Frona Ballard's Quilt

By tirane93. Monday, 6. August 2007, 14:00:08

Frona could sew, she could really sew. She didn't teach me to sew, she just gave me the ocassional tip when I was trying to make a doll dress or whatever. I only had a very few years of exposure to her wisdom, but her legend is still thriving. She could cut out dress parts from a piece of fabric - no pattern, no sizing, just having a good look at the person the dress was for and an idea for what the dress should look like. Frona was afflicted with Parkinson's disease by the time I met her, so she didn't really do any sewing anymore by then. She dipped snuff, rocked, and offered tips.

This quilt came into my posession two days ago. Frona made this quilt somewhere near 1953. It's a simple quilt, wouldn't win a contest, the colors are an odd mix. But she made it. She made it from the scraps of her grand daughter's bedcover and two sheets when her grand daughter was in junior high school. I know this because her grand daughter, my mother, told me this with tears in her eyes and a catch in her throat. Now this quilt is mine.

Thank you great granny! I miss you.