Aunt Bell's Butterfly Quilt

In my post about the quilt show at the Lehigh Library, I included a picture of my mother with her quilt from Aunt Bell. While I was home this time, I took a few pictures of my favorite butterflies on the quilt and placed it on the bed so you could see the compete layout of the quilt. Here is a close-up of one of my favorite butterflies on the Quilt.

My mother still has the original brown paper pattern piece that my Aunt Bell used to cut out the butterflies. This Butterfly quilt is a combination of Aunt Bell's stitching and my mother's handwork, too. Aunt Bell embroidered all the blocks and then sometime in the 50's my mother set the blocks into the pattern you see on the bed. I realized when I placed the quilt on the bed that my mother used the solid butterflies for the quilt center. I couldn't find any two butterflies that were alike. Some were florals, some stripes, some geometric patterns. The blocks were likely stitched in the 1930's to 1940's.

This quilt is one of four quilt items that belonged to my Aunt Bell. The Butterfly quilt goes to my brother, Doug. My sister, Judy, has a double wedding ring quilt top that she had quilted several years ago. I have two tops - one was a twin-size small block nine patch quilt that was made by Granny Blair, Aunt Bell's mother-in-law. When our son was little I backed the quilt top with an old soft white sheet and just tied it, then bound it with some vintage polka dot fabric. It was his favorite quilt when he wasn't feeling well. I have a beautiful Trip Around the World quilt top that has never been put to the quilting frame. One day perhaps I'll set up the frame and turn that quilt top into the real thing - a quilt!

My Aunt Bell was more like a Grandma to us as she raised my mother from the age of about six years old. My mother's mother passed away during the depression when my mom was just three years old. She had 8 brothers and sisters and her father tried to keep the family together but it wasn't easy. Finally, my mother was sent from her home in Missouri to live with Aunt Bell (her mother's sister) and Uncle John. Her younger sister, Edyth was sent to live with an Aunt in Chicago. My mother has been writing down the stories of her life as a little girl and maybe one day they'll become a little book. It is really interesting to read. I'll tell you more about my mother, Aunt Bell, my Grandma Goldie and more as I add to my blog day by day.

It's a quiet afternoon here, very overcast and hopefully, rain is going to fall!! We need it.