Just Thinking About the Comforts of Home-Quilts

I have been thinking about what makes a home comfortable these days. The stark differences in decorating style offer something for everyone.

This quilt was discovered in a chest in the attic, never used. It is gracing a bed in our home right now, it is a comfort knowing that the makers lived happy lives. They loved their home and pursuits of home making. A simple life of family, friends, church, home and garden.  

Quilts are one of those items that signify the comfort of home to me. When I entered this family the first thing I noticed were quilts on the beds. In one bedroom of Grandmother's large four square home there were twin beds. The quilts matched. Charming, comfortable, home. I was smitten, I was bitten. After working long hours at the hospital and teaching on my "off" days I was exhausted by the time the Sunday dinner was served. In those days it was the Grandmother and her Maiden Daughter who were the family hosts. It seems like a hundred years ago now. After dinner the older sisters washed dishes in the tiny kitchen and I was relegated to one of those beds to cuddle under one of the quilts for a much needed nap. It felt safe, protected, cozy. A new and wonderful feeling for me. 

To protect my comfort of home I care for their quilts and for mine. I just finished my semi-annual refold of the Vintage Quilts as well as the newer ones not currently in use. I am running out of space. I always pack my quilts in large pillow cases or muslin covers that protect from dust then store them in a place where no light intrudes. That includes a linen closet, a clothes closet in a dead-end corner as well as under the mattress of a large sleigh bed. That doesn't include those in use, usually 5-8 at any given time. I have gifted twice that many. A quilter is a person who likes to stitch, obsesses over beautiful fabric and finds a peacefulness in the creative process.

Another life long symbol of a welcoming home is a light in the window. With my battery operated candles, often with a lamp, I the light beckons friends and family. While I admire those all white homes with no "stuff" and no personal touches from afar, home to me is quite the opposite. The scratches on tables hold memories, the quilts on beds recall good times and the scent of cooking from the kitchen is what makes a home a home. If you visit you will know that this is not a magazine home.

• I am sort of glad that July is over. That whole "Christmas in July" thing was just too much pressure. I am still making baby gifts for a shower in May, the kid is two months old now! Geesh!
• I spend a lot of time in my home, I have been thinking about this whole "comfort" thing for a while. Not just the obvious but things that are special to me. Things I would miss if they were lost. 
• I have returned to the home routines that were a great system for me for many, many years. When Hubs retired everything got scrambled.  I was always trying to catch up, always frustrated, never "done." Well, fooey with that. We're back baby, we're back!