Is it the quilts? Or is it the love?

I was just sitting at the computer waiting for Grandma to leave on a visiting teaching assignment following a traditional Sunday afternoon dinner of waffles. I was initially just looking, but then as I was reading my my daughters blogs and then back at my blog (yes, I do read my own blog) about quilting and seeing Grandma's picture with Donna and realizing quilting is about love, not really about quilting. At least not for Grandma.

Donna & JoAnn

Granted, she does love the challenge of quilting, but she even more loves the process of figuring out just the right quilt for a daughter or son, or grandchild, and even grandpa. Among her first projects were high school graduation quilts that were joint efforts. The children selected a design and Mom began the work on the quilts. They were truly a work of love, because it typically took a year to get each of the quilts completed. There were lots of interruptions along the way, and other projects. But, they always were finished and delivered.

Jeni, JoAnn, & Krissie

Tim's wedding quilt was the biggest, and maybe only, queen size quilt Grandma ever tried. I remember 5 daughters taking one look at that quilt and almost in unison saying, "When do I get mine?" Well don't hold your breath. That may require retirement. Back to the point. The quilt was a labor of love - love for Tim and Lonita - and by extension to the entire family.

The McLean girls - JoAnn, Marti, Jeri

A runner for Suzanne's dining room table. Would you believe I couldn't find a photo of Suzanne with a quilt?

Grandma is best known for her smaller quilts. Every grandchild has at least one quilt, sometimes several. Alexis has 3 that I can remember: (1) baby quilt; (2) broken arm quilt; and (3) baptism quilt. She can be a little demanding (right Suzanne?). When she had a compound fracture of her arm she said she wanted "Grandma McLean to come and take care of her." When Suzanne explained that Grandma couldn't come her response was, "I need a quilt from Grandma." And yes, that became Grandma's top priority. It was the baptism quilt I was surprised by, but again Alexis asked for it. It was a classy quilt and when I asked Alexis if she was going to hang it up on her wall (what was I thinking?), her response was "It's just the right size for me."

Lots of time and effort go into a quilt, but when it is all said and done, it is the love that goes into the quilt that makes all the difference. Maybe that is why Grandma is so special. I think so!

Sally with Chas's quilt.