I recently inherited my stepmother's old cedar chest. As I thought about
arranging my newly remodeled weaving room, I knew exactly where to put it.
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Cedar Chest in its new home under the front window.
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It's not something I recall seeing at my paternal grandmother's house, so I'm
assuming it was passed down through my stepmother's family or perhaps
purchased for her or by her when she was a young woman.
I couldn't find a date on the chest, but I was able to find information on the
manufacturer. It was made by the Ed Roos Company which operated between 1918
to 1951 in Forest Park, Illinois. By the 1930s, it was the largest cedar chest
manufacturer in the world, employing 400 people and utilizing something like
three million feet of cedar annually. The chests were popularly sold as hope
or dowry chests and were shipped all over the world.
What treasures am I keeping inside it?
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Quilts!
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Many of these were made by my great-grandmother. I remember as a very
little girl, I was allowed to play with her 1-inch quilt squares. She was
bedridden in the latter years of her life, and my grandmother said that her
quiltmaking was a lifesaver. It kept her productive and creatively engaged
until the end of her eighty-five years. The first four quilts shown here made by her.
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| Wreath of Leaves |
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My grandmother penciled the name of the pattern, the quilt
maker,
and the date of completion in the corner of each quilt.
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All of Great-grandmother's quilts are completely handmade and it is
remarkable that she hand-stitched eight to ten stitches per inch.
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| Desert Flower 1952 |
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Rose of Sharon, or Garland Quilt. 1943
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They're all in good shape, except a little dirty from use. My grandmother felt
that they were meant to be enjoyed, so instead of keeping them packed away in
a trunk, she would change them out periodically for the bedspread on her's and
my grandfather's bed. When my grandmother passed away, each of her nine
grandchildren were given one of these quilts. Plus I had one given to me
previously, and received the one given to my stepmother.
Although I have mostly applique quilts, my great-grandmother also made pieced
quilts. This one is my childhood quilt, made for me by her, and one I loved
dearly as a kid.
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This one is dirty and badly love-worn and has no date.
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Other quilts in the cedar chest are of unknown origin.
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Simple beginners quilt given to me by my grandmother. Either I don't
recall
who made it or perhaps she didn't know, but someone in the family.
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I believe the next several came down from my stepmother's family. There
are no names or dates on any of them.
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| a log cabin quilt |
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| a tied quilt |
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double wedding ring
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Lastly, there are a few made by me. Quilt making was one of my first adventures into textile arts (after learning how to sew and embroider).
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My own beginner's quilt, 'Moon Over the Mountain' in phases of the moon
with unrelated
scraps of fabric. It
was hand-sewn and hand-quilted. I used an old blanket for the
batting.
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This was my next quilt, hand-pieced and hand-quilted.
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The crazy quilt I made for my dad and stepmom.
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The story behind my crazy quilt is that it began with a series of embroideries I
made over the years for my dad and stepmom as Christmas and birthday gifts.
(You can see photos of the individual bird embroideries
here.) Eventually somebody said they ought to be made into a quilt, so I agreed to make it. I
got started on it but it was set aside when I had two small children to tend to.
Years later, the quilt still wasn't done and it became quite the family joke
where my dad would call and greet me with "how's the quilt coming along?"
One day Dan and the kids said, "you've got to get it done." They agreed to do
all the cooking and housework to let me work on it and finish it. Finally it
was done! My folks got to enjoy it on their bed for many years, which I'm glad
of. I'm also glad it came back to me.
As you can see, my quilt collection pretty much fills up the chest. Heirloom quilts are indeed a treasure, and so perfect for a treasure chest.
