Today my guest blogger is Beth Strand of Words and Stitches. I met Beth through the wonder world of blogging. She's been a fellow blog hop hostess with me on numerous blog hops. She always has a ... well... way with words and does beautiful stitching too.
Beth writes:
I make quilts for a lot of different reasons. I make them for people I love, for people
having babies, for organ donors and for children in crisis. I make them for fun, for the pure joy of them, and sometimes, I sometimes make them to push my skills as a quilter. I make them from scraps, from planned and
purchased fabric, or from my extensive (and well-loved) stash. I start every one with the intent to finish
but, in all honesty, I’m probably guilty of starting two or three for every one
I finish.
I’m a tornado kind of
quilter…always picking something up in a storm of creative thinking and putting
it down somewhere else to pick up something else…and my sewing room looks like
a tornado hit it!
And, every once in a while, I wonder if my little quilts make a difference? After all, I’m not curing cancer here…I’m cutting up fabric and sewing it back together. Some people don’t even see the point.
And, every once in a while, I wonder if my little quilts make a difference? After all, I’m not curing cancer here…I’m cutting up fabric and sewing it back together. Some people don’t even see the point.
And then I see a post on my facebook page from one of my
dearest friends, who is currently taking a writing class.
“For you...tonight a writing exercise. Fast questions,
quick answers written, onto another fast changed topic.
Question: What is the best surprise gift I
never expected? I thought half my time away, wrote quick, and went back to
finish it.
Answer: The surprise gift I never expected
was a made with love quilt by my "sister," Beth. She brought it to me
the day before my 14 hour total pancreatectomy surgery. I felt loved, it was a
comfort that no other patient had, and they let it into
the operating room with me, where it stayed in the corner witnessing what Beth
could not. My life being saved. That quilt is my prized possession. I sleep
with it each night. It is now over ten years old, and worn down from its
original beauty, but not to me. It tucks me in each night with a hug, a love
that crossed familial boundaries, and joined my heart with Beth's, we are
sisters. Bright, colorful, worn, ragged, comforting, special and a rare gift of
friendship to family!
I love you! I love my quilt, I am proud to call you
sister.”
This little post reminded me of the incredible alchemy and
magic of quilting. We take what is
whole, turn it into pieces and remodel it into a new and amazing wholeness
filled with a magical combination of thread, batting, inspiration and
love. Now, I have to say that the quilt
in question was not a show stopper. It
was a combination of large squares and four-patches made from the flannel
scraps of years of making pj’s for my girls at Christmas. It was made in a hurry and quilted with an
all-over large stipple. But it was made
with love and infused with hope.
You see, what Christie didn’t say was that the odds were not in her favor. Her survival of the initial surgery and the 10 extra years we’ve been blessed with so far are nothing short of a miracle. That, in the middle of all that, a very utilitarian quilt could have created such a cherished memory is an honor.
You see, what Christie didn’t say was that the odds were not in her favor. Her survival of the initial surgery and the 10 extra years we’ve been blessed with so far are nothing short of a miracle. That, in the middle of all that, a very utilitarian quilt could have created such a cherished memory is an honor.
So, yes, sometimes in the midst of two jobs, deadlines, a
busy teenager, a household of spoiled cats and a husband, I don’t get time to
quilt all I want. Sometimes, I wonder if
what I do makes a difference. Then I am reminded that we are not just making
objects that warm bodies and beautify walls…we are making memories that can be
cherished. That quilting matters, of
course it matters and that is all it takes to lift my spirits and make me head
to my sewing room to start something new!
Beth
Visit Beth at her blog Words and Stitches. Thank you Beth for filling in the gap while I'm away.
A sweet post with a happy ending is always enjoyed. The reminder that sometimes we can make a difference was appreciated.
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazing story!!! It shows us the real reason we quilt and the finished quilt speaks the volumes that we cannot express in words.
ReplyDeleteA motivational story and inspiration for all of us!
ReplyDelete토토사이트추천
ReplyDelete토토사이트