The latest generation of the Bruce family, Cassandra's son Nicholas. At this point we don't think he's going to be a quilter, but you never know!

A special friend and mentor to aspiring writers in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Dorothy authored several books for young girls in the 1940's. Carol captured this image of her in the winter of 1980.

When taking family photos, there are 2 important points to consider:

1. We know that quilts will last several generations if properly cared for, but what of photos? Black and white photos will last generations, but some of the "professional" color photos begin to fade in only a few years. Consider shooting some black and white pictures of your family and quilts occasionally-and be sure to use the regular, old-fashioned black and white film. There's a new black and white film on the market that is processed with color chemistry-

--and speaking more of color, no one knows yet how well the new processes of applying color photos to fabric will weather the years. Hmmm….

2. Label, label, label! We have family pictures going back nearly 150 years. The people who took them and their kids knew who they were-but did the grandkids? Use pencil or archival ink (micron pigma pen) to put names and dates and any special information on the back of your photos. Make it a habit to label them as soon as they come back from processing.