Grandma's Quilt

My grandmother, Rose Echo (Bonesteel) Brown (1898-1973), made a quilt out of my mother’s childhood dresses. My grandmother sewed all of my mother’s clothes, as I suppose many people did in those days, and she was a fantastic seamstress. She created a quilt with a random pattern, with pieces of cloth of various sizes and geometric shapes, known as a “crazy quilt.” My grandmother was very artistic, so even though the pieces are put together in no pattern, it is clear that she considered shape, color, and texture to create a pleasing abstract design.

This quilt was originally incredibly heavy and warm. I touch the heavy, scratchy, wool cloth and feel sorry for my mother having to wear what I would assume to have been quite uncomfortable, hot dresses. But maybe they were appreciated during the winters in Indiana. I don’t know, and now my mother, Vera Hope (Brown) Todd (1918-2003), is not around to ask. 

I also don’t know when Grandma made the quilt or when she gave it to Mom. Did she make it when Mom was young, to be put into a hope chest? Did she make it after Mom eloped with Dad in 1937 when she was only 18? My parents always indicated that Grandma didn’t approve of their marriage because she didn’t like my Dad, but now I am wondering if she was appropriately concerned that Mom, whose father had recently died and who had just graduated from high school, was too young and inexperienced to make such a decision as to marry my “wild” PK (Preacher’s Kid) father, and during a Depression, too. Maybe Grandma made the quilt and gave it to my parents after I was born seven years later, when she apparently “forgave” them for eloping.

All I know is that the quilt was in our house for as long as I can remember. It was always brought out when we were sick, to keep us warm and comfy. My sister, Jean Ann Todd (1946-2014), especially loved the quilt. It was held together with fuzzy yarn ties, and when she was a child, Jean loved to hug the quilt and rub the yarn between her fingers. She kept the quilt and used it for most of her adult life, until it became very worn. She gave it to me in 2007, and I simply stored it.

The quilt was originally backed with dark brown satin. Hand-tied beige yarn held front, back, and middle together every six inches. The middle was extremely heavy wool quilt stuffing. When I recently took it out of storage, I saw that the satin back was faded and in shreds. There were several rips in the front. I hand-sewed the tears on the front, but it was impossible to save the satin backing.

So I took the quilt apart. The satin backing peeled away fairly easily. I cut away the inner stuffing and tried to preserve all the yarn ties. I found and bought a dark brown sheet, made out of Modal, that matched the color of the satin as I remembered it. I did not replace the stuffing, since the quilt is plenty warm without it and it is bulky enough as is. Since I am not nearly as good at sewing as my grandmother or my cousin Peggy, I machine sewed the sheet to the quilt front, trying to preserve as much of Grandma’s original sewing as possible. It doesn’t look exactly as it did, but it is very close. It is now useable, and I am wondering if one of my daughter’s would want it.

Grandma's "Crazy Quilt"