The Quilt Lady

I don’t remember the first time I met Wilma Hobbs. But I do remember the first time I met Bernard. We had gone out to Hobbs Home Center to pick up something for the farm, not long after Jimmy and I got engaged. As we were leaving Bernard said to me “welcome to the family”. Back in the truck I asked Jimmy how we were related to the Hobbs family. He said we weren’t. He said that was just Bernard. He would let you in the family.

Wilma did that also. She was the mother, the aunt, the grandmother, even the great-grandmother everyone had. She was always moving. She was always taking care of you. Whether it was some of her Christmas treats or her banana pudding, she would share it with you. If you needed something she was right there with whatever you needed.

Wilma was very special to the women in my family. She was one of Jimmy’s mom’s best friends. After Ruth died she became very close to Linda Mae, Jimmy’s sister. They were in homemaker’s together. They took trips together. They sewed together. They quilted together.

Wilma ran this little club out in Fancy Farm for those who were interested in quilting once a week. These ladies worked tirelessly every Wednesday and made the quilts that would be raffled at the Country Store at the Picnic. Sometimes I kick myself that I never went out there and learned to quilt. It has such a legacy in our family. But I did the next best thing. I bought their quilts.

The first quilt I got I won at the world famous St. Jerome Fancy Farm Picnic. They usually raffle two or three quilts. But the others they make through the year are sold in the country store. So once I got hooked, I started buying the quilts at the Country Store. Then I found out that they would quilt for you. You had to be patient because they always had a long line of quilts in front of you. But I had some quilt tops that had belonged to Ruth and I had them quilt every single one. And the money I paid them was not nearly as much as those quilts are worth. They put in so much material and time into those quilts and then Wilma would take them home to finish them. Every dime that I paid those ladies was donated to the church. Every. dime.

Wilma asked me one day if I would want to have the quilt tops that Linda Mae had stitched for her. I knew Linda Mae’s work. She stitched pretty much every baby quilt top that they made. Most of them were little animals. But these were not little animals. They were gorgeous. Of course I wanted them. But I wanted them quilted. Wilma put them on her list and when she would get one done she would call me and I’d run out and pick it up. That was such a treat for me. She would spread the quilt out and I would just be in awe of those tiny stitches and the love and work that went into that treasured keepsake. It was funny when she told me that they were finished with the last one. I was so glad to have them but I was sad that this little ritual was ending.

Bernard closed the Home Center several months ago. It was time to retire. But they didn’t get to retire for very long. Wilma fell and broke her shoulder. Bernard fell ill. They ended up in the hospital together. Then they ended up in the nursing home together.

There was an auction at the Home Center last weekend to sell the remaining inventory and the fixtures and such. I didn’t think that I could go and am so glad that I didn’t. I don’t think I could have watched people tear down shelving and box up hardware and take it away. I probably would have spent the day crying. Jimmy went. When he got home about 4:30 he told me all about the day and what treasures he was able to bring home.

We got a call later that Wilma had died at 5:10. It was like she was waiting for the business to be done so that she could be done.

I’m sure going to miss her but I know that she had a lot of people up in heaven waiting on her. I’ll bet she’s already organizing the quilters.