“Before Etta passed on in 1929, she made a quilt for each of her surviving children. This quilt was made for her daughter Lake. Her right hand was paralyzed in a closed position and she inserted the needle by holding it with the knuckles of her ring and middle finger. Her left hand did most of the work. The quilt belonged to Lake, the mother of its present owner, who died at age 86 in 1965. She used the quilt in her home for more than 40 years.
Lake’s quilt is 70″ x 72″. The design is a variation of a common pattern of the day, “Pine Tree.” There are six or seven stitches to the inch and the rows of stitches are a half-inch apart. The quilting alone has an estimated 60,000 stitches not including the patch work.
Crany (the town where they lived) is gone. The old house and furnishings are gone. Dan and Etta are gone. Their children are gone—but the love that Etta put in these quilts and the warmth they emit are still with us.”
—A People and Their Quilts written by John Rice Irwin
Although I’m not a quilter, nor any sort of seamstress, I know how hard it must have been to use a needle in the manner described in the excerpt from the book.
Etta and and her husband Dan were from Crany, West Virginia.
The beautiful quilt work Etta did for her family is something nice to think on, but what I really like to study on is those 60,000+ tiny stitches and the determination it took to make them.
Last night’s video: An Easy to Make Delicious Apple Pie Recipe & Precious Memories from Appalachia.
Tipper
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Hello from California–this quilt reminds me again how my Mother made quilts for all her children, crazy patchwork ones made from silk pieces, then did all the crazy stitches along the seams with embroidery thread and started ones for the grandchildren but sadly passed on before they were finished. When I was growing up during the winter months in the “holler” where we lived in West Virginia the quilting frame that my Father made would come out and Mother would quilt the ones pieced during the summer. Memories now over 50 years in the making, its time I get out my quilt and enjoy it before my time runs out. Thanks for todays entry, really enjoyed all the comments.
That is such a beautiful quilt! Determination was not missing in those days! ❤❤❤
I lived your video last night and the memories that came with the receipe❤
God bless you and yours❤❤
Wow! Great read, Tipper! As an admirer of quilts and other crafts, I can only imagine the hours spent on this beautiful quilt. A treasure indeed. Such a touching story and what a family legacy.
My mother didn’t stop at quilting, she could knit and crochet, she could make lace (tatting) and she could embroider. She had different needles for each. After the baby count started to rise she had to curtail some of these but her quilting had to expand.
At the age of 50 Mommy had surgery to remove her gall bladder and the doctor found it was cancerous. The cancer had spread into her liver and was inoperable. She was given six months but she made it it eighteen. She died on Oct 28th, 1975 at 51 an age where most women have raised their children and have time to indulge in their talents. I can only imagine what she could have done had she had another twenty, thirty and possibly forty more years. But God’s plan didn’t go that way. It took me many years to understand and accept that
What a beautiful treasure that quilt is! Hand piecing and hand quilting with an infirmity on top of it? My mind boggles at the effort it took that woman!
“Dan and Etta are gone. Their children are gone—but the love that Etta put in these quilts and the warmth they emit are still with us.” Yes. Thank you for the opportunity to celebrate Etta.
When I read this post, it brought to mind the talents of our ancestors that have been lost; people who had so little but learned and developed skills learned from their ancestors. Quilts, survival gardening, home building and maintenance, animal husbandry–all for immediate families and neighbors, and how these skills demonstrated devotions to life itself. What they knew and could do dwarfs the understand have people today of maintaining life. They were so hardy, and today so many are vulnerable knowing nothing our grandparents, great grandparents, and great great grandparents knew. All they knew and did that has survived, like their handmade quilts, should serve as reminders of how talented and dedicated these people were to each other, and a reminder that such devotion and skills got us here–all of us.
What a beautiful quilt, but more importantly the dedication and love that went into each stitch. I hope whoever has her quilts they cherish who artistic creativity and love of her craftsmanship that she put into each one she made.
It’s amazing what a person can do with determination, dedication, patience and faith in the Lord that they can get it done whatever it may be and whatever condition they are in. I’ve enjoyed A People and Their Quilts so much. The stories about the quilts and then the pictures you’ve shown of them are amazing and wonderful. The talent those folks had is unbelievable! Prayers and love to Katie and all of you. It won’t be long now before she’s holding that precious baby in her arms.
Hi from Arkansas. I would have liked to have known Etta. I surely would have learned something from her. Just the other day I thought about arthritis in my fingers. How would I sew, knit, make the 4 quilts that are waiting. Etta didn’t worry about how to do it. She just did it. These are the people that built this country.
Beautiful quilt!! My Mother and my Grandmother, Daddy’s Mother quilted. Grandmother more out of necessity and Mother because she valued those old quilts and wanted to do some for her grandchildren.
