Red, White, and Blue Family Heirloom!

One day almost 20 years ago, my Aunt Valerie paid me a surprise visit to present me with a special gift. I was a BYU student living 1500 miles from home and I was thrilled to see a familiar and loving face.

And it wasn't just any old gift. It was a gift she'd been laboring over for well over a year and I wanted to take this Independence Day weekend to blog a little about this well-loved and cherished family treasure.


It's impressive enough in its appearance from a distance, but when you take a closer look you can see that she had hand-embroidered each one of these "squares" (which are really hexagons). She sewed them one at a time on the bus to and from work each day.
There's a "square" for each of the 50 states, with the state bird, the state flower, and its entry into the union all beautifully embroidered.

Here's a closer look at my two favorites...

My beloved homeland of Minnesota with the beautiful loon...

And the birthplace of three of my five kids....

And in the center is an intricately stitched map of the entire United States....
It's an heirloom that we treasure and enjoy. And while I'm too chicken to put it on any of the kids' beds on a permanent basis, it's something that is ogled at and admired often.

I am still amazed at the hours and hours of effort she put into making this beautiful creation and I want her to know that each time that we use it, that I feel the love of an aunt reaching out to her homesick niece. Thank you Valerie!!!