Thanks, Cea. That was a great story.

--
Wendy
http://griffinsflight.com/Quilting/quilt1.htm
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...

Once upon a time, in a small village some distance from here, a girl
child was born. As she grew up, her parents, although far from
illiterate, kept certain family legends alive in the time-honored oral
tradition. One of these stories
dealt with Great-Great Grandmother's Quilt, and it's eventual
disposition on GGGrandmother's demise.
The disposition was considered to be extremely unfair, not to mention
shortsighted, as the storytelling family, alas, were not the inheritors.
Woe unto us! Much was the moaning and weeping! Much was the Telling and
Re-Telling!
As Things Unseen are wont to do, the Mythical Quilt grew in the young
girl's imagination, until the very mention of the words "Quilt" and
"Quilting" became a Holy Grail; something to strive for, a goal to
attain. Part of this yearning grew from a desire to assuage the pain
which the loss of GGM's Quilt caused the girl's mother.
Over time, though, and with the onset of puberty, and the increasing
charms of the opposite sex, the images of The Quilt, always ephemeral,
faded in memory to soft colors and softer recollections.
Marriage followed, and a move to a land far away from the Telling and
Re-Telling. The girl, now a grown woman, discovered S.E.X., but only in
it's relationship to making clothing for her own children. The Holy
Grail was forgotten; a dusty relic, it resided in someone else's life.
The Sewing S.E.X. grew into a cottage industry, most useful and
satisfying. Still, there were visits home over the years. On one such
visit. the woman discovered, hanging on a wall, in a place of Honor: a
Full Color, True To Life, Matted and Framed Photo of the Much Coveted
Quilt.
This, quite naturally, revived the Telling and Re-Telling, the Moaning
and Coveting, and thus, once again, piqued the woman's interest in
quilts. The purchase of Quilt History books followed, and the Ladies of
The LIbrary became familiar with her checkout habits, often recommending
good reads.The desire to actually quilt remained muted and un-acted
upon, as many other things intruded upon the woman's time. Her mother,
over the years, purchased and valued a score of vintage quilts, and
seemed to sleep better under their colorful comfort.
The Daughter did think that much of the value of GGM's Quilt resided
in the Not Having, as opposed to the beauty or perfection of the actual
item. That, though, was before she knew The True Meaning of the Quilt.
You see, years ago, poverty touched nearly everyone in the kingdom.
There came a war, and consumer items were nearly impossible to obtain.
Things of beauty and color were particularly cherished and cared-for.
The Quilt had been lovingly crafted of tiny treasured bits of silks,
satins, and velvets, then pieced and embroidered, but never actually
used. To the girl's mother, it was a thing of inestimable beauty, in a
house which could ill-afford luxuries.
To the girl/woman, who was spoiled with the Having of many pretty
things , it was a lovely thing, but never used, and, at the time, she
placed a high value on usefulness, and did not believe in lusting after
that which now belongs to others. 'Surely other things can be made to
fill that hole in Mother's heart', she thought, not yet understanding
the True Meaning of the Quilt. In a desultory way, she began here a
quilt, there a quilt, finishing nothing, putting projects aside when
more pressing matters intruded.
Eventually the woman's Labor Intensive Juveniles grew up and found new
digs. Although the cottage industry still thrives, the birth of
GChIldren cried out for the celebration of a gift long-lived and useful,
full of meaning and memories.
The woman began to drop in on a continuing QuIlting Bee, occasionally
contributing pithy short posts, mostly reading and learning, picking up
tips and pointers. She learned that a machine made quilt is not
anathema, and, using her considerable sewing skills, she might actually
finish a quilt project, and the Quilt Police would not show up to
confiscate her machines. She went to a quilt show and met Pat of
Hampton, a genuine Quilter and all-around nice guy.
In the True Way of Karma, the woman inherited a lovely quilt, boxes of
quilting books, and many vintage quilt tops and fabrics from her beloved
MIL.
This year she finally finished her first quilt, a bright, colorful
gift for her newest Gchild. The child's mother claims there is Magic
stitched into the Quilt, as the previously rebellious, screaming toddler
now goes 'gentle into that good night.'
Another Quilt is in process, and the woman is discovering that she
seems to heading in a rather odd direction with her quilts, a direction
which she will address later, as it seems this Quilting Tale is at
another lengthy beginning.
Cea