Whew! I'm Whupped!

Helped my DD and DSIL move into their new home yesterday. I tried to refrain from doing too much (DH wasn't allowed to go at all because we knew he would hurt himself!), and I don't really feel like I did all that much, but I'm tired! It's a cute little split-level house. Had to go up or down that half flight of stairs way too many times. At one point I tried to just toss a bag of linens up the stairs and it only made it halfway! Came rolling right back down to me. {sigh} It's no fun being incompetant (or 30 years older than everyone else on the job!).

I had hoped to stop in at a quilt shop on my way home from the kids' new place because this particular shop carries more African print fabrics than those closer to my home. Unfortunately I stayed much longer than I expected to and the shop had been closed for a couple of hours before I got anywhere near it. Maybe I'll make a special trip out there tomorrow. I don't expect to find anymore of the stuff I already have but maybe I'll find something else I can use. I don't really want to make the quilt a lot bigger but I feel it needs something more to frame it or finish off what I already have.

So, since there's nothing new to show you let me share one of my old treasures with you. This is a quilt I found back when we were living in southeast Texas. I fell in love with it the first time I saw it and went back to visit it several times before I could even screw up the courage to ask about putting it on layaway. It wasn't that expensive because it isn't that great a quilt in most people's eyes, but it was more money than I felt I could afford to spend on anything I didn't need and would be afraid to use. At the time I had three toddlers to feed and clothe, no money of my own, and DH wasn't a Texas oil tycoon by any stretch of the imagination! Finally I asked, the nice lady said yes, and I put down a deposit. A couple of months later my sweet husband got it out of layaway and gave it to me for my birthday as a complete surprise. Honestly, it was one of the best birthday presents I've ever had.

I don't know who made the quilt or even where it might have come from. I think I asked the shop owner but she didn't have the provenance. It is stuffed with raw cotton. Well, not raw, it's been cleaned and carded, etc. but it's not a commercial batt. The quilting was done by hand. The stitches are even but not small. It was obviously used. A lot. It has been repaired more than once and actually needs to be repaired again (on the back this time; it's losing stuffing). I love it for its' wonkiness, for the happy conglomeration of prints from the 1950's, for its' honesty.