There's something good that happens when we wrap up in a quilt. And, when that quilt is handmade, the feeling is extra special.
"When I was little, I knew that she sewed and asked her to make me a quilt," Sarah Allen said. The 15-year-old still has the quilt "Made By Grammy," which was stitched about 10 years ago.
This past December, Allen discovered her own itch to stitch.
"I just realized she made all of us quilts, and she's always cold. So, I felt she deserved one, too," Allen explained.
The L.D. Bell High School student got to work and called on nine family members — mom, sister, aunts and cousins — to help.
Each was asked to pick out a fabric that represented them.
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"One of my younger cousins is very huggable, so that's what her's is about," Allen explained. "I've been riding horses since I was little, so mine has horses on it."
Allen, with the help of her mom Karen Allen, got to work, but she had a few problems along the way. She showed us the sewing machine she used to make most of the quilt -- the third machine involved in the process.
Then, there were the fingerpricks that came with the needlework.
"I hand stitched all the letters for the quilt, and that was a really long process and frustrating," she said.
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Three machines, several fingerpricks and, finally, five months later, Allen finished her first quilt. She gave it to her 80-year-old grandmother on Mother's Day.
"She was surprised, there was a lot going on, but she liked it," Allen smiled. "I think it's pretty good for a first quilt."
The tag on the quilt hints at something special. It says "Made for Grammy" with the names of Anit Hairston's three daughters and seven grandchildren, who all contributed to a gift stitched with love.