I was thinking about relatives of mine and women I’d never met the other day.
Specifically I was thinking about my Great-Great-Grandmother Betsy Amelia and her friends.
Sometime around 1892 she and her friends made a Crazy Quilt. 
There are many quilts in the family trunks, but this one has always been my favorite.
Part of the appeal is the quilt itself, I love to search for all the different embroidery stitches that dance over the many fancy fabrics. But the real draw is the hidden stories.
When I see an old quilt or other handmade item, I wonder about the person who made it. There are always stories hiding within things if you can find them. A quilt like this sets my over-active imagination wild. Not only was it made by many hands but those hands purposefully left their own marks on it.
Who were these women who left their initials behind in so many colors and styles? 
Where did all those fabric pieces come from?
Who did the painting?
Why did my great-great-grandma take the quilt home when it was done? Did they make one for everyone?
So many questions.
It was over a hundred years ago and her life, their lives, were likely much different than mine. But the big question that always sticks in my mind is, once they all sat down together, was the substance of their conversations really that much different than when my friends and I gather for a book club? 
I like to imagine that they talked about babies and husbands and friends and families just like we do. And for all that the world has changed in the years since, I find that thread of conversation that weaves us together to be more important than the rest of it after all.
Behind the Willows 
gorgeous
Makes me think of “Anne of Ingleside”, which I’m reading right now. They’re having a quilting party…a stich and …. 😉
😀
That is beautiful ❤️ I don’t have anything like it in my own family heirlooms, but I’ve read so much about such quilts and I’m toying with the idea of starting the tradition with my daughter.. who knows, maybe my great-grandkids will inherit it one day and wonder about me 😊
I’m sure they will wonder about you- stories of the grandma who was crazy about spooky stories are sure to be handed down through the years. But a quilt is a super nice idea to supplement that too! 😉
Seriously though I think that would be an amazing tradition to start! 🙂
Lol! I’ll definitely be the crazy granny 😂😂
Beautiful quilt and beautiful thoughts about your grandma. I have an afghan like that too. It is like a piece of my great grandma is still alive. This is one of the reasons I quilt. Thank you for sharing this crazy quilt:)!
I just bopped over and looked at a few of your quilts- beautiful! Someone will hold them one day far in the future and think of you too! 🙂
Thank you Jessie!
What a great quilt, how nice that you have this piece of your family history.
I love the quilts (there are more, this is just my favorite) there is also furniture and all sorts of heirlooms, (both my grandparents were only children they got all the things!) but the quilts have that personal touch that makes them my favorite.
Yes, I would imagine it feels like a tangible connection to the past. There is something about fabric that can do that.
Really beautiful stitching.
Isn’t it, Even the back is beautiful!
Wonderful post, gorgeous pictures!
(Have just re-read Carol Shields ‘Happenstance’ which features a quilting convention.)
Thank you! 🙂
Hm-m … or perhaps it’s a map … to buried treasure!!! 😀
Oooooo now I have to go study it some more! 😀
The quilt is such a treasure to cherish. Beautiful write and pictures.
Thank you and thank you for stopping by. 🙂
Wow that is indeed a treasure. 🙂
Isn’t it neat!? I love that I have a way of sharing it even if it is just virtually!
That’s a great-looking quilt, and you’re lucky to have it in such good condition.
Never underestimate the power of a good cedar chest! And yes, we are lucky to not only have it but to know where it came from as well. 🙂