I think we all have a sense of how we’d like to be remembered one day.
No one wants to fixate on their own passing, but there’s something very peaceful about considering what your friends and family will hold onto most when you go on to a better place.
After all, most of us have powerful things we retain from loved ones we’ve lost, whether it’s an old recipe that grandma swore by or a multimillion-dollar car inherited from an eccentric great-uncle.
These are the objects and ideas that carry your legacy on, down through the generations. I think we all feel reassured knowing that some part of us gets remembered and carried on, even if it’s as small as an old knitting pattern or a piece of jewelry.
But for one Nebraska woman, the legacy she leaves behind is far from small, and it will surely be remembered for a long, long time to come, thanks to her lifelong passion for quilting!
Check out the beautiful images below to see this lovely heritage in action!
On July 21, 2016, a woman named Christina took to a Facebook group called, simply, Quilting, to post a photo of her grandmother's funeral.
She must have known that this particular interest group would be touched by the ceremony honoring her grandmother's life because of the beautiful legacy Christina's grandmother had left behind.
Christina's grandmother, Margaret, had been an avid quilter her whole life. She was so enthusiastic about her craft that she stitched love into dozens and dozens of quilts over the course of her lifetime.
On the occasion of Margaret's funeral, friends and family all joined together to showcase her many beautiful projects.
It was a fitting celebration of a woman who spent time every week quilting, and who handed out lovingly handmade creations to everyone in her life.
According to her granddaughter, she gave out quilts to her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren for graduations and marriages, among other occasions, and added, "It was amazing to us that we almost covered every pew there."
If you know much about quilting, you already know how impressive Margaret's accomplishments truly are, and how cherished each and every one of those handmade quilts must be.
After all, quilting is an incredibly labor-intensive process for even the most experienced crafter.
Even simple quilts can take a long time to create, and complicated quilts might take weeks or even months to finish.
Surprisingly, quilting has a preexisting relationship with mourning and with celebrating life.
Lots of people create quilts that are specially tailored as memorials for a specific person who has passed on.
These quilts are often put on display at the funeral or wake, and might be embroidered with a message or made out of the clothes of the person who has passed on.
In some cases, the funeral quilt might even be arranged in the shape of an angel.
The idea is that the love and attention that went into the quilt is now watching over the dearly beloved late family member or friend.
Of course, in Margaret's case, it almost seems to be the equally heartwarming inverse. The love she put into her quilts is there to watch over and protect the family left behind.
What do you think of this sweet and heartfelt way of celebrating the life of a woman who loved her craft?
Let us know what you think below!
And if you're touched by this perfect method for honoring a quilter, please make sure to SHARE for crafty folks everywhere!
