Dia de los Muetos Quilt.

I took a few minutes out of my coffee time with Bill, at McDonalds in Walmart, to read a quilt magazine, 
Australian Patchwork & Quilting. This is what I found, November 2010.

Karen Lawrence - Remember; the Persistence of Memories.    

Dipping into my scrapbag of memories I remembered those people now gone who influenced me and helped me become who I am today. Their stories are captured on some of the coffin lids which - in a unique twist - open to reveal ... ? Even the backing gives a glimpse of what might be on ‘the other side’. This quilt has a sense of humour and abounds with visual delights just begging to be discovered. Enjoy!

The backing was the same as the border. 

Mexico's November 1st holiday is called, 'Day of the Dead - Dia de los Muertos'. The holiday celebration is part Christian, part pagan. I used Alexander Henry’s fabrics, Los Nocios and Calaveras (skulls). In my travels, I picked up a few skeleton fabrics to add to my stash. Chris and Al’s children love the Calaveras fabrics, which is the reason I bought them. For years I wanted to make this quilt. I didn’t have a pattern but I knew it was made with a ‘Y’ seam, and that’s what peaked my interest. Bill and I had fun putting these fabrics together. I finished piecing it before Bill passed away, but I found it very difficult to quilt, so I asked Wendy to do it for me.  This is not a regular quilt, but it has some good and sad memories. 

              The quilt Bill and I put together, Fall 2012. Quilted Feburary, 2014

Quilting by Wendy Currie. Here are her words, 'made by my friend Betty, this quilt I will admit stretched me a little… The quilt is comprised of European shaped coffins and the fabric used has skulls and roses etc.'
Here is her blog.  http://wendysquilting.wordpress.com

                                                          Persistence of Merories.

Here is something I found in an interesting article, 10 Things we don't know about  Mexico.  Good timing. 

Lot of cultures do ancestor worship, but who else turns remembrance of the departed into a thrilling fiesta? Mexico welcomes home it’s dead on November 1, aka the Day of the Dead.