Personalised quilts – Timeless Heirlooms – Part I

This dragon quilt is my one of my favourite from the Quilt Show.

If you didn’t make it to the International Quilt Show held from 18^th-21^st February 2010  at the Dhow Palace Hotel, Dubai, then you have missed something real special! True, if you are not a quilter-nista then you may wonder what the fuss is all about.

The Quilt show organised by Dubai based Mala Ramakrishnan was a multi faceted one, with workshops, competitions and so much more. The world’s only professional male quilter (perhaps!), Ricky Tims, was flown in from the US just to give some fabulous workshops. Ricky Tims was definitely the talk of the ‘quilt’ town. The exhibition itself attracted competition quilts from all over the world, including South Africa, Canada and Australia, not to forget GCC countries.  These quilts were either traditional quilts or art quilts – all handcrafted pieces by the competitors themselves.  The quilt show was a grand example of creativity running riot.  

Judged the show stopper of the quilt show.

Mala herself is a great quilter who exudes such passion for her craft that she reminds me of my own mother who was a great seamstress and quilter herself. I remember distinctly one Christmas when my mother tried to hide a Christmas stocking that she had quilted for me (but I was too nosy!). For someone who is not in love with the needle and thread, I failed to appreciate the time and dedication that my mother wove into that Christmas stocking.  In fact, unlike my mother, I did not inculcate the love for needlecraft and refuse to understand anything about needlework in its various forms (to the disappointment of my mother). I preferred to wield the paint brush, pastels or charcoal.

Meeting Mala and getting acquainted with her quaint yet pretty quilt shop brought back all the above memories. I recalled the hard work that my mother put into the stocking and all the quilts she subsequently gifted me. I used to laugh at her when she gifted me a quilt, but I no longer laugh, as I snuggle up to one as I type this.  At the time, I thought making huge quilts was a time waster. But now, all I can think of is her love, her dedication, her need to see her children happy (and if she was here with me, she’d have seen that satisfaction on my face that no dark chocolate brownie can bring).

So it is no wonder that I felt I was back in time, when I walked down the aisles of the exhibition – taking in the warmth of unconditional love and enthusiasm for all things good, rebounding from one handmade quilt to another.

So, if you have been gifted a quilt, personalised  just for you, and you are someone who has taken it for granted, why don’t you hold it in your hands, close your eyes and remind yourself of the occasion when you were gifted it and who gifted it to you. You will be convinced that you are special and loved unconditionally.  

Now isn’t that a nice feeling to begin or end your day?

Mala and I stand in front of the Charity Quilt.

Part II – Please come back tomorrow.

And here questions of type such if honestly strike me not much as I wrote everything higher. It is visible you simply you don’t want to read all this. As my parrot does.