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The Bedspread
Two elderly sisters create a beautiful work of art after they decide to embroider their bedspread with scenes from their childhood
32 pages, Hardcover
First published February 1, 1982
73 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
January 4, 2019
This is a lovely story, unusual and creative. Two bed ridden sisters live in a big house and share a big bed, one at either end. They are bored and as they look at their plain bedspread inspiration strikes, they decide to decorate it. Each makes a design of their house they lived in when they were young. They use applique, embroidery, crochet, and all the stitches they can remember from their youth. One sister is very precise in her style and neat where the other sister lets her creativity flow and just goes for it! A lovely message that you don't need to be talented or know the right stitches, just have a go and make it up as you go along!
The illustrations are really interesting, the stitches and the sewing baskets, we loved the double pages of the house where you could see into all the rooms and what was happening in each. Minor downside, this author/illustrator really seemed to struggle with faces, but the rest was good, and like the other sister-she had a go, and this is a lovely tale, it's really inspired us to have a go at something like this ourselves!
The illustrations are really interesting, the stitches and the sewing baskets, we loved the double pages of the house where you could see into all the rooms and what was happening in each. Minor downside, this author/illustrator really seemed to struggle with faces, but the rest was good, and like the other sister-she had a go, and this is a lovely tale, it's really inspired us to have a go at something like this ourselves!
March 26, 2010
I can’t believe this book is out of print. I honestly cannot fathom why some books are out of print, and why some get published at all. I feel very fortunate that I was able to borrow this from inter-library loan. This is a book to be treasured and it deserves to go back in print!
It’s a lovely story with beautiful pictures.
The illustrations are amazing. I love detailed/intricate pictures so I really enjoyed these. They’re amazing. The little threads are so cute. I loved these sisters and their artwork on their bedspread, although I admit I have a preference for Amelia’s work over Maud’s, in general, but I love all their art. The last picture in the book, with another pair of sisters, was especially touching.
This story is about two elderly sisters who grow tired of their plain white bedspread and decide to make it less boring by each making a house on their end of the bedspread. They come up with entirely different creations, both worthy and appealing. At the end of the story, the sisters have died (at about age 103) and their bedspread is on display for others to enjoy. On alternate days each sister gets her house at the top. There’s just the right amount of subtle humor throughout the book.
This is a terrific story about sisters, memories, creativity, different perspectives, different strengths, getting along with one another, and sharing.
It’s a lovely story with beautiful pictures.
The illustrations are amazing. I love detailed/intricate pictures so I really enjoyed these. They’re amazing. The little threads are so cute. I loved these sisters and their artwork on their bedspread, although I admit I have a preference for Amelia’s work over Maud’s, in general, but I love all their art. The last picture in the book, with another pair of sisters, was especially touching.
This story is about two elderly sisters who grow tired of their plain white bedspread and decide to make it less boring by each making a house on their end of the bedspread. They come up with entirely different creations, both worthy and appealing. At the end of the story, the sisters have died (at about age 103) and their bedspread is on display for others to enjoy. On alternate days each sister gets her house at the top. There’s just the right amount of subtle humor throughout the book.
This is a terrific story about sisters, memories, creativity, different perspectives, different strengths, getting along with one another, and sharing.
July 27, 2009
I absolutely love this book. It always tugged at my heartstrings and brought a smile to my face when my mom read it to us as kids. She lost her copy and we found her one used and she read it to us all over again as "grown-ups" and I had to hold back tears. It's SO beautiful! Maybe it's because I am so close to my own sister and we both bring out the best in one another, remembering different things here, finding interest in different things there, but always sharing. In that spirit, I'll reprint my sister's review here because I don't think I could say it any better!!!
"Oh my goodness! This book was a favorite when I was little and I recently re-read it. I’m so glad I did! It was just as wonderful as my memory had made it out to be. The story is about two elderly, bed-ridden, sisters, one at each end of the sa...more Oh my goodness! This book was a favorite when I was little and I recently re-read it. I’m so glad I did! It was just as wonderful as my memory had made it out to be. The story is about two elderly, bed-ridden, sisters, one at each end of the same bed.
One day the sisters get so tired of their plain white bedspread that they decide to needlepoint a picture. Each sister has half of the bedspread. They are each to needlepoint a picture of their childhood home. A safety pin is placed in the exact middle to separate the two halves, “so the bedspread will be symmetrical.” Each day they work on another bit of the house, one day will be the walls, one day the roof, one day the garden. When they are finished they turn the bedspread around the sisters realize that the bedspread is not symmetrical at all! The two houses are entirely different! One sister’s house is very neat and tidy, while the other’s is vibrant and colorful. “I’d forgotten all my stitches,” says the one sister, “I’d forgotten all the happiness,” replies the other.
