Q - Quilted Love

I have mentioned before that I am a seamstress, quilter and long arm quilter. For those who are new to these terms, a long arm quilter quilts other people's quilt tops for them. My customers bring their finished quilt top and the back (called backing) and the cotton batting, that goes in the center, for me to stitch together. I love this part of my job, the quilts that I get to work on are amazing, many I wouldn't even attempt to make because they are too tedious for me. It never ceases to amaze how each quilt takes on a life of it's own after it is quilted. It's magical in so many ways. 

People are like quilts. Some are simple with bold colors, others are floral and fancy and then there those who are so intricate it takes time to see all the details. The backing of a quilt is important as well, some are lightweight fabrics, others are a cozy flannel and some are a thick soft, minky for extra warmth.  All of these details are what makes the quilt special - just like people. 

One of my favorite quilting jobs of all time was making quilts out of a father's Hawaiin shirts. My   customer's father had passed away and the one year of his passing was approaching. She knew nothing about sewing but had this idea to have quilts made from her father's favorite shirts -they were the high-end Hawaiian shirts - even the wooden buttons were special, each carved with detailed tropical flowers or palm trees. She brought 17 shirts and asked me to get at least 4 quilts out of them; I was able to make 5.  We met at the fabric store one day to choose some fabric for the boarders and to choose some fabric for the backs. She knew I would have the first top with me so that we could match fabrics. Her husband was with her and when they saw all the pieces of each shirt their father ever wore and stitched together into this large mosaic, they lost it. Her husband pointed to each fabric remembering things like, "Oh he wore that one to our daughter's baptism," and "Remember this one from our rehearsal dinner!"  Just watching them reminisce was so moving. Later when all five of the quilts were finished and she came by to pick them up, she brought her sister with her. The only person who knew what she was doing was her husband. When her sister walked into my sewing room and saw the quilts, she immediately recognized the fabrics as her father's shirts and she cried. I was so moved by her tears that I cried too and soon the three of us were all crying - it was so incredibly special.

That was a moment of empathy, them for each other, me as a spectator; the fabrics were a memory of a person who was well loved. We all have a legacy we will leave behind. It's up to us to leave a legacy of love, gentleness, kindness - basically the fruit of the spirit. "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control..."  Gal. 5:22-23a

The lesson:  One quilt with many fabrics making a whole. One fruit with many attributes making one lovely person. 

Pouring hope, 
Nen♥

*I am new to blogging and creating a page, and I have figured out how to post pictures but for some reason my firewall is not allowing me to do so.  We will have to use our imagination. ☺


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