Review: My Mother's Quilts

My Mother’s Quilts
By Ramona Richards
Worthy Publishing, 2016


Summary

A quilt is love that serves a purpose.

Inspired by thirty family heirloom quilts, each devotion depicts the enduring legacy of faith, family and tradition. With humor and sincerity, Ramona Richards shares her memories and lessons learned from the quilters whose legacies live on in their work. Rich, personal, sometimes heartbreaking, often funny, each reading provides a lesson and encouragement from the faithful women who crafted the quilts.

Full-color photographs of each quilt show the style and artistry of each beautiful work. The quilts, sewn by several generations over more than one-hundred years, are as unique and lovely as the hands that created them. The oldest was buried during the Civil War to keep it safe and the author’s mother created the newest in the last years of her life.


My thoughts

My Mother’s Quilts: Devotions of Love, Legacy, Family and Faith is part memoir, part devotional, a collection of around 60 reflective thoughts drawn from 30 quilts passed down from generation to generation. This is a beautiful book, both in physical appearance and because of the thoughts shared. “The heritage of our faith and family lives in those around us. Just listening to them can bring treasures more valuable than gold.” My Mother’s Quilts is a book to treasure.

Just like the brightly-colored images pictured throughout, the book itself is a work of art – hardback with a burgundy cover, dust jacket, thick pages, and a ribbon to mark your place. Each meditation begins with a Scripture verse and ends with a prayer prompt. Like the title’s description, Ramona’s thoughts are sometimes humorous, sometimes heartbreaking - but are warm and vividly reflect the love, legacy, family and faith that have always been associated with the making and passing down of quilts.

My mom didn’t sew, but she knew a retired couple who quilted, and she made sure I received quilts upon marriage and the birth of my children. These quilts carried the same message of love and faith, and will continue to be cherished by my family.

I’d single out each meditation if I could because they are all touching, but these two especially stood out to me . . .

The Carolina Lily quilt, dating from the 1830s, was a faded symbol of something that never fades . . . a reminder that faith and family, and a belief that God will take care of us, endure in the same way: passed down to the next generation.

The Twenty-five Patch quilt with three bright blue squares amidst the pale reds and browns . . . In passing down this imperfection, my great-great grandmother inadvertently reminded all who came after her how impermeable and unchanging is God’s true love for us. It is a love that will come to us no matter what, showering us “as the spring rains,” always refreshing and new.

I believe anyone would enjoy My Mother’s Quilts, but this would be an especially meaningful collection for anyone who sews, quilts, or who has been blessed by receiving a quilt.

Highly recommended.

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Ramona Richards is an award-winning editor, speaker, author of nine books, and a frequent contributor to devotional collections. An avid live music fan, Ramona loves Nashville, which she’s called home since she was ten.

Sensing her mother was near the end of her life, Ramona documented her mother’s stories and lessons behind each family quilt. These stories form the devotions in My Mother’s Quilts. Find out more about Ramona and her books by visiting her online . . .

WEBSITE │ FACEBOOK │ TWITTER │ GOODREADS

Thank you to Worthy Publishing and FlyBy Promotions for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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CONTEST OFFER!

Win one of the quilts featured in My Mother's Quilts: Devotions of Love, Legacy, Family and Faith.

Also up for grabs: loads of other prizes including quilting hand warmers, coloring books, and 25 signed copies of Ramona’s book.

Winners will be emailed after the contest ends on June 30, 2016. Click the image to get started!