quilt
Jade Small
Jade Small
January 6, 2024 ·  4 min read

Family honors grandma’s memory by displaying all of her quilts at her funeral

We all have a loved one who is well known for their craft. Especially when it comes to a grandparent. Perhaps your grandfather is well known for his intricate model trains or your grandmother’s knitting skills. In the case of this beloved granny, her craft and passion were in making quilts.

This granny made some amazing quilts.

Margaret Hubl had a special gift. She used her talent to create beautiful quilts for her loved ones, and they will all remember her for it. Every member of Margaret’s family had received a quilt at one point. For Margaret, quilting was more than just a hobby; she wanted her loved ones to have something to remember her by every time they looked at it.

Sadly, Margaret passed away at the ripe old age of 89, but her legend lives on inside her beautiful handmade quilts.[1]

A Beautiful Tribute

In July 2018, Margaret’s loved ones gathered at the church for her funeral. Her family had decided to give her a rather fitting send-off and tribute to her handiwork. This funeral was not for mourning, but rather, a celebration of a life well-lived.

As people entered the church for the life celebration, her stunning handiwork was on display for all to see. The quilts she had so lovingly stitched together for her loved ones were draped over the backs of the pews—a wonderful way to commemorate her memory in the form of her beloved craft.

Christina Tollman, who is Margarets Granddaughter, says she really had no idea of the magnitude of her Granny’s talent until she saw all the quilts in one place.

Never did I imagine how many there were. We covered almost every single pew in that church. I never knew how many she actually made.” 

Read: Why Your Older Sister Is One of the Most Important People in Your Life

The Special Quilts Were Not The Only Legacy She Left Behind

Throughout Margret’s life, she dedicated herself to her family. She and her husband Henry had three children together, but they ended up adopting her sister-in-law’s children after a tragic accident. Margret raised her own along with the orphan twins in her humble three-bedroom farm home.

This is the moment that catapulted her love for quilting. Margret learned to sew in order to keep her five children clothed and warm! Of course, her children all eventually grew up and left the nest to start their own families. Soon her kids had children of their own, and Margret was a grandmother. She decided to use her talent for sewing to create something special for them too. Each of her grandkids received a handmade quilt as a congratulatory gift when they graduated from high school.

 “She wanted us to have something to wrap up and keep warm in when we went away to school.”

Christina Tollman

Because of her death, Margaret’s family eventually found out just how much effort and thought had gone into each quilt.

When we sat down to go through her things, we found this — I call it a pocket notebook. Inside it says whose quilt she was working on, what day she put it in the quilt frame, and which day she took it out.”

Christina Tollman

Margret’s surprises didn’t end there.

Because of all the free time she had now that her kids were grown up, Margret was able to invest countless valuable hours creating quilts for the ones she loved most. She began making gifts for her grandchildren’s weddings one day!

I actually have three cousins that are not married, and the day of her funeral was the day that they got to see their quilts for the first time. That was really kind of a neat moment.”

Christina Tollman

This family will forever treasure their quilts. For the rest of their lives, they will be able to look at their grandmother’s handiwork and remember her fondly. With every snuggle under their quilt on a winter day, they will think back to Margaret and how much she loved them all.[2]

This is the love that Grandma made for each of us. This is what she made for each of us to wrap up in when we hurt. When we miss her.”

Keep Reading: Giving your children experiences instead of toys boosts their intelligence and happiness

References

  1. Spectacular Funeral For 89-YO Grandma Displays All The Quilts She Ever Sewed.” Lessons Learned In Life. March 22, 2019.
  2. Family honors grandma’s memory by displaying all of her quilts at her funeral.My Positive Outlooks. Farah R.