Wrapped in Love

Today Desertsky wrote: I had a message from Sue Nebeker at American Hero Quilts this morning. She was talking about the process of making one of these quilts."Each step along the way there is love and caring poured into those quilts. At the end a recipient is wrapped in as much love as can be infused into an inanimate object which provides warmth and comfort."

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This is exactly right. I couldn't have said it any better. When I make a quilt, I am most content when I know who the recipient of that particular quilt will be. I like to think about her, pray for her, and generally focus on her while I'm making her quilt. Sometimes I make a quilt and don't know who is going to receive it. The process doesn't feel quite right. Something is missing. I can remember so clearly making this quilt for Kelly and Mark for their wedding gift, praying for them, and thinking about them as I pieced the blocks and put them together.

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This quilt was made as a gift for Laura's baby girl, Taylor. Laura was the first of the Good Guys' offspring to have a baby and we were all quite excited about this new generation. The fabrics I used were all Milly Chirbuck's hand-dyes, and it was wonderful to work with them, all the while imagining the little girl who would snuggle in this quilt.

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Roberta saw this group of blocks from the "Cool Hearts" swap that Bonnie and I had organized, and when I offered to make a quilt for her and Lloyd, she chose them. It took a long time to make the mosaic blocks that accompany the cool hearts. Throughout the process, I focused on Roberta and on Lloyd and thought about them using the quilt when it was finished.

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When I make a quilt to donate for a raffle or when I make the quilts for the Pre-K, not knowing who is going to place the winning bid at the auction, the process feels incomplete. So I don't do that kind of quilt-making very often.

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I really like and identify with Sue's concept of the recipient being wrapped in love. This is especially true when the quilt is for someone who is ill or grieving. Somehow it adds another layer of caring.