What I Have Learned from My Quilts

I have just returned from Kingsland where I picked up my latest quilts from the quilter. These two were quilted for a purpose. One of them is to go to Meredith's inlaws in Romania and the other will travel all the way to Afghanistan for my great-nephew who is serving there in the Army.

This one is for the Mozas. I bought the material in a pack of precuts called a "Layer Cake." There were forty ten-inch squares of at least 20 different patterns, all brightly colored florals. When I saw the package, I knew I had to make something with it for the Mozas in Romania. One of my favorite impressions of that country and its people is the abundance of flowers. Just a quick walk through one of the markets will overwhelm you with bundles and bundles of flowers! A lovely pasttime we noticed is the gesture of bringing flowers as a greeting.

As I began to envision a flower-themed quilt, I picked a pattern that looked as though I were viewing flowers through a window. Adding the black frame around each square completed the picture for me. I hope that Cristi's mother will have the same sensation as she lingers under the warmth of her quilt.

This quilt began to develop in my mind before we went to Russia. My niece's older son, Nathaniel, was just deployed to Afghanistan and, having some involvement with Soldier's Angels, I wanted to find some way to deliver a reminder that we're thinking of him and praying for his safety. This pattern came about by combining elements of other quilt tutorials and several hours of combing through fabric on Ebay and other websites. I put in my order, then left for Russia. When I picked up my held mail at the Post Office there were several packages of fabric waiting for me! I had a great time mixing and matching colors to make the stars.

Now it's up to the postal service to get both of these quilts to their respective destinations. God speed!

Now that I have finished these two and the table runners from my Russian inspiration, I have been thinking about why quilting is such a satisfying hobby. Let me back up to say that the previous three quilts were made solely because I had some new precuts and some new tutorial websites that challenged me to accomplish a project. In my opinion, it was a very sterile reason to make a quilt. In fact, those three quilts are just stacked on a chair in my room. They are not making anyone happy or warm. They have no real purpose.

From the very first quilt I made five years ago, every single one was made for a purpose, or more pointedly, for a person. Quilts, I have learned, are a very personal thing. My quilts have been given to my children and grandchildren, to babies of close friends and family, and to family members. A quilt needs color and design that will perfectly fit the recipient. And now, with three exceptions, all my quilts were made that way. Unless I have a specific person in mind, I don't think I'll invest myself in just "quilting." It's a lesson well learned.