The Quest of making a love cuddle quilt from Mum’s PJs for my only Niece, Heather Started 2013 finished 2015
With the saddest of hearts after Mum passed on Jun 6 2013, my teary eyed niece Heather requested me to make her a quilt from
the pajamas that Mum would no longer use.
So during December 2013, I thought I would start this gift of love. Oh boy, the tears flowed as I proceeded to take apart pj tops and bottoms. How many times over the last few years have I seen her in them.
With each piece of the warm, cuddly flannelette I could feel a deep, and great sense of tears just below the surface. I had to put the pieces away and leave them for a little while. I just couldn't work on this project
without feeling such an overpowering feeling of loss.....but I tried hard to remember what my niece was going through as well. I knew she would understand.
Moving forward to June 2014, I again held these pajamas and proceeded to take them from the pattern pieces and cut them into
various sized blocks. I have a great quilting friend who lives nearby and she spent an afternoon helping me put the 6” blocks into some sort of order. We decided to make rows of the lighter pastel colours. These rows
went on an angle from the top left corner to the bottom right....row after row of squares on an downward angle......Then we pinned the rows together and home I came to my quilt wall. Where I pinned the total pattern and prepared
to sew them together row by row. Yes, handling them was a bit easier now....I finally had a purpose instead of a project.
By the end of October I had all the blocks sewn into rows, and started to sew the rows into a quilt top. I spent many hours
down in my sewing room making 4 patch blocks grow into 2 rows.....and this continued until I had all the rows sewn together into the quilt top. What a feeling of finally getting somewhere.
Then came Christmas,,,,,,and a nasty cold which stole weeks of my feeling other than under the weather (pun intended) of course
this year snow came in January and here in March as I write this blog....it is still with us....any way to continue.
Having gained this new benchmark, my friend and I took this now sewn quilt top and we made it into a quilt sandwich (which
is to say that we layered the back, the batting and the quilt top. There it was, a cuddle quilt in the making. So home I came and now it is January....I stared quilting the quilt, but what should I pattern it....I know,
I’ll quilt hearts all over the top using my walking foot. (for those who don’t quilt, this is a very handy foot for the Brother sewing machine which walks over the top of the quilt and hold all 3 layers snug together and
then I can sew to my “hearts” content...yes, I know another pun.
February is here now, and on Valentines Day I finished sewing all the hearts in this quilt. I typed a note to Heather to let
her know after all her patience, her quilt was well on the way to being completed. She replied to me that she was crying, but this time these were tears of joy. Yes, I was also. I think this cuddle quilt was a huge help to
me to get through some of my feelings from the loss of my Mother whom I loved beyond words.
Now I have to tell you a little bit about the backing of the quilt. Mum had given me over the years enough flannelette to
be able to join two different patterns together. One was dark blue, and the other was a bright green with yellow stars.....this was very prophetic because in the center of the back I quilted right into the design a cut apart
t-shirt which I believe that Heather had given Mum....it was very much part of this quilt with the little title “Grandmas are Guardian Angels) or to that effect. Who lives in the stars, but Guardian Angels.......and who
are we talking about here ....Grandma are also known as Nana!
So now we have a quilted t-shirt on the back of the quilt, but oh dear what to do with the edges of the quilt.....talk to Mum
about this, and into my mind popped a thought..............go find that little ribbon that has hearts woven into it. Strangely (for me) I knew exactly where to find that little item.....so it has all be hand sewn around the
edge of the t-shirt and I am ready to move forward again........Can you tell, I am getting divine inspiration as I move forward with this quilt? I truly believe Mum was right beside me all the way, and she gave me the feeling
of love that I have quilted into this cuddle quilt.
Look at us.......we are moving forward now at a great, peaceful, and excited pace. Onward to the binding. What should I used
here. Well, wouldn't you know it, in my stash was this beautiful material with little hearts and white flowers all through it.....this is exactly what I want. So out it came, and on it went. I finally finished this quilt
February 26, 2015. Next step is to show my friend those quilted hearts (she has never seen shapes being quilted using a walking foot..inspired wasn’t I?
And here it is, ready to mail........Heather’s Heart Quilt..............no wait....there is a label that needs to be designed
and sewn in place. A quilt that brings the final peace to my heart, and will to Heather’s also I hope. The most important saying that Heather and Mum (Nana) shared was simply this phrase......................I LOVE YOU
TO THE MOON AND BACK....and can you believe I searched and found the exact photo that says this more beautifully than I could.......
But our story isn't finished just yet. This part is a little surprise for one very loved little Yorkshire Terrier, and
the actual inspiration for the pattern I chose for Heather’s Quilt. This little mini quilt just about says it all for me. Little Bailey was with Mum every minute of ever day. When Mum passed away, Bailey went into the
closet and there she stayed, where she could smell Mum’s everywhere around her. This loyal little dog deserved a cuddle quilt of her own, and here it is.......
Hopefully both these cuddle quilts will be mailed to Heather by the middle of March 2015. This brings to an end the story written from my heart, and the quilt that I made with love and a very special way for me to say good bye to my Mother (Marie Boyle)
Written by Denise Collins, Daughter of Marie Boyle, and Aunt to Heather Marie Barrett
March 7, 2015
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