Living in Virginia Beach, there are a number of church festivals and markets running almost every weekend where booths or tents are set up offering handmade wares. My favorites, of course, are those offering quilts! Most times, these would not be considered show quilts – instead they are quilts made for snuggling, swaddling, and cuddling.
With permission, I can’t help but reach out to touch the corners as I scan the piecing styles and beautiful fabrics. At these events, I get a bit of fun out of guessing what type of batting is in each quilt, and I am always thrilled to find that one of our battings has been used. “Oh, how drapey – did you use Quilters Dream Cotton?” I ask, or “This must be Quilters Dream Wool.” The smiling sweet ladies sitting behind the tables confirm my guesses and always tell the quilts’ stories.
Each quilt, of course, has its own unique story of how it was made and what events happened during its creation. After sharing that I work for Quilters Dream Batting, I have heard numerous stories about battings of the past. There are those whose mothers made them separate the fresh picked cotton from the seeds and those who used whatever was on hand from old scratchy military blankets to pieces of flannel nightgowns or even older ragged quilts. Battings have come a long way. We are certainly living in an extraordinary time when the unique talents and gifts of traditional (and modern) quilting come together with the very latest in fine batting fibers and the best processing to make even the humblest quilt a real treasure that will last a lifetime.
Happy Quilting!
~The Dream Team
