Threads of Honor: Turning Family History into a Legacy of Art

There's an old, round basket sitting in my genealogy bookshelves that functions as an inbox for everything from wedding, birth and death announcements, old Christmas letters, to notes I scribbled on the back of whatever was in my pocket (usually a grocery receipt) that held written thoughts shared with a family member or friend that I don't want to forget to write down. Someday. I confess, this isn't a practice without its flaws, especially since some of my notes are in shorthand and require translation. But it works for me. Once in a while I will clear off my desk, and process that basket... one note at a time. One of those notes currently has a handwritten blueberry jam recipe my grandmother wrote on the back of her church bulletin. While I won't translate that into wall art, it is in the family recipe book as a photograph.

Over time, a few pieces of "this and that's" were passed on to different members of the family. I wasn't quite sure what to do with mine so I created a wall hanging. The old yoke is from an old farm, and some of the tools have stories that take me back a couple of generations and their own stories. This bit of wall art hangs next to the genealogy shelves in my office as inspiration to continue to ask, listen, record and share those stories.

One of my first family tree to quilt projects might have been a quilt created for my mother-in-law. It has some of her favorite photos, transferred to fabric, combined with a cross-stitched replica of her childhood church and a square dedicated to each of her children's families. A few of us got together and hand stitched the quilt. It hung on her entry wall for many years, but now it needs a little TLC before it is rehung.

While reading through a genealogy blog years ago, I ran across the suggestion to record the voices of our family and interview them as well. My husband and his siblings sat down with their parents to discuss their dads memories of service during the Korean War. Since he was a baker, he was pointed towards the kitchens, while his friends from home were sent elsewhere. Sitting down with my father and talking about his experiences in Korea helped us to understand why he made us learn how to fix our own vehicles and how to drive at night with the lights off. Our dads are both gone now, but we do have recordings of their conversations with us about their experiences in the military. We have typed these and sent them to the family. Hopefully the stories will travel to new generations this way.

As I write this we are opening the doors of summer by stepping into Memorial Day. Thoughts of summer bring me right to July 4th and the celebration of our country. My mother's family has been in this country since it's earliest moments. Between my mom and dad's families, we can identify someone who has been a part of almost every military moment in our country's history. Some of those stories have been captured in history, some by word of mouth, others in writing and some recorded on a phone app. With so many tools available, take the opportunity to ask questions, write down what you know and create some art with those stories to pass along.

As for now, I've dumped out all of my favorite patriotic fabrics and put together a couple of new projects. The quilt and bag were both quilted on my longarm, but you could easily quilt them on your sewing machine. I just love how quickly these projects came together. If I can help you finish a quilt for you or someone in your family, let me know. The colors are limitless and so are you.

Bob Meyers in Korea

Get the pattern for the Altoona Tote here https://matantequiltingshop.com/products/altoona-tote