Mildred Waldean McPeak Carathers - The Fat Lady Sang

Grannie was a quilter and in 2009 her daughter-in-law, Ruth Ann Carathers, made arrangements for the Tennessee Arts Commission to recognize her talents by featuring her in their book, Tradition:  Tennessee Lives and Legacies.  To showcase the book and Grannie, the TAC displayed a few of her quilts and had a special showing for the family before it opened to the public.

April 29, 2010

 Most of the immediate family was able to be there, however, it started raining that morning and Tennessee was hit with an unexpected flood.  Some of the family weren't able to come and all of the family should have stayed home.  I would love to remember this evening with fond memories, but, honestly, all I can remember is how wet we were, how worried we were and how much trouble we all had getting home.  I wrote about that on another blog.  Click here to read that.  I believe that it was the first time that I really realized that my mother was getting sick.  She would be diagnosed with cancer just 2 months later and Grannie would have to start staying in a nursing home.

Ashley Carathers Miller, Mother, & Grannie

 

We did have some of our Texas family come for the show.

 Butch Clay (son of Minnie Lee Carathers Clay)

 LaNorna Hauser

 My father and brother, James & Ray Lewis

 My uncle and mother, Elmer Eugene Carathers & Frances Elizabeth Carathers Lewis

Mildred Waldean McPeak Carathers

 

Photo Shot for the book 2009

 

In October of 2009, the people behind the making of the book mentioned above, came to meet Grannie and take pictures of her quilts.  These quilts were the ones she kept tucked away and only pulled out every once in a while. 

The Aster - the one she was most proud of, the first quilt she had bought all the fabric for.

 

 As the photographic was trying to capture just the right shot and trying to figure out what that silver thing was on her finger and how it was used (a thimble), the lady from the arts commission started talking with me, Mom and Sally (watching in the background).  She knew Ruth Ann, of course, and knew that Ruth Ann quilted, but we were strangers to her.  It took her a moment for the "light-blub" to go off and realize that she had 4 generations of quilters in the house.  In this picture we are each holding a quilt that we made.

 Grannie, Ruth Ann, Mom, me and Sally

 

 

Here's some of the quilts that Grannie pulled out that day.  I don't know the history behind them, Ruth Ann does and I guess because we weren't allowed to see the quilts that often, I never got the stories.  I do know that they include quilts from about 4 generations back, on the McPeak and Carathers side of the family.

Grannie made this Cathedral Window for Papa.

 

This blue star was made by my mother for daddy.



 

Grannie made two floral appliques.  This one is mine now.

 

This one is done with melted crayons and then embroidered around the image.

 

This Wagon Wheel is one of the oldest.

When Daddy moved us to the country, he promised Mother that she could come see her parents every week.  For the 50 years that we lived in the country, I don't think she missed many weekly visits.  To help encourage Grannie in her quilting endeavors (especially as she got into her 90s and was no longer quilting for the public), Mother would buy any quilt that Grannie made.  She also would make quilts with Grannie, cutting out all the pieces for both of them and me too sometimes.



 

Here's some of Grannies embroidery & crochet work that she did on pillow cases.

 

Quilt Show 1998

Ruth Ann put on one of the first quilt shows for Grannie in November 1998.  It was held in the Lyes, TN community center and Tennessee CrossRoads came down to film it.

 

 Because I'm always behind the camera, I thought I would share these pictures of me at the show, being interviewed by Tennessee CrossRoads.

 

After this show Grannie received a lot of attention.  Ruth Ann was able to get her story featured in Quilters Newsletter Magazine and in the Tennessean newspaper.  Grannie would always say, "the fat lady is still singing" (which means "the show's not over yet").  When I went to work for a book publisher, I was able to get Grannie's quilts on the cover of one of the devotional books.  They also used her stitching as the background image on all the pages and block images on inside pages from the sampler quilt featured on the back cover.  (I also have a quilt featured on the cover, the little green Log Cabin.)

Grannie passed away in March 2011.  Soon afterwards, the Tennessee Arts Commission did a tour of the people and photos in their books.  I had a friend tell me they had "seen" her in East Tennessee and then she "came" to Dickson.

I'm not sure how Mother got the Aster quilt, I didn't even know that it was in her possession until she asked me to give it to her brother, Eugene (whom I'm named after, Deborah Gene).  It was one of the last things she asked me to do and I did. 

My mother passed away in January 2011.  Grannie passed just two months later. 

I get asked often about my grandmother's quilts.  I have many of them now and often show them. 

 

I guess the fat lady is still singing.