Children’s Quilts – Each Tell a Story

Children’s Quilts – Each Tell a Story

Observe a playground of 3 year olds playing for a few minutes.  They are the busiest little independent group of individuals.  Each can make you smile, cause you sleepless nights, and give you the most love and joy you have ever experienced in your life.  As a quilter, designing a children’s quilt is much like these little ones on the playground.  Each of the unique children’s quilts stand alone in a sea of other unique handmade baby quilts, yet all belong to the collection entitled, “Children’s Quilts.”  The quilter smiles and sews, thinking of the child, who will cuddle under the quilt each night.  Yet, those late nights spent making sure the children’s quilt meets with the high expectation of its maker, if not, long hours will be spent until the problem is resolved.  But as the quilter adds the last stitches to the finished project, she knows that unique handmade quilt, will become another keepsake to her growing collection of the children’s quilts.

How does the story of each unique quilt begin?  As a quilter commences her initial design work, thoughts grow and develop from the design board to the sewing machine.  Each of her children’s quilts tells its own story, as the pieces are cut from carefully chosen fabrics, sewn carefully into patterns.  The story’s is illustrated through color, design, and texture.  Whether the quilter has a special child in mind, as she sews and quilts, or if the quilter is designing and quilting for the love of her art, either way, the children’s quilts come to life step by step.  For example, the soft baby flannel that may be used in the piecing of a clown’s hat may evoke memories of a toy that the quilter’s son once played with in the nursery.  The soft pink cotton that once was the out grown nightgown of a clumsy toddler is now the ballerina’s skirt in a children’s quilt of a graceful little girl, who grew up and now loves to show her Mommy how much she loves to dance, instead of crawling around the house.  Or the blue jean train on the newly finished children’s quilt which was once a little boy’s first pair of dungarees.  Tonight, when he goes to bed, and hugs his handmade children’s quilt, the story can be told again about the little train on that special children’s quilt, a keepsake for years to come, with a story to tell.

Take time to quilt.