My Grandma Essie was the quilt maker. Many a time when you walked through her back door in Muskogee, she was sitting in her chair with fabric in her lap. Her precious hands made more quilts than I would venture to guess and Grandma made those quilts for her family.

When I was growing up, when you opened up a linen cabinet, you saw Grandma Essie’s quilts. Did I appreciate that? The work and love behind that quilt. Oh Yes I did! Maybe not to the extent that I do now. But my Daddy is cut from the same cloth as his Momma, and appreciation is #1. Hard work, fierce pride and love of family, deep appreciation and preservation of what you have was built into my upbringing.

So those quilts are not only keeping me warm at night, but reminding me of what that hard work, dedication to craft and commitment to family creates for the next generation. Not a day goes by that a lesson from my Grandmas does not come to mind. And I hope I am passing down some of their beautiful virtues to my kids and grandkids!

Grandma Essie’s quilts have graced the beds of her family for generations. They now keep her grandchildren, her great grandchildren, and now her great great grandchildren warm and cozy! When the winter winds come blowing through Oklahoma, I am so proud to pull out one of her quilts. My Dad tells me of a time when he was a boy and sharing the bed with his younger brother. They would awaken on one of those blustery cold snowy Oklahoma mornings and snow flakes would be on their bed (not quite as tight as homes are today)! But they were snug as a bug in a rug under their Momma’s warm quilts! He said she would layer two or three quilts on top of them. What a legacy. My Dad still sleeps under his Momma’s quilts.