According to the website on Special Days, the third Saturday in March is National Quilting Day.

My grandmother made amazing quilts. Intricate designs, teeny tiny, very even stitch work, and the history of what each quilt was made from (or so my Dad told me). Much of that history is lost, but the quilts are safe in a local pioneer museum.

Jennifer Chiaverini has a delightful series of books out involving quilts and those who make them. The first in the Elm Creek Quilters series is The Quilter's Apprentice (there's one glaring (to me) error which I hope has been corrected in later publishings of this book) (hint, it has nothing to do with the quilts) and others have (and most likely will be) mentioned in this blog. Many of the main characters are from one family, which allows for recent stories as well as those from past generations. The books talk about quilt design and what they mean, there are pictures of the squares, too. Put together, they can tell a story.

From what I'd learned in the Chiaverini books, it was an easy decision to pick up America From the Heart: Quilters Remember September 11, 2001, curated by Karey Bresenhan. They came from all over the world, not just the U.S. They came from experienced quilters and those for whom this was their first quilt. Men and women, a class of 5th graders and more all with one thing in common. Their quilt was a response to the attacks of 9/11. It's a powerful collection that will bring tears to your eyes.

Reading Hermit With Dog