quilting bee quilt: flower fantasy

this quilt from my grandmother's home belonged to her mother's (my great-grandmother lennye) circle of women. i really don't remember the details, but my great-aunt's name, jennie, is embroidered on the quilt as is this name i can't quite make out:

i do not know how many hands were involved, but i like to imagine a circle of women chatting well, sharing stories, with the sunlight beaming around them & their work. i like to imagine their love in each stitch, for a generation they wouldn't see to adulthood. i like to imagine they might have imagined me, my family, curling up with this quilt.

so lovely, even with the tea stains of time.

and so much better with little toes and long toes on top. to touch each flower and enjoy the pinwheel shapes and movement that you see with your mind's eye.

and especially good to sit and read. to enjoy. to picnic in the house. to savor a moment with my boy on the floor and his loving spirit. he soon jumped into my lap after this picture and warmed up with a mother's love. joys shared in a timeless moment atop a quilt assembled so many, many years ago.