I love this book! It always brings tears to my eyes, because the sisters, though very different, are obviously dear, dear friends, and the ending is so very sweet.
The pictures, too, are perfect for the story. They are quite clever and intriguing. They remind me of the old Roald Dahl artwork from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Quentin Blake, but in beautiful and vibrant color!
I highly recommend this – if you can find it. Sadly it’s gone out of print, but there are used copies to be grabbed if you can find them.
This is truly a classic, and I can only offer it the highest praise!"
"Oh my goodness! This book was a favorite when I was little and I recently re-read it. I’m so glad I did! It was just as wonderful as my memory had made it out to be. The story is about two elderly, bed-ridden, sisters, one at each end of the sa...more Oh my goodness! This book was a favorite when I was little and I recently re-read it. I’m so glad I did! It was just as wonderful as my memory had made it out to be. The story is about two elderly, bed-ridden, sisters, one at each end of the same bed.
One day the sisters get so tired of their plain white bedspread that they decide to needlepoint a picture. Each sister has half of the bedspread. They are each to needlepoint a picture of their childhood home. A safety pin is placed in the exact middle to separate the two halves, “so the bedspread will be symmetrical.” Each day they work on another bit of the house, one day will be the walls, one day the roof, one day the garden. When they are finished they turn the bedspread around the sisters realize that the bedspread is not symmetrical at all! The two houses are entirely different! One sister’s house is very neat and tidy, while the other’s is vibrant and colorful. “I’d forgotten all my stitches,” says the one sister, “I’d forgotten all the happiness,” replies the other.
I love this book! It always brings tears to my eyes, because the sisters, though very different, are obviously dear, dear friends, and the ending is so very sweet.
The pictures, too, are perfect for the story. They are quite clever and intriguing. They remind me of the old Roald Dahl artwork from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Quentin Blake, but in beautiful and vibrant color!
I highly recommend this – if you can find it. Sadly it’s gone out of print, but there are used copies to be grabbed if you can find them.
This is truly a classic, and I can only offer it the highest praise!"
July 27, 2009
Oh my goodness! This book was a favorite when I was little and I recently re-read it. I’m so glad I did! It was just as wonderful as my memory had made it out to be. The story is about two elderly, bed-ridden, sisters, one at each end of the same bed.
One day the sisters get so tired of their plain white bedspread that they decide to needlepoint a picture. Each sister has half of the bedspread. They are each to needlepoint a picture of their childhood home. A safety pin is placed in the exact middle to separate the two halves, “so the bedspread will be symmetrical.” Each day they work on another bit of the house, one day will be the walls, one day the roof, one day the garden. When they are finished they turn the bedspread around the sisters realize that the bedspread is not symmetrical at all! The two houses are entirely different! One sister’s house is very neat and tidy, while the other’s is vibrant and colorful. “I’d forgotten all my stitches,” says the one sister, “I’d forgotten all the happiness,” replies the other.
I love this book! It always brings tears to my eyes, because the sisters, though very different, are obviously dear, dear friends, and the ending is so very sweet.
The pictures, too, are perfect for the story. They are quite clever and intriguing. They remind me of the old Roald Dahl artwork from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Quentin Blake, but in beautiful and vibrant color!
I highly recommend this – if you can find it. Sadly it’s gone out of print, but there are used copies to be grabbed if you can find them.
This is truly a classic, and I can only offer it the highest praise!
One day the sisters get so tired of their plain white bedspread that they decide to needlepoint a picture. Each sister has half of the bedspread. They are each to needlepoint a picture of their childhood home. A safety pin is placed in the exact middle to separate the two halves, “so the bedspread will be symmetrical.” Each day they work on another bit of the house, one day will be the walls, one day the roof, one day the garden. When they are finished they turn the bedspread around the sisters realize that the bedspread is not symmetrical at all! The two houses are entirely different! One sister’s house is very neat and tidy, while the other’s is vibrant and colorful. “I’d forgotten all my stitches,” says the one sister, “I’d forgotten all the happiness,” replies the other.
I love this book! It always brings tears to my eyes, because the sisters, though very different, are obviously dear, dear friends, and the ending is so very sweet.
The pictures, too, are perfect for the story. They are quite clever and intriguing. They remind me of the old Roald Dahl artwork from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Quentin Blake, but in beautiful and vibrant color!
I highly recommend this – if you can find it. Sadly it’s gone out of print, but there are used copies to be grabbed if you can find them.
This is truly a classic, and I can only offer it the highest praise!
March 13, 2014
One of my most favorite books ever that I remember from when I was a child.
