Something Stitched While the Windmill Watched

This past week I had the opportunity to chat with the two sisters who authored the book “While the Windmill Watched”.  It’s their story of growing up in the 50’s in North Dakota but it has sparked such interest that they now do a recorded “chat” every Monday evening with guests recounting ties to or memories of the 50’s. This last week of January it was my turn to share stories related to quilting.  It’s a 30-45 minute chat you can tune in for at www.whilethewindmillwatched.com at 8pm central time.  Look for 1950’s Fun Chat on their website.  It’s a little bit personal memories, a little bit quilt history, and a lot of lighthearted conversation all about quilts. Past recordings are available so you can check out other guests with a wide variety of topics being covered.

So what is your favorite story from the 50’s?? I had the good fortune to have a grandmother and three great aunts who were very good quilters and practiced their craft almost daily.  While I don’t have a pristine quilt with any of their stitches, I have samples of their needlework in other forms that I treasure. Their work did inspire one of the quilts featured in my book, “Hand Me Down Quilts”.  Using the traditional blocks and a novelty print featuring fashions from the 50’s I designed the quilt titled “ Ode to the Quilter’s of ‘57”.  A quilt is one way we can share our stories, preserve our memories and, perhaps, even inspire the next generation.