Grandmothers and Quilts

My grandmother Clara Ford was born December 12, 1892 and died May 20, 1966. She was a quilter. The most memorable thing about her small home in Crossett, Arkansas was the huge quilt frame that took up the entire living room. She always had some scraps around. My sisters and I called her Big Mama.

Big Mama taught me how to sew. I had lots of feed sack skirts that we made on her Singer peddle sewing machine. I was glad she taught me to sew. When I got to high school I skipped the required home economics class and took French instead. No need to learn what you already know. I didn’t see the value in quilting at the time.

When my mother died in 2000, I inherited some of Big Mama’s quilts. They had been locked away in a trunk stored in the back of the closet. By then, I had become a quilter. I understood the value of my inheritance and knew I would forever be rich.

I plan to create the Clara Ford Foundation so that my grandmother’s quilts can be preserved for future generations. I hope they live forever – just like the Declaration of Independence – just like Michaelangelo’s paintings.

I hope you enjoy Clara’s quilts and her legacy.

Clara's Big Red Squares, circa 1955.

Clara’s Big Red Squares Quilt

Circa 1955
50 x 73 inches


My grandmother really liked red. So do I. Red dominates in many of her quilts. Clara’s Big Red Squares has 12 big red squares that alternate with 12 pieced blocks. The pieced blocks contain many of the floral feedsack prints of her era. The quilt has a bright yellow border that fold over to make the binding.

The quilt has a muslin back and is hand quilted in a fan pattern.

Clara's Big Red Squares has been appraised by American Quilters Society Certified Appraiser Holly Anderson. It was appraised at $625.00