I bought a copy years ago on ebay and have been reading it to my kids the last couple of days. They love it too :)
It's about two old lady sisters that each embroider their childhood home on one end of a bedspread expecting it to be symmetrical when they are finished. The story shows how each sister remembers different things. They end up with two scenes that are extremely different yet both beautiful.
The illustrations are wonderful.
I bought a copy years ago on ebay and have been reading it to my kids the last couple of days. They love it too :)
It's about two old lady sisters that each embroider their childhood home on one end of a bedspread expecting it to be symmetrical when they are finished. The story shows how each sister remembers different things. They end up with two scenes that are extremely different yet both beautiful.
The illustrations are wonderful.
September 9, 2016
The book The Bedspread by Sylvia Fair is a small children’s book with two old sisters. The sisters want to see something different in their bedroom then the same old bedspread.
I think that this 29 paged book is a beautiful one with cute artwork and a strong meaning. The book shows to try new things instead of sticking to what you know. If you stick to what you know, you’ll never see the better things in life. This book will be one of your favorites when it comes to children’s books.
I think that this 29 paged book is a beautiful one with cute artwork and a strong meaning. The book shows to try new things instead of sticking to what you know. If you stick to what you know, you’ll never see the better things in life. This book will be one of your favorites when it comes to children’s books.
October 7, 2016
The Bedspread is about two sisters that make a cool, artistic bedspread. They take a week to make their whole bedspread. They created drawings about their creative and memories and their creative minds.
I really like this book because I like the drawings and the pictures on the bedspread. I think this book is really creative, and has really great artwork. So this is why I would give this book 4 stars out of 5 stars. I would definitely recommend this book to my friends and family because it is super cool and creative. I bet that other people would like this book as much as I do.
I really like this book because I like the drawings and the pictures on the bedspread. I think this book is really creative, and has really great artwork. So this is why I would give this book 4 stars out of 5 stars. I would definitely recommend this book to my friends and family because it is super cool and creative. I bet that other people would like this book as much as I do.
September 9, 2016
This book is a story of two old sisters who notice their bedspread is too plain, and decide they will do something about it. I think this story is creative because it discovers that two people who have the same memories have different memories of them, and remember more of one thing than the other. It shows that a happy environment is just as beautiful as a beautiful one.
April 7, 2017
I love this little gem of a book about sisters, creativity and selective memory.
February 26, 2019
I absolutely love this story, maybe because I have a sister and I first heard the story when I was little. There is something udderly charming about this story, about the sisters. Even after all these years, it still touches my soul.
It feels so deep and rich to me, it is not just a story about sisters and a bedspread. It is a story about not letting circumstances get to you, but doing what you can to make the world a brighter place. About sharing what you remember with your love ones, so together you don't forget. It is a story of growing older, remembering days a long ago, and sisterhood. And to me it is beautiful.
It feels so deep and rich to me, it is not just a story about sisters and a bedspread. It is a story about not letting circumstances get to you, but doing what you can to make the world a brighter place. About sharing what you remember with your love ones, so together you don't forget. It is a story of growing older, remembering days a long ago, and sisterhood. And to me it is beautiful.
May 4, 2019
Distinctive and unique, this is a book that belongs in every collection. Sorry that it took so long for me to discover it.
September 9, 2016
The book The Bedspread by Sylvia Fair is about two grandmothers who are always in there bed never coming out. They lay in a long bed and they do everything in there bed, they eat, sew and go to sleep. They have a great idea to do on there bedspread.
I think this 29 page book is a great book. I like it how they have just a blank bedspread ,then they change it to a colorful one. Also the bed is really long. I would recommend this book to kids and family. I couldn’t take my eyes away from the book.
December 29, 2016
Such a sweet, charming story. Loved the differences between the two sisters and their relationship. Liked how they filled in each others "gaps". Really enjoyed the portrayal of Sunday. I was a little confused by the sisters names as I thought they should have been switched so much that I had a hard time remembering who they were talking about. Maude should have been Amelia and Amelia should have been Maud. Pictures were fun.
October 31, 2016
I borrowed this from my library in the 90's to read to my daughter. I LOVED it so much, and she did too.
I never forgot it and after reminiscing about how charming it was, my daughter surprised me with a used copy for Mother's Day.
I pick it up occasionally and it still makes me smile.
Maybe it resonates with me because it has to do with handwork, but I think anyone would enjoy the charming illustrations.
I never forgot it and after reminiscing about how charming it was, my daughter surprised me with a used copy for Mother's Day.
I pick it up occasionally and it still makes me smile.
Maybe it resonates with me because it has to do with handwork, but I think anyone would enjoy the charming illustrations.
October 7, 2016
This book is about two sisters who lived together their whole life with the same long bed. They sew a blanket of houses.
