Last fall my mother-in-law and I went to Everlasting Bloom’s Vintage Flea Market. We were there mostly to shop for ourselves, but as I had recently drawn my sister’s name for our family Secret Santa, I was also on the lookout for the perfect gift for her.
I had “previewed” the sale the day before because I was too excited to wait for Marian’s day off. Even though I had two very curious little girls in tow, I managed to spot this delightful piece hanging overhead. All of a sudden sparkly stars filled my eyes and I heard the Hallelujah chorus.
This. Was. It.
Melissa’s Christmas present.
But even though I KNEW that had to get one of these beautiful “quilts in a window” for her (there were four, I believe) I still waited until Marian could confirm the decision the next day. It was agony to wait until the next day, worrying that they would all sell. But I had to trust God with this one. If it was meant to be, there would be one left waiting for me the next day.
And there was.
Phew.
This cute pumpkin was still there, too, so I also got to take him home. For me. I love it.
Marian deemed it a wise purchase and I was able to barter with the seller, as the original price was out of my Secret Santa spending limit. We picked the sharpest one of the bunch. It had one pane missing which we thought added interest. I didn’t feel bad bartering for this because it was extremely dirty. Both the window and the quilt had to be majorly cleaned. So really, I was taking a risk with the purchase. If that quilt got ruined in the washing I was going to be out some mad cash.
I carefully removed the staples holding the quilt in place and took it to my sewing machine to put a running stitch around the edge. The piece was cut from a larger quilt and therefore did not have any binding around the edges. Then I did my “oxy-clean-in-the-bathtub” treatment on it. That old girl washed up real nice.
My four-year-old was quite exited to help me clean the window next. I let her spray the windex while I scrubbed. Normally I would have to remind her a bazillion times not to spray so much but in this case we needed all the spray we could get! Once the panes were shined I wondered about painting the frame of the window. It was decided that this would take away from the antiquity of the whole thing. I put the quilt back on and she was ready to go!
There was one small hitch, though. I wasn’t sure how to transport it to my parents’ house 2 1/2 hours away. I was only able to bring it home in the first place because I only had one child with me when I bought it and could then cram it into the car with us. However, the car would be full of passengers, a dog, and luggage when we left for my parents’. But at the last minute, and I mean the last minute before we left for Mayville, we ended up replacing my husband’s Volkswagon Beetle with a Chevy Equinox. Phew. Crisis averted. Melissa got her gift afterall!
I was already having a bad day when I set out to photographic this quilt. (It seems I’m having more bad days than good these days. Something’s gotta give!) On the day in mention we actually had snow on the ground. The first and last time since winter started. I snapped one photo of the framed piece before it did a faceplant in the snow. Reva was inside, tapping insistently on the window, trying to get my attention for NO REASON and then the whole frame falls into the snow like that. Ugh. One does not survive the life I’m living these days without saying, “I am not giving up.” So I photographed it covered in snow. And it worked out.
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Another one that helped me (a la Eileen Gertrude) in those times was “this too shall pass.” And for one of my friends: “the lord only tests us as much as he knows we are capable of enduring.” That last one didn’t work for me, or her either once– For me, a deep breath– or just remembering to breathe, and letting go of the expectations I had of myself for perfection — the erroneously forged expectations that came from comparing myself to others, mostly, idealized others like Marian and Helen and some kind of internalized uber-woman/mother that was my mother’s massive superego. Letting go of this way of thinking doesn’t work in the short term like your mantra does, so I also dug deep in myself and got in touch with my calm, best-intentional self, a kind of loving she-bear of a mother who could carry on, maybe a little gruffly, when stuff happens. I think I scared my kids sometimes, not meaning to, when being in that strong place… Grrrrrrr. You are so amazing April!!!
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I love it when you hear “the Hallelujah chorus.” It makes shopping so much easier.
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Oh, what a fantastic gift. I LOVE IT! You can be my sister any time!
Sorry you are having bad days. I know the faceplant wasn’t fun, but I will say, the snow on the window is pretty amazing.
I love it!
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What a fabulous gift. I’m jealous.
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What a wonderful gift April…you are a special sister : )
(Random thoughts)
1) I love seeing the before and after pictures of the pre and post-washed quilt…and the double wedding ring is one of my favorites!
2) The snow adds a certain ambiance don’t you think?
3) I really like the new format for your blog! -
Love your stories and your creativity! You are one talented lady!
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