Writing a quilt blog from an old trucker’s desk.

My grandpa ran his whole cross-road trucking company from this tiny roll-top desk. It is from here that he wrote out his invoices, paid bills, signed contracts, and wrote paychecks.  I’m told his drivers had to wait next to the desk while grandpa wrote out their paychecks. It is from this little desk that my grandpa supported Grandma Ruby and their twelve (yes, twelve) children.

There’s barely room for a laptop…of course, he figured in his head and on paper.  There are tiny drawers and slots.  What did they hold? They aren’t large enough to hold a piece of copy paper. I assume he had a 5 x 7 inch booklet of hand-written, carbon-copy invoices.

I remember this desk being in the “pink room” in the middle of the house on Walnut Street (which was formerly a funeral parlor). This desk was in the same room as the black rotary telephone and grandma’s large quilting frame. Grandma made lots of utility quilts from polyester (I got the one pictured for my graduation), but she also cross-stitched and pieced cotton quilts which were hand-quilted.

These are my wedding and graduation quilts from Grandma Ruby.

While she herself was unable to quilt this cross-stitched quilt she made for my wedding, I cherish it just the same. Do you think maybe her favorite color was pink?

The desk, stained dark brown, had numerous scratches on the outside– maybe  from moves? There  were also lots of scribbles on the sides which help me imagine the noise and activity that surrounded grandpa and grandma in a home with twelve children.

There’s a lock and key for the roll-top and what is really cool is that when the top is down, all three side drawers are locked by way of a piece of wood in the back of the drawers with three nails sticking out.  As the bottom of the roll-top moves upward to roll over the desk, it releases the piece of wood to lock the drawers in place.

I refinished this desk with antique white chalk paint and a nutmeg antiquing.

I like to imagine it’s like something Nancy Drew would’ve used!

I’m so happy to have this desk and am honored to write this post from the little desk that supported a family of fourteen!

Tell me about where you work. Do you have cherished family heirlooms in your home? Please comment below.

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