Q is for Quilt

There are so  many types of quilts, Crazy, Shoo-Fly,
Snail's Trail, Lazy Daisy,Rose Wreath, Wedding Ring,
Log Cabin, Broken Dishes, Moon Over The Mountain,etc.

 It is a great way to recycle, take what is old and make it new; great gift a memory quilt!

I have never made a quilt; I have made  pillows with quilting techniques, but some how the task was started and then we moved.  Military moves are daunting; you really have to be prepared.  They even try to pack your trash; it is crazy!   We would move and then you have to set up a new household, the last thing you feel like doing is working on a  quilt.  Setting up a household is is expensive, tedious and frustrating.  I have moved 17x in the past 25 yrs. Just thinking about makes me wonder how I did it.   I opened my cedar chest the other day; I found these baby quilts. A flood of memories flashed before my eyes. Friends and relatives made these gifts;  memories of my babies are interwoven within these security blankets.

  I can see my son, pretending one side of his quilt was a jungle for his army men and snuggling later with his favorite blankie.  My daughter wanted a tea party with her dollies on hers and also loved to roll up in the comforting cloth.   I think of my children as quilts; their patchwork comes from family members on both sides.  My daughter has my mother in law's hands, the blonde hair is from her and my sister in law. My Mom's smile, my Italian bump nose , my husband's wit and laugh, her Dad's full, thick hair, my eyes and a musical gift from the Jackson side.  My son reminds me of my husband, he sounds just like him, sometimes I honestly can't tell over the phone, til I listen for a while. The Navy quarterdeck calls to update my husband(my son is on the phone trying to get off).  My son has my father's humor and personality, so much it is like my Dad is still alive.   My children didn't know my father; he passed  away, when I was 19.   My son has his Dad's walk and stance, my coloring and eyes, and his Dad's height and shoulders and my brother's easy going nature and the gift of fixing things and technically gifted,  both Wilson and Jackson traits.  When my children approach me, it is as if a family reunion has arrived.  The genetics of generations are woven into their being, the fabric of our lives.   I have started watching the show," Who do you think you?" on Friday nights.
I think some of the similarities of the past that come forward are amazing.  There are common themes that
the celebrity finds out about their family tree, it is truly breath taking. I love how our memories bind us together as a family, how we can reflect back, by seeing our children grow up, and discover how we are all tied together.  The common thread being we all want to pass on positive memories and traditions to our families, like a quilt with it's similarities there is also the contrasts.  Families are like crazy quilts, all the patches together are unique.   No matter how different or similar the patches are, together they stitch a whole lot of memories.

Thanks to Lee, of Tossing it Out  for fabricating this challenge and bringing us together.  I now have an
A-Z quilt!