For Mom, With Love

Hi Quilting Friends,

We love to make quilts to celebrate the people that we love! Mom celebrated her 80th Birthday in December and we decided to surprise her with a quilt for her special day. (More about the rest of the surprise later!) Without further ado, here is our new quilt design, “For Mom, With Love.”

I was browsing various online quilt shops and found this WONDERFUL fabric line from Northcott, “Serendipity”, and I just knew that the fabrics and colors would be perfect in a special quilt for Mom!

We decided to choose quilt blocks for this special quilt that represent who Mom is, to us. Here goes!

This is the “Double Aster” block. Mom always has such beautiful flowers in her garden. She had roses, pansies, violets, and hollyhocks (our favorite!) surrounding our home when we were little girls. Sharon and I used to pick the hollyhock flowers and make them into cute little dolls, held together by toothpicks.

This is the “Corn and Beans” block. Since we grew up on a farm and later in a house situated on about 5 acres, vegetable gardens were always a part of our childhood. Nothing beats fresh produce from the garden, and Mom’s garden supplied plenty for our table. Mom always planted extra rows, because “we eat what we can, and what we can’t eat, we can!” By the end of the summer the pantry shelves and freezer were well-stocked with enough veggies to provide meals until the following summer. We also grew (and sold) fresh corn from our beautiful garden. To reflect Mom’s green thumb, we chose “Corn and Beans” to include in her quilt.

This is the “Heart and Star” block. Of course, a quilt dedicated to our Mom just wouldn’t be complete if our hearts weren’t in it. This wonderful pieced heart block represents not only her love for us, but also our love for her! (Love you, Mom!) We placed the heart block in the center of the quilt, because love should always be the central part of a family.

We were fortunate to be raised by God-fearing parents. To represent Mom and Dad’s faith, we included the “God’s Eye” block because it looks like a cross. Historically, this block dates back to pioneer times. Quilters would frequently include the “God’s Eye” block in a quilt for a friend who was heading West, reminding them that, no matter where they go or what they do, God is always watching over them.

Last, but not least, is the “Merry Kite” block. Happy childhood memories of camping, hiking, picnics, family trips and other outings serve to make our family closer. We are blessed to have had so much time and love given to us by our Mom, throughout our lives! We hope that we have passed this wonderful example of love and support on to our own children. Here’s to happy family times!

We’ve used our favorite “Wild Goose Chase” block to complete the quilt! I imagine that, with four kids, a couple of household pets, and Dad (!) to care for, Mom’s life could also be represented (at times) by a Wild Goose Chase! Mom kept it together for all of us.

Now back to tell you about Mom’s very special 80th birthday celebration! Mom had no idea that all of us were coming to help her celebrate her birthday, even though the planning began in July. I have been accused of being sneaky before, but this time Sharon, Dad, and our youngest brother, Richard, were the instigators. I’m really surprised that nobody spilled the beans, but they managed to pull off the surprise with Mom being none the wiser.

We all met at a restaurant and surprised Mom for her birthday. Imagine walking in for a quiet celebration dinner, and finding a room-full of your favorite people there, just because they love you! Mom was speechless! The moment was priceless! It was SO MUCH FUN!!!

• 

• 

Among the attendees were 12 family members from out of town (including the newest great-granddaughter!), Mom’s “bestie” from Church, and her childhood friend of more than 70 years. What a joy it was to have everyone together! After dinner, the whole family and another group of friends surprised Mom with birthday cake and presents at her home.

Mom, we are all SO blessed to have you as our mother! We’re so glad that we were able to surprise you and celebrate your birthday weekend together. For Mom, with love.

If you have someone special who “needs” a “For You, With Love” quilt, you may purchase the pattern by clicking the Buy Now button below. The individual block patterns are available in Ms P’s Pattern Shop.

For You, With Love

• Finished Size = 57″ by 57″
• Includes patterns for all 6 blocks shown
• Just $16 USD

Thanks for stopping by today! We’d love to hear what you think about Mom’s surprise and our newest quilt design.

Happy quilting,

Susan