A patchwork of history

Sixty years ago, our great grandmother made a patchwork quilt for my sisters and me.

She collected little scraps of material, and spent many hours patiently matching them up and trimming them to the right shapes and sizes.

Then she sewed them together by hand, padded them for strength and overstitched the joins to create a beautiful family heirloom.

Now, it is my turn to make a patchwork quilt for my great grandchildren, as yet unborn. I’ve been collecting precious scraps of material for several years, and now I’ve started the making process, although I know it will take a long time.

But when, finally, I manage to join them all together and complete the special gift for my descendants to remember me by, it won’t look anything like the one my great grandmother made.

Because my materials are photographs and pieces of information, and my final creation will be the story of our family history.