I grew up in the Cumberland Valley of south-central Pennsylvania, a place shaped by the Scottish and German immigrant cultures of the 18th - 19th centuries. From earliest memory, my mother, Dorothy, and grandmother, Hazel, held a reverence for hand-made quilts. Most of those early quilts- pieced at home and quilted by a gathering of women- followed traditional patterns like the old-fashioned Log Cabin, the quirky Rocky Road, or the elegant Dresden Plate. Quilts remained with the family as long as they were serviceable. My 93-year-old mother still has one of her grandmother Nancy’s. My daughter, Jennifer, has some of mine. When I married and had a home of my own, my grandmother made me this bright hand-embroidered and hand-quilted blanket.
- 50.
Sue Reber - Portland, OR