When the author’s mom and dad got married, friends who were not Jews came to the wedding. When grandmother Carle and Grandfather George got married, men and women celebrated together but they still did not dance together. When Anna and Sasha got married, men and women celebrated separately. It leads us back in time to see the changes of the culture of society. This beautiful quilt served as a window which helps us peek through this long family history. She believes someday Traci will leave home and take the quilt with her. In the end, the author is holding her baby girl Traci Denise.

The quilt was then passed on in the family and was used for various purposes. Everybody seems calm and immersed in their work. Anna, Anna’s mother and their neighbors sit around a big table. We see three Annas in the picture which implies she is moving around. Then we see Anna alone dancing and swirling with her babushka up in the air. She stands in the left corner, looking down on the ground while other children try to talk to her. When Anna went to school and started learning English, she seems scared in the picture. Some people look happy and are talking with each other.Įverything continues to be black and white except this babushka and later the quilt. Anna sits in the crowd, holding her umbrella, and her face seems to be absent from emotions. Everything is black and white except Anna’s babushka which is bright red. The street looks very crowded with people across two pages who are minding their own business. The story starts when the author’s great grandmother Anna came to America and lived in New York City. The author, who is also the illustrator, used two and six B pencils and acetone markers for the illustrations. It has been made and kept across six generations, along with love growing and time passing. This quilt was made of Uncle Vladimir’s shirt, Aunt Havalah’s nightdress, Aunt Natasha’s apron, neighbor’s flowers and animals from scrap of clothing, great grandmother Anna’s babushka and old dress. The Keeping Quilt tells the story of a handmade quilt and a remarkable family.

The keeping quilt book