Many years ago, I phoned my mother (she lives just outside of Phoenix) for a chat. She was all flustered and said she couldn't talk to me right now because she had to go pick up her sister- they were running late to go to a quilt show and she needed Aunt Carolyn to help her carry her "stuff". My heart fell to the bottom of my feet and my pulse rate jumped.... neither of the two sisters is a quilter nor does either one sew. I carefully asked her "what 'stuff'?" She said Aunt Carolyn was helping her carry all the quilted "stuff" I had made for her and dad over the years... she was taking all of it to the quilt show.
My pulse rate kicked up another notch and I started feeling nauseated. Mother is a very determined lady and the entire family learned a long time ago that she does not take kindly to the words "no" or "you can't". I couldn't tell her that the little quilted things I had made for her weren't good enough for the show- not good enough by a long, long, LONG shot. She would calmly tell any quilt judge that the potholder her daughter made was vastly superior to the Best of Show Baltimore Album Quilt that was completely handmade by a famous quilter with 39 stitches to the inch.
I said the only other thing that popped into my head "Mom, I think only the people who made the quilts are allowed to enter them in the show". She said "I'm taking them along to show to people". My heart stopped dead.... I had this mental image of the two little old ladies sitting on a bench inside the quilt show asking people if they wanted to see the potholders, table runners and Christmas tree skirt that her daughter made.
I have never had the courage, even after all these years, to ask her about her one and only quilt show.....
Mothers. Ya gotta love 'em!