MEMORIES OF LAURA
a quilt
made in 1988
by
Patricia Eaton
The last time I posted was in September of 2019. I intended to carry on, really I did, but
last year was not the happiest year I have lived through and it got the best of me. My heart just wasn't in it. My blog posts suffered because of it...I could no longer come up with anything I thought interesting enough to mention to you. So, I let things go. I thought many times of just closing my blog.
I'm so sorry about that.
The holidays came. They are always hard for me. I'm not sure I've ever told you that.
And, I thought a lot about things during the last two months.
Being kind of a hermit....there is lots of time to think. It can wear you out, especially during hard times.
And, oh...there is also that OCD thing.
Yes, I AM my own worst enemy.
Do you ever talk to yourself? I do. One day, recently this just came right out of my mouth:
"It's hard to be me....even I have trouble doing it."
Now that is a quote from actress Tallulah Bankhead.
But, that day, it seemed clear as a bell that it actually fit me.
It IS hard to be me....and it may ALSO be hard to be you. We are going through tough times.
So, I need to just get a grip and get on with it.
You want to try it with me?
Right then, I decided to get out a quilt and show it to you, even if I have shown it many times before.
And, this quilt got my attention one more time.
Yes, I made it in 1988...a lifetime ago.
I wanted to remember Laura Ingalls Wilder as I had read all her books in my youth and loved them dearly...then watched all the Little House of the Prairie shows on tv too.
Below a quote from her I believe to be quite fitting for current times.
Below, take a closer look at all parts of this quilt.
The quilt hasn't changed either...after all these years.
So, once again, Laura can inspire us with her words.
And, maybe this quilt will also inspire us in it's own way.
Hand appliqued, embroidered and quilted.
One stitch at a time.
Each one, as I've always said, a prayer, a meditation, a poem.
The sky
fabric and all those shades of blue....hand-dyed specially for me by my
dear friend, Mary Morgan. Upon giving it to me, she told me "don't make a scene."
What she meant was she didn't want me to try and pay her for it.
So, I just made another kind of scene!
One of my favorite parts of the quilt is Laura's tiny pocket, it's a real pocket.
The label on the back of the quilt.
(Gosh, it seems like only yesterday when I sewed that label on!!!)
I just may read these all over AGAIN.
Yes, studying this quilt again and thinking of Laura also...I like to think she was right and the "real things" haven't changed.
I will carry that with me through this year.
So, a HAPPIER New Year to you too!
until next time
BE WELL
from
Bird Nest Cottage
❤️❤️❤️
