When I married my husband, he brought three beautiful quilts into our home. The quilts were handmade by his mother, whom I had the honor to meet shortly before she passed away. Besides raising six children, my mother-in-law was a seamstress. She measured, designed, cut and assembled custom-made clothing, mostly dresses for women. She used a combination of hand and machine sewing for her garments.

Along the way, she crafted quilts for each child and grandchild. My husband became the beneficiary of this beautiful Friendship Ring quilt. This quilt has been gently used throughout the years to cover sleepy boys (and husbands). My husband has fleeting memories of dresses made from the same patterns and colors of the fabrics in his mother’s quilts.

This second quilt is a simple whole cloth quilt (red background). She must have used a thicker batting because this quilt is heavier than the others. The weight is comforting somehow when you snuggle up underneath it.

The third quilt was a gift for our son. The little Dutchmen pattern with the blue borders was just right for his crib.

These are our family heirlooms. We chose not to display them on a wall but rather use them as they were intended – to cover cold toes and keep hearts warm.