I have my Grandmother’s snuff glasses and treasure them too!! I saw that happen in my Mother’s family too, where her Grandmother Pipes had my Grandmother first, and then had 11 more children; including, a set of triplets and a set of twins. My Grandmother then had ll children, including a set of twins, and some of her brothers had children the same age of my Grandmother’s youngest children:) One thing I remember is how the love of family came through in good times, and hard times too.
That apple pie really looked good and Katie looks beautiful too:)
Tipper that is a beautiful quilt filled with love! I tried quilting a baby quilt when I was pregnant with my youngest. It didn’t take long for me to realize that I did not have the patience for quilting. My precious mama finished it for me & I cherish it to this day . Sadly I lost mama last September and the son, Hank, that she made the quilt for on this past New Year’s Day at the age of 35. My heart is still broken.
I have been blessed with a couple of other special quilts, a baby quilt that my aunt made for me when I was born 64 years ago and the special patchwork ones my granny made and gave to my mom. She passed them to me when I got married. They were put together with flour sacks, feed sacks, and pieces of old shirts & dresses that had served their original purchase. My favorite has some plaid flannel pieces in it that were probably from a flannel shirt or nightgown.
I also have a hand crocheted King size bedspread made by Larry’s mom. She also made Hank a quilt from his Tshirts I had saved from his T ball days, Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts etc. It’s his life in a quilt.
Give my love to Katie , Corie & Granny. And tell Katie we are awaiting news that she is in labor & that little guy is on his way.
Karen-I’m so sorry you lost them both. I just can’t imagine. Thank you for the kindness and I’ll be praying for you!!
Thank you Tipper. Thats what I’m running on, prayers.
I meant to say take care and God bless!
I love quilts. My dream has always been to make a quilt, but I’m 73 and haven’t made it yet. I have purchased quilts from NC mountains and PA, and use them. My grandma was known in her community to be the best quilter. My mother said her stitches were so small and perfect. Take care and Goblessd
That quilt of Etta’s is should be a national treasure! Absolutely mind-boggling to think of her skill and diligence!
Tipper, it was quite a read this morning. That quilt is phenomenal! I haven’t quilted in a long time but when I did, it was a relaxing past time. That quilt is a treasure to behold.
I was reading with interest the story and comments about making moonshine. Living in the north, making shine never came onto my life. Occasionally it would be talked about if a still had got blown up “down south” or such. Now, I don’t doubt that there were some northerners who dabbled in the art.
In the hamlet we lived in. it was rumored that the sheriff was crooked. I remember my mom telling me not to trust him and to stay clear of him. I was just a little child then but my mom’s tone told me to beware. She was afraid of him, so when he would drive up late at night she would not answer the door. I remember hearing him calling through the door, saying he just wanted to make sure she was alright. Mom said not to make a sound because he only wanted to come in for no good reason. Eventually he gave up. He was let go from his job for taking bribes. So moonshinin’ could have been part of his troubles.
The quilt and the story of her determination to quilt are both amazing. I have some of my great grandmothers quilts and the stitching is so tiny. I do have them packed up and I am going to get them out and use them.
Oh….my….! That is so much to get your mind around. The commitment and determination…I just can’t even imagine!
It is amazing that she was able to make such a beautiful quilt. I went to a local quilt show last week. My favorite was the one all done by hand. The others were done by machine. I sew, but I don’t quilt.
The same is true of most needle-art, especially cross-stitch. I am saddened by so many pieces I see thrown by the wayside in thrift stores. They took scores of hours to complete. I collected several quilt covers from old Indiana farms. The work was intricate. I paid to have them quilted. They are for show only . . .
Very few of us have the patience to do things like that today. We have been corrupted with fast food and other modern conveniences. We want everything to be finished yesterday so we can get on to whatever adventure is next.
I admire Etta. It took a lot of determination and skill for her to quilt. Some of them are objects of art and worth putting away and keeping for future generations or putting them on display in museums. Tipper, I saw your video of making an apple pie last night. Looked like it was delicious. I am buying your cookbook.
I pray that all the quilts I have gifted over the years are both used and cherished. I don’t know what would make me sadder, if they were kept in a closet or if they were used neglectfully and uncherished. I have heard of handmade quilts becoming dog bedding. I love my dogs but they don’t sleep on my quilts.
It has taken me 70 years but I’ve learned the things that will prove themselves out as meaning the most in life will have selfless love in them somewhere.
That one is Reader’s Digest-worthy, Ron. Thank you.
I have always said homemade gifts mean the most to me because someone cared enough about me and took time to make the gift for me. It is a whole lot easier to just buy a gift.
