My grandmother has begun giving gifts from her home for Christmas and the holidays. I think it is a great way to clean house. She doesn't really care about keeping the items anymore and it saves quite a bit of money. I have not asked for anything from her house, although I have seen lots of treasures I would love to have. This past Christmas I was surprised to be given a quilt that she had shown me a couple of years ago. I am a quilter myself and had thought this quilt was so beautiful...definitely the best Christmas present I could have gotten.
The quilt was completely hand-stitched and hand-quilted by my great-great Aunt Margaret McGuire Underwood. I do not know when she quilted it, but it was prior to her death in 1995. My great-grandfather, Clifton White, bought his sister-in-law's quilt at an estate sale for $300 and gave it to my grandmother. I do not know if Margaret worked from a pattern or designed it herself, but I do know that the hand quilting is so good that one could confuse it with machine work. I envy her skill.
I knew Margaret, but only as well as any child knows an older relative. We often made visits to her house in Hardin, Missouri and I remember thinking what a nice house it was. It had wood paneling and a fireplace. Margaret and her husband, Orville "Pete" Underwood, married when they were both forty and they had no children. They ran a store in Hardin, Missouri called Underwood Mercantile. My mother fondly remembers going there to get fresh meat and cheese. I learned today that Margaret had been married prior to Pete. Her first husband, Dave Bullock, passed in 1950 from a heart attack. Now that I know the kind of skill my aunt had, will have to look for more of her handiwork at the local historical society.
I am so very proud of my quilt. I wish that I had been a little older, and more mature, when I knew Margaret so that I could have learned quilting skills from her. No one creates such a beautiful thing without passion and I look forward to applying that passion to my own quilting. I appreciate her inspiration.
3 comments:
It's a beautiful quilt Heather and you're so lucky to have it. I used to stitch, can't now as not so able, so I appreciate just how much work went into it. I never managed to make a quilt but wanted to so can also appreciated what a wonderful gift you have been given. I'm sure you will treasure it.
Kind regards,
Christine (rootsresearcher at So That's Where I Get It From)
Oh, yes, Heather, I think you should do a more in-depth post about the quilt so we can see more of it. It looks beautiful but I'd love to see all of it!
You are right, Nancy. I'm on it! Thanks for your kind words!
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