Category: family

I am a blanket/quilt type of girl. I rely on them to keep me cozy and warm during these winter months. My history with special blankets and quilts goes way back into the year 1980 when some of the best people I know were born.

I was gifted with a beautiful blanket with puffy chickens on it, I believe my grandma Lowman made it.  It soon was named The Chicky Blanket. I loved my Chicky and still do. Of course, I no longer sleep with the Chicky Blanket, but when I was younger I used it to sleep with but also as a place for my index finger to flick when I was thinking or nervous. The cool crisp fabric just made this so easy.

Jump to 1992 when big tank tops and jorts were in. I was gifted my first real quilt.  My grandma Lowman made quilts for each of her marvelous  grandchildren. My cousin Megan loved the Seattle Seahawks (and still does) and of course her quilt reflected that with Seahawk blues and greens. My quilt was like a grown up version of The Chicky Blanket…so fancy that I had to wait a while for it because G.Low wanted to put in it in a quilt show.

In 2003,  Peggy Wilbur, who had fixed The Chicky Blanket on many occasions, gave me a True Chicky Quilt for college graduation. She had just gotten into quilting and put me on her list of people to give one to! It was a very sweet, sentimental gift mostly because I had no idea she was doing it for me and I know all the time and effort it takes to make a quilt.

There is a quilting club at Hilltop that I have a not-so-secret desire to join. When somebody moves, get married, has a baby or does something super special, the quilting club gifts them with a quilt. Welp, HB decided to tie the knot in 2008 and the quilters at Hilltop gave me a beautiful quilt!

With all the wedding planning going on in the Spring & Summer of ’08, one of my super-great-I’m-not-sure-if -I’ll-follow-through-on-it-ideas was to incorporate fabric into the wedding (maybe napkins, table center pieces, bread basket covers, or whatever suited my fancy) and eventually turn it into a quilt with Peggy’s help. So, my mom and I went hog-wild and bought some fabric – before we knew what it’d get used for. (Life’s more fun that way…try it some time). In the end, the fabric got used for many of the things listed above, most importantly on the tables.

About that wedding quilt, I haven’t quite made it yet. I finally pulled the fabric out of the closet and discovered that some of it is….moldy. Turns out there was a wet tablecloth that got put in the bag with the fabric.  Most of it is salvagable, I think.  I’m looking foward to making this quilt with Peggy, and even if I can’t use all the wedding fabric, I’ve got some other ideas. I’ve always wanted a cowboy/cowgirl quilt, anyhow.

Yesterday the Lowman/Rabin/Elvrum crew rounded up to celebrate Midge’s 86th birthday. Typically, we go somewhere and spend a few days playing games, eating and simply enjoying being related to such a remarkable woman.

Those of us that decided not to go to Hawaii or be flooded, in met up at Chuckanut Manor for delicious food and good times.  There are many, many things I love about all my  grandparents, and one of my most favorite traits that they all possess is the ability to laugh and to include others in the joke.

Midge was the star of the afternoon and even at one point told a hilarious story about Mike that had us rolling with laughter…and Mike really was the butt of the joke*.

Oh, I digress. We spent a couple hours playing musical chairs in order to touch base with different relations, reflect on the past (insert Cousins’ Club comment here) and honor our amazing grandma!

Speaking of Grandma Lowman, in the picture with Barry and Jamey I made the comment to Barry that she was such a shrimp only to be shocked that I am really no more than a breath taller than that woman!

Fine by me, I’ll take after Midge any old day….

*denotes inside joke.