I made this Bluebird of Happiness quilt in remembrance of my husband, David, who died in 1986 at the age of 44. The pattern I used for the bluebird was taken from a coloring book drawing by Florence Sarah Winship. The background fabric was hand-dyed by Carol Eaton formerly of Shelton, CT. The song, “ The Bluebird of Happiness ” made famous in 1945 by the opera tenor, Jan Peerce, had special significance for my husband because his father used to sing this song to him when he was a little boy. Sadly, his father died in 1950 when my husband was only 8 years old. In late 1976, after we had been dating for a few months, I asked him what he wanted for Christmas and he asked for a copy of this song. Well, in 1976, the Internet (as we know it today) didn’t exist - and because of that, I spent many weeks of frantic searching, lots of praying and then by no small miracle - in the yellow pages of a phonebook, I found a vintage ...
BY VIRGINIA MOTT MILLINGTON