Quilt Mommie

Even as a child, sewing had always been an important part of my life, and I was fascinated with all the small calico pieces in my grandmother's quilts.

When I tried to find quilts for a small shop I wanted to open, however, it was almost impossible. At about that time, a young Amish woman had a quilt to sell and advertised it in our local newspaper. I've always lived only an hour from the Amish and Mennonite communities of Lancaster County Pennsylvania, but knew very little about them. This all changed when I bought that first quilt. These warm and wonderful families have been a delight to know. I am privileged to have many of them in many states as my friends. They have enriched my life and renewed my faith in humanity and I have a deep respect for their commitment to a strong family unit and their ability to truly observe their religious beliefs in an ever encroaching materialistic world.

The plain people do not speak English in their homes. They use a hybrid German known as Pennsylvania Dutch, and children aren't taught English until they are four. The term used for grandmother is "mommie" which we use for mother. Since I am as old as their grandmothers, the children call me "Quilt Mommie." When I drive down a farm lane they run into the house chanting "Quilt Mommie, Quilt Mommie!" announcing my arrival. I am flattered by their obvious affection for me, and I'm even more touched by three families who have given their baby daughters my name, Janet, instead of a more traditional Old Testament name. My life as "The Quilt Mommie" brings you these heirlooms of tomorrow, made with love, by the women who speak Pennsylvania Dutch