Third Prize: $100
A handmade 12x16-inch quilt of once-colorful homespun squares neatly blanket-stitched is my most cherished possession. Quilted for me by our beloved babysitter, Mrs. Jean Howard, it has frayed edges and is faded in spots. The formerly white squares are now a golden ecru, and bright colors are now much paler than when new 60 years ago.
Even at a young age, my sisters and I were deeply touched by Mrs. Howard's sad memories of losing her young soldier husband in World War I and then, a year later, her darling baby girl to the dreaded influenza epidemic. A young widow, she became a governess growing deeply attached to the young ones in her charge. Mrs. Howard revealed that she made little quilts for each youngster in loving remembrance of her own little girl. She tried to give these children all of the love that she might have given her own daughter.
From lovely milk-and-cookie doll tea parties to helping us snugly tuck in our dolls for the night, Mrs. Howard gave us her kind and patient attention. A woman who truly understood little girls and their cherished dolls knew that a miniature quilt was indeed a very special gift. –Roseann Gulla-Devaney, Winchester, Massachusetts
Honorable Mention
The year 1963 was a difficult time for the United States and the world. I was 10 years old and didn't really understand adult issues. I came from a small island republic called Trinidad & Tobago. My grandmother gave me the Little Brown Suitcase to travel. I was heading to Michigan to meet my father for the first time. My mother passed when I was 13 months old. So, as my journey be gan, it wasn't a happy one. Lots of moving, but I always had my Little Brown Suitcase to remind me of the place I came from and how things had changed. It holds memories that you can't see and words that you can't hear. The years have gotten better and some memories fade, but my suitcase still holds treasured memories. –Patricia Hoffman, Taylor, Michigan