Twin Falls Public Library ~ Information for Life

Every month, TFPL showcases a quilt made by a member of the Desert Sage Quilters of Magic Valley. For more information about the Guild, check out their website (best seen in Internet Explorer).

This month's quilt:

Tree of Life Quilt

In the quilter's own words:

This quilt started with a kit from Hershner's Catalog. The quilt pattern was printed on the white background. The fabric was included for the pattern appliqués. Each flower or leaf was cut and then laid on the quilt to appliqué. It took many hours to decipher where the fabric was designed to go. The kit was probably purchased in the 1940's-1950's.

My mother was a member of a quilting group at the Presbyterian Church in Fremont, Nebraska. The quilt was started by a lady in Nebraska who passed away and her family donated it to the quilting group. My mother and father spent many hours cutting and placing the fabric on the design. in 1980 my mother passed unexpectedly. The quilt was then passed on for me to complete. Mom and Dad had most of the pieces cut and pinned to the appropriate locations. It was easy for me to finish the appliqué. When the quilt top was appliquéd I added the green border to make it fit as a queen size coverlet. The original quilt fit only a standard bed, queen size had not been heard of yet. With the quilt top ready to be hand quilted I took it back to Fremont, NE, for the Presbyterian women to see the results. It was a joy for them to complete the hand quilting.

If you have ever been in a quilting bee, there is always a story to tell. Usually that story contains: one person does not stitch as tiny as the others and those stitches have to be secretly removed and replaced by the "expert" quilter. This is the story the ladies shared with me. I know there is a lot of love in this quilt. The ladies looked forward to quilting, sharing lunch, prayer and caring for others. There is also the story of the Amish quilts; each quilt contains one mistake, for only God is perfect.

-Marilyn Krenzer Way