The book was okay. I liked the pictures. It wasn't very exciting. It's a good book for little kids.
The book was okay. I liked the pictures. It wasn't very exciting. It's a good book for little kids.
November 13, 2019
This is a children’s book that was accidentally included in a set of books on embroidery that I had ordered from the library. I really enjoyed it. It’s about two sisters that embroider their bedspread, one is very neat and tidy and the other is more liberal with her creative juices. They figure out that what is important is illustrating the love that should be in the scene. I felt the ending was a bit abrupt, but judging from the ratings and reviews at perhaps modern kids are OK with that. I think there’s a lot of good discussion points in this book, topics that are interesting to explore with your kids.
February 4, 2018
Thank you, Leslie, for sharing this lovely story about how each of us brings our unique talents to a collaborative project.
March 7, 2019
Sweet story about very different sisters making art together. I love this one!
March 30, 2022
a this is a children’s picture book about two grumpy elderly sisters who find they have nothing better to do but embroider their shared bedspread
November 24, 2025
Heartwarming, creative and captivating storytelling and illustrations. Appreciating how it encourages readers to embrace creativity without the need for perfection. <3
October 13, 2019
Right brain/left brain. Perfectionist/optimist. Every word pushes the story forward. The illustrations make this ia look, and look some more book.
June 16, 2014
Books about knitting are rampant, but books about embroidery are harder to come by, which is why I searched all over for this out-of-print picture book about two very, very old sisters who live in a very, very big bed and one day decide that they need to embroider their very, very boring white bedspread together. Each sister embroiders the house that they grew up in, but instead of being symmetrical, one is stitched with gorgeous stitches and precision, while the other is a crazy mix of color and memories. The vocabulary would need to be explained to youngsters or even young readers, so it would be a perfect book for a grandmother to read to her grandchild--especially if that grandchild showed any inclination for needlework. I can see all sorts of needlework lessons inspired by this book, for example showing a child how to do some of Maud's fancy stitches, or allowing him or her time to explore Amelia's sense of design while stitching their own house. I especially liked Amelia's peacocks perched on the roof of the family home. Although the picture book was not written by an embroiderer, both the text and the illustrations capture the duality of needlework--creativity and precision--without judging one better than the other. Indeed, when the sisters die at age 103, their bedspread is displayed in a museum, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Friday hung to show Maud's work and Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays to show Amelia's.
September 4, 2013
very cute book about two sisters that share a bed. their comforter is white and they decide to add color to it by each stitching their version of the house they grew up in as children. they believe this will make it a symmetrical quilt. as the book continues you learn their memories of their childhood are very different. their sewing skills are also different. the quilt does not end up symmetrical but it still ends up beautiful and teaches us how different people can see/remember things and our different skill levels.
March 13, 2012
I loved this book when I was younger, I found it at a yard sale, the woman let me have it because it was already old and worn. It's a wonderful story that involved two elderly sisters and how they remember their childhood home. It's a very relate-able and adorable story. I enjoyed it when I was younger and it makes me smile every time I come across it today. I can't wait to have children of my own that I can read this story to.
January 21, 2016
Two old ladies are bedridden. They are sisters and are very bored with their lives and each other. They come up with the plan to sew a picture of their childhood home on their bedspread to make the bedspread less dull. Each sister remembers different things about their old house and each has a different style for sewing. In the end they each make a beautiful house, though in very different ways.
Lovely illustrations.
Lovely illustrations.
September 12, 2016
THE BEDSPREAD
The bedspread is about two sisters who are sick of everything but they want to change their bedspread. I would recommend this book to my little sister because she really likes these kinds of books. I would also recommend this book to my cousins jack and max because they love this book. I really like this book because it has a lot of rhymes .
The bedspread is about two sisters who are sick of everything but they want to change their bedspread. I would recommend this book to my little sister because she really likes these kinds of books. I would also recommend this book to my cousins jack and max because they love this book. I really like this book because it has a lot of rhymes .
September 7, 2013
Fantastic story about friendship, creativity, symmetry and making the world a better place! I would love to use this story alongside a class project similar to what the ladies in the story do, create table-quilts growing from each student's seat. Would be fun and a great way to incorporate math!
December 28, 2015
A professor shared this book during a read aloud one day. I loved the story - cute and simple, but also very applicable to everyday scenarios! I would love to purchase this book, but I have heard that it is very expensive. :(
October 20, 2009
i totally forgot this book until i found a $13 used copy on amazon. it's so great. unfortunately out of print, so great-condition copies are going for up to $100.
April 26, 2010
This is a must have for parents who love the forgotten world of "learning your stitches". The illustrations are nice, and the story is charming with a beautiful message.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews