Even though Margaret Hubl passed away in July of 2016, her thoughtfulness lives on in the beautiful gifts she left her family.
A prolific quilter, the Nebraska native, who passed away at age 89, made a special, unique quilt for every single member of her family. And it wasn’t until her funeral that they even realized just how many quilts there were.
To pay tribute to Hubl, each family member brought their quilt to the church and draped it over the back of a pew for the service.
Looking out over hall, a lifetime of love, devotion, and creativity was on display.
“Never did I imagine how many there were,” Hubl’s granddaughter, Christina Tollman, told TODAY. “We covered almost every single pew in that church. I never knew how many she actually made.”
But you didn’t need the quilts to know just how devoted Hubl was to her family. With three children of their own, she and her husband Henry also took in their niece and nephew after an accident killed their parents in 1969. All 5 children were raised in a small farmhouse by the Hubls.
Her sewing started decades ago when she began to sew clothing for her larger-than-expected family.
Once her children were out of the house and raising their own families, she wanted to give her grandkids (which came to total 13) something to keep them warm as well, hence the quilts.
Everyone got a quilt when they graduated high school or got married.
When she shared the story on Reddit, her granddaughter said Hubl had made over 100 quilts overall for various special occassions.
While cleaning out Hubl’s home, the family came across another memento of her generosity – a set of notes with names and dates to keep the gifts straight.
“When we sat down to go through her things we found this — I call it a pocket notebook. Inside it says whose quilt she was working on, what day she put it in the quilt frame and which day she took it out,” said her granddaughter.
And she never stopped working on the quilts; she simply hadn’t gifted them all yet. Her granddaughter told TODAY that her funeral was a touching moment for those who had no idea they were getting one of Margaret Hubl’s famous family quilts:
“I actually have three cousins that are not married, and the day of her funeral was the day that they got to see their quilts for the first time,” she said. “That was really kind of a neat moment.”
The church that day was a colorful celebration of her life, her talents, and her love of family.
They are the epitome of a thoughtful gift – and one that had (and continues to have) precisely the desired effect. Her beloved family members feel cozy and loved each time they wrap themselves up in their gifts. Memories of family celebrations rush back when the quilts come out and they serve as a tangible reminder of the woman who sewed each stitch with love.
“This is the love that Grandma made for each of us. This is what she made for each of us to wrap up in when we hurt,” her granddaughter said. “When we miss her.”
That’s a priceless gift indeed.
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