When I look at the old quilts on my bed I see aprons. To understand how you go from aprons to quilts you have to understand "the ladies" and the times they lived in. Grandma and Aunt Tillie grew up in the same generation with just five years difference in their ages. Grandma was born in 1892 and Aunt Til is 1897. Today the media attaches names to each generation; the Baby Boomers, Generation X. If I were going to name Grandma and Aunt Tillie's generation I would call them the Make-do Generation. When World War I broke out the ladies were teenagers. They joined many others of their age who made bandages for the troops, saved scrapes of metal for the military and sacrificed at home for the cause in every way they could. They had to make-do with what they had. Then, when they were young brides, the depression came about. Again they had to make-do with what they had as they raised their young families. And as if that wasn't enough, then followed World War II. Once again the ladies were called upon to make-do as they watched their sons go off to another war and again sacrificed for the cause at home. I marvel at the quiet stamina of the women of that generation. I often wonder if I would have fared as well as Grandma and Aunt Til and all the women of the Make-do Generation.
And for the cause of supporting the church, Aunt Til made and sold aprons. I don't know where the pattern came from, but it was clever, and oh so practical. The aprons had a pocket on one side and a handy little towel on the other side. You could tell how loved and worn the aprons were by the condition of the towels.
Years of cooking and baking are woven into these last remaining treasures that I am fortunate enough to own.
And it naturally followed that years of apron making created a fabric stash that any quilter today would die for. And because the Make-do Generation never threw anything away, scraps of leftover apron fabric gave birth to the "Aunt Tillie Quilts". Treasures that each member of the family would own. To this day I look at my quilts from Aunt Til and I see aprons.
And for the cause of supporting the church, Aunt Til made and sold aprons. I don't know where the pattern came from, but it was clever, and oh so practical. The aprons had a pocket on one side and a handy little towel on the other side. You could tell how loved and worn the aprons were by the condition of the towels.
Years of cooking and baking are woven into these last remaining treasures that I am fortunate enough to own.
And it naturally followed that years of apron making created a fabric stash that any quilter today would die for. And because the Make-do Generation never threw anything away, scraps of leftover apron fabric gave birth to the "Aunt Tillie Quilts". Treasures that each member of the family would own. To this day I look at my quilts from Aunt Til and I see aprons.
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