A quilt legacy for sisters

Today, July 13, is Mimi's birthday. She unexpected passed away in October, 2018, and would have been 42 years old. Our family will honor her memory with McDonald's Happy Meals and talk about Mimi. She would have loved that. Mimi will always be a big influence in our family.

At my age, I think a lot about legacy and bucket list items that I'd like to cross off. What am I leaving behind physically and spiritually? What places do I want to visit while my knees are still agreeable. Mimi's book, A Joyful Embrace, is part of that legacy. A quilt of church dresses with their fabric, lace, buttons, and trims is another.

Several years ago, I had an idea to make a quilt from all the pretty church dresses Mimi and her sister, Katie, had worn over the years. My hope chest was full of their dresses. I think I counted forty. Many have been given to my granddaughters, Zelie and Melanie. Sixteen dresses are showcased in the above quilt entitled "Sisters" from a pattern by Black Mountain Needleworks called "Pretty Dresses." My friend, Sally, was the one who showed me the pattern.

Lisa Taylor brilliantly custom quilted the quilt and Sally created the cutest quilt label for the back. My "Sisters" quilt will appear at Houston's 2026 International Quilt Festival in their Celebrate Life exhibit.