Years ago Grandma Hattie Ripley gave me two old quilts she had made. Just utility quilts one fabric front and back with two opposing ends covered to protect the quilt from face oils and drool. I loved these quilts, not that they were beautiful, though I thought so, but because Grandma made them and they smelled like Grandma’s house.
Hattie and Fred Ripley, my mother’s parents.
Yesterday while in our sea-crate, filling the cat box with liter, I noticed the floor seemed damp. Looking around to see if I could find the reason for the damp, I saw a 3 foot long fabric bag on the floor, wet and dirty. My heart sank when I opened the bag and saw Grandma’s quilts.
I took them to Aaron’s, dog/cat sitting this weekend.
Whispering a prayer, I washed and dried them one at a time.
This pink and grey flannel quilt came out in pretty good condition. It has always needed hand stitching repair to the ends. the backing is a heavy cream cotton.
This pink plaid with green end protectors (all flannel type fabrics) has always been my favorite, even though I had never seen it. The green/pink rose cotton floral, in the below picture, was used as a duvet cover. While putting the quilt in the dryer, it was just a wadded mess. So I pulled the cover off and shoved quilt and cover in the dryer. I love the way it cleaned up. I won’t put the cover back on. I’ll repair the ends coming loose.
I love it just like it is, clean and fresh, memories still intact.
And it is Stinger approved.
Thoughts of Grace 