well-aged fabric

as any quilter can tell you, fabric--like fine wine--improves with age.  today while sewing up more of my scrappy arcs, came across this piece that took me back 35 years.  it's the dark teal piece with the light aqua tulips....i think i originally bought a yard....

it was august of 1983.  me, the ex and daughter were camping in lancaster county.  we went to hershey and dutch wonderland, explored the countryside, went to the farmer's market, ate homemade ice cream with pretzels and swam every night in the campground's pool.  it should have been an idyllic family time, but the ex was aloof, distant, uncommunicative--the portent of dark days to come--but we pretended and endured despite the tense undercurrent.  one morning after breakfast, a hand-drawn sign at the edge of a road advertised quilts, which led to a mennonite family home.  at 9 am everyone was already busy working in the field and the house.  not a breakfast dish in sight, not a speck of dust anywhere.  the sewing machine was set up in the kitchen and whirring.  the lady of the house led me upstairs to an empty bedroom and a bed piled high with quilts for my own personal bed-turning show.  she was amazed that i knew all the pattern names.  the workmanship was mind boggling to this newbie.  she had about 20 bolts of fabric on a shelf and this print was one that i bought.  it's all used up now except these few pieces, but i am so glad to include it with the rest of my fabric memories, even though it wasn't a particularly happy time.  it's the patchwork of my life.....