The Barbie doll's 50th birthday brought back memories of my first (and only) Barbie. I was 11 years old and saved my meagre allowance for weeks, even waited for a sale to buy one (my mother did not approve and refused to purchase it for me). I couldn't afford to buy the expensive clothing, so I began sewing clothes and making furniture for my Barbie.

Unfortunately, neither the doll nor the clothing have survived, but I did unearth my first (doll-sized) quilt when going through toys for our recent move. It is not a work of art nor a perfect example of sewing skills, but it belongs to my personal patchwork history and has survived decades.