A Grandmother's Stitches
~ A Grandmother's Stitches~ In honor of Clara Beaty, who entered the pearly gates on 11-28-2012. Years ago I sat as an excited girl with carefully selected fabric, thimble and thread eager to master the art of quilting. I will never forget sitting on that floral couch and intently listening to Granny as she handed down her knowledge one stitch at a time. I watched her delicate, soft hands with years of sewing captured in her swollen joints make each stitch with ease and perfection. "Make every stitch small" she would say as she handed the fabric to me. She would carefully monitor my stitches, stressing "your quilt should be as pretty on the bottom as it is on the top." For hours, we would share the needle and thread as we passed the fabric between our hands. As I reflect on my life, there are many stitches that are connected to the threads of my grandparents......countless fried apple pies, biscuits and strawberry freezer jam, and apple sta