In memory of Robert - in honor of Jane

It seems the older I get, the busier I get. I thought once the girls got married and moved out, I'd have more time to sew and quilt. But now there are family dinners on the weekend as well as grandbabies to visit and play with. Since Larry's heart attack, he hasn't golfed much. His hours golfing used to mean hours for my sewing. Now we head to the local driving range, and he works on putting or his swing while I walk a few miles. He prefers not to go alone, and I feel more comfortable being nearby to keep an eye on him.

At our last quilt group meeting, Donna mentioned a project of sewing shirt protectors (adult bibs) for a nursing home. I was interested in this project because I thought it would be something I could contribute to the home Mom lives in. After talking with the social worker, it became more bother than it was worth. However, the social worker said they could always use wheelchair quilts; and so a new project was born.

When I talked with my cousin Audrey about it, she said she had homespuns that we could use; so a Saturday was spent sewing her blocks into quilts. She mentioned this project to Darlene who does long arm quilting, and she gave us a pile of batting scraps that could be pieced together.




I had blocks left over from making wedding quilts for my girls, and they got sewn into quilts. These quilts are only 36" square, so they work up quickly. I have been quilting them on my sewing machine with a simple straight line.







My parents were not ones for calling attention to themselves. They gave of their money, time, and resources to their community and church but never wanted recognition for it. There will certainly be no buildings at a college because of their contribution, and no blocks with their name on it will be purchased for area fundraisers.

When my dad passed away six years ago, I had the job of closing out his estate. As I submitted a death certificate for each financial account, I thought to myself it was one more way he would never be remembered. I saved his credit union account for the last as this was a credit union he helped establish. As I met with the manager, I found she never knew my dad; and she didn't even recognize his name. Without him, there would have been no credit union and no job for her. It was hard to imagine that his name was slowly being erased from the community he lived in all his life.

So I'm giving these quilts in memory of dad and in honor of mom. My plan is to give a stack of these the next time I have a care plan meeting for mom. I am giving them from Audrey, Darlene, and me. I know Mom and Dad wouldn't want the recognition, but their story is part of my life; and the story of my life is the reason I have this blog. There will be no label on the quilts stating any of this, but I'll know.

And the legacy of loving and giving continues.