:44:06 UTC https://padlet.com/gjrq55bgxf/u8cefhckztd5hoxl/wish/1771991610 gjrq55bgxf https://padlet.com/gjrq55bgxf/u8cefhckztd5hoxl/wish/1771999924 What speaks of artifacts and stories being handed down through the generations more aptly than a rocking horse sewn into a child's quilt?]]> 2021-09-27 17:46:57 UTC https://padlet.com/gjrq55bgxf/u8cefhckztd5hoxl/wish/1771999924 gjrq55bgxf https://padlet.com/gjrq55bgxf/u8cefhckztd5hoxl/wish/1772010996 Sunflower or sunshine? 12 flaming petals and one crooked smile, all encircled in a necklace of diamonds.]]> 2021-09-27 17:50:45 UTC https://padlet.com/gjrq55bgxf/u8cefhckztd5hoxl/wish/1772010996 gjrq55bgxf https://padlet.com/gjrq55bgxf/u8cefhckztd5hoxl/wish/1772017734 Three purple tulips and one bee drunk on pollen, swirling through the air in loop-the-loops, flying its own poetic journey.]]> 2021-09-27 17:53:05 UTC https://padlet.com/gjrq55bgxf/u8cefhckztd5hoxl/wish/1772017734 gjrq55bgxf https://padlet.com/gjrq55bgxf/u8cefhckztd5hoxl/wish/1772023619 A purple ladybug, wings spread wide, taking flight while its mate rests thoughtfully on a sagging branch.]]> 2021-09-27 17:55:15 UTC https://padlet.com/gjrq55bgxf/u8cefhckztd5hoxl/wish/1772023619 gjrq55bgxf https://padlet.com/gjrq55bgxf/u8cefhckztd5hoxl/wish/1772251753 September 27th:

Histories shared in
Columns and rows
Stories within stories
Layer upon layer
Written in thread
Filaments, whiskers, dreams]]> 2021-09-27 19:21:47 UTC https://padlet.com/gjrq55bgxf/u8cefhckztd5hoxl/wish/1772251753 gjrq55bgxf https://padlet.com/gjrq55bgxf/u8cefhckztd5hoxl/wish/1775398872 September 28

Lifetimes shared
In columns and rows
Layer upon layer
Stories within stories
Written in fabric and thread
These whiskers
Whispers across time
History reborn in quiltcore fashion
In all its ageless
Timeless
Beauty

]]> 2021-09-28 17:11:36 UTC https://padlet.com/gjrq55bgxf/u8cefhckztd5hoxl/wish/1775398872 gjrq55bgxf https://padlet.com/gjrq55bgxf/u8cefhckztd5hoxl/wish/1779746015 Three generations of a family woven together through fabric arts. Between them, Auntie Dot (in red) and Granny Ruth (in plaid) have made more than half a dozen quilts for our family. And Ruth handed down her love of sewing to my daughter Iris (in purple), who has taken to sewing accessories, clothing, and adorable fabric animals. Perhaps Iris will carry on the quilting tradition that runs in her maternal bloodline?]]> 2021-09-30 01:04:30 UTC https://padlet.com/gjrq55bgxf/u8cefhckztd5hoxl/wish/1779746015 gjrq55bgxf https://padlet.com/gjrq55bgxf/u8cefhckztd5hoxl/wish/1779829062 This is the building in my local community, built in 1929, where I saw the play "Quilters" a few years ago. I learned through this inquiry that the Heritage Playhouse began as the Women's Institute Hall. It has been a hub for community activity ever since.]]> 2021-09-30 01:37:10 UTC https://padlet.com/gjrq55bgxf/u8cefhckztd5hoxl/wish/1779829062 gjrq55bgxf https://padlet.com/gjrq55bgxf/u8cefhckztd5hoxl/wish/1779832043 2021-09-30 01:38:23 UTC https://padlet.com/gjrq55bgxf/u8cefhckztd5hoxl/wish/1779832043 gjrq55bgxf https://padlet.com/gjrq55bgxf/u8cefhckztd5hoxl/wish/1779994665 Lyrical Poem - Final (for now)

Lifetimes shared
In columns and rows
Stories within stories
Written in fabric and thread
Layer upon layer
These petals and stripes and whiskers
Whispers between generations
History reborn in quiltcore fashion
Form and function
In all its timeless
Beauty

]]> 2021-09-30 02:41:02 UTC https://padlet.com/gjrq55bgxf/u8cefhckztd5hoxl/wish/1779994665