I have a tablecloth hand made by my grandma. It has 3 miles of thread and took her 3 1/2 years to make. I have such respect for that kind of dedication. Seems to me, so much time is wasted these days. I treasure this little piece of her life given to me.
That is amazing! The love put into just one stitch…multiplied by 60,000! Keeping all of you in my prayers.
how dedicated she was. determined to leave her children a piece of herself and what a beautiful piece it is
People AMAZE me with the beautiful quilts they make. I’ve posted on YouTube about the quilts I have-the ones I made and the ones I’ve come across at yard sales and such. The first one I hand quilted was a king size and it took me forever. Never again. I just don’t have the patience.
That quilt is rather spectacular! My grandmother quilted out of necessity and her quilts were not works of art but something to keep folks warm when the fireplace couldn’t warm a drafty old house. She used scraps, leftover bits of shirting, and the fabric attached to sacks of flour (and probably other goods as a premium for brand loyalty.) She would not have had enough of any one fabric to make a cohesive pattern like this one. Add that to the stitcher’s physical limitation and the number of stitches and it is truly amazing. Quilting has changed a great deal. Materials, tools, and techniques used today would amaze our ancestors. It can be therapeutic to make something by hand and respect a craft and its conventions.
Tipper, that is certainly one beautiful quilt and the fact it survived all these years is a testament to the quilter indeed! I can hand sew enough to make a simple child’s purse, repair tears and I have worked sewing knit sweaters cuffs and collars. I also worked in assorted clothing factories in Doyle, TN as Inspector #9 when those Wrangler cowboy shirts and Marlboro shirts were a hot item. Looking back on my life, there’s not a whole lot I haven’t done I suppose to put nibbles on the table and a roof overhead. I feel all the better for it cause I can do stuff. Yesterday I cleaned up the yard and painting is O.V.E.R!!!! I swear it’s the best 3500$ I ever paid plus all the paint and supplies so I figure it was a 5,000$ job, but it’s white, bright, and right!!! 1,700 square feet of clean and fresh puts pep in my step although my savings took a beating… lol Whatever you do-keep on keeping on! It’s the key to life I think. I read a foot long obituary yesterday that blew total smoke about a “wonderful and special” dead guy. It made me wanna throw up cause if he was that special, wouldn’t we all know about him??? I don’t get people still trying to pump up a fake sense of worth even AFTER death when they got nothing anymore…it’s just dude and God and nothing else now…it takes a lot to impress the CREATOR but all you gotta do is right and be saved. That’s all he’s looking for.
That lady was amazing and so is her work. It is good to read about people like this.
Oh my, the work and love that she put into that quilt bring tears to my eyes. I quilt also and just imagining how she could hold that needle is amazing. I am glad her family have kept the quilt all these years. It truly is a treasure. Love and prayers to Granny and Little Mamas and all of you too.
I remember my grandma making quilts for my sister and I. She hand painted the pansy flowers on the blocks, then she sewed the leaves onto the squares and did a button hole stitch around each leaf. She machine sewed all the blocks together for the cover, lined the layers up together, somehow managed to get the quilts into the frame and she started hand quilting the design onto our quilts. She hand stitched the main body on our quilts and we got to sew along the border edge. I still have my quilt and cherish it very much. It’s a part of my history!
Amazing work! Etta must have been a remarkable woman. That quilt is a treasure.
How beautiful! Unbelievable talent with such difficulty. I made a patchwork quilt with my Gramma Molly when I was very young , wonderful memories. My daughter has just begun to make quilts recently and is taking to it like a natural!
In my 70 year lifetime, I have either seen or read about people with handicaps doing amazing things. One that sticks out in my mind is watching a video of a farmer born with no arms and hands driving the tractors, hooking up equipment and even spray painting using his bare feet. It seems to me God provides a way for these people to overcome their handicaps.
I think what Randy is referring to is a YouTube channel called “The Harmless Farmer”. Sadly, the gentleman that started that channel, Andy Detwiler, has since passed away. His daughter is continuing the channel. Watching Andy do the activities of daily living, plus farming, is an inspiration. I urge you to find the channel and watch those episodes.
The Harmless Farmer lost his arms in an equipment accident when he was a toddler. I followed him up until he died. His daughter runs his channel now, I think, but without him it just don’t make sense to me
Can you imagine???…not in a million years. just the half squares!!! And holding a needle that way, WOW is all I can say or think. Matching corners is a talent to behold. I think I will turn around and sew a few more squares on the one I am working on. Can’t wait on Friday’s read. Prayers for Granny and God’s Blessing on you guys…ps Matt…where are the next raised beds going???
That quilt is absolutely amazing. I’m not a quilter either, but they all have a beauty all their own. I am fortunate to own 3 handmade quilts that I cherish.