Kon Mari (my quilts)

Don't get too excited.  I didn't get rid of ALL my quilts.

My story starts a couple of months ago when my daughter was reading Marie Kondo's book on  Kon Mari.  If you don't know what that is, you can read about  it here.

My daughter helped me "Kon Mari" my clothes, shoes, accessories, etc.  Nine large black garbage bags full later....oh my....I cringe when I think about that, but it was all for the good....I have a neat walk-in closet, orderly drawers, and found things that I hadn't seen for awhile crammed in amongst other things.  Those nine bags were donated to a good cause and that was a good thing, too.

Now, I haven't followed Kon Mari throughout my whole house as the book suggests, but every once in a while I will go in a cupboard and not be able to find something and the next thing you know, I am pulling it all out, getting rid of over half of the stuff  and returning things to a neat and orderly existence.  It really makes one happy.

Well, I was starting to feel that way about my quilts.  I have a LOT of quilts and I thought of giving some of them to my kids.  I had tried  doing that last year, but as I pulled a quilt out that I thought I could part with...I would look at it and say, "but I really love this one"  and put it back.  I did that with several quilts and decided to keep them all.  Well, in a year, the piles just got bigger with nowhere else to put quilts.

It's not that I haven't given away any quilts.  Each couple received a wedding quilt; all the grands get quilts; baby quilts are made for gifts, but the quilts that I kept were numerous.

So, on Christmas Eve I brought my two daughters and daughter-in-law in to look at eight quilts that I pulled out.  I told them to take a look at them and then I would post pictures and sizes of them and send them the info.  They were to contact me privately as to their top 2-3 favorites in the order that they would want them.  They would each get two if they so wished.  I didn't want them to feel that they had to compete for any of them if they liked the same quilts.

These are the quilts that I offered up.  They range from year 2000 to 2016.

Four-patch posie.

Chinese Coins

Hawaiian Trips

Hidden pinwheels

Rainbow Quilt

Safe Haven

Star Trip

Thimbleberry Village

They really are quite the range of tastes and I felt I knew which ones each of the girls would want.  Boy, was I wrong.

The funny thing is that they sent me their lists and there was not one duplicate.  How can that be?!!!  That made it so easy.  I was sure there would be some overlap and then I would have to make some decisions.

My oldest daughter asked for Hawaiian Trips and Star Trip.  Both of these quilts were bright and feminine.  She said that was because she has three little boys, and she doesn't get much in the way of feminine things at home. 

My youngest daughter took the Four-patch Posie and the Hidden Pinwheels.  I have no idea why.  She is my puzzle.

My daughter-in-law took the Chinese coins and the Thimbleberries Village.  Both of those are opposite ends of the spectrum, so that surprises me, too.  Although she likes contemporary things which I think the black and white one is, the other one is a puzzle.

So, I have to say that I am glad to see my quilts go to my kids now.  Maybe in a couple of years, I will do this again if they are willing.

The other two quilts will go back in the stash and wait their turn....maybe next time.  

This was a good way to give quilts to the family and know they got what they liked.  Just an idea that you might want to try.