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Friday, May 13, 2011

Spring '11 Blogger's Quilt Festival



This is not the fanciest quilt I’ve ever made.  It is not the prettiest.  It isn’t the most expensive.   In fact, it cost very little in dollars.

But it may be one of the most meaningful.

A few months ago, my friend, Judy, called and asked if I would make a baby quilt for her grandchild.  We had just found out her daughter-in-law was expecting.  Of course, I said.  I was probably going to do this anyway as a baby gift.  She went on to say that she wanted to make the quilt from her husband’s shirts.

You see, her husband died in an automobile accident last spring.  She wanted a way to connect him to the baby.

So she brought me some of his shirts and then we waited (and waited - the little one was camera shy) to find out whether the baby would be a boy or a girl.  A baby girl was expected so my friend went through her own clothes and brought me a couple of coral/pink shirts to add to the blue, green and gray ones. 

There were more blue shirts than anything so I made the solid alternating squares from blue and did a simple 4 patch for the other squares.  She wanted this to be a large quilt the child could use as it grew.  The finished size is 60” x 84.”  I had to keep it simple to get it completed in time for the shower.

We managed to keep this project a secret and my friend’s son and daughter-in-law were surprised at their shower and very touched by this connection to “Grampa.”

I am honored to be able to give this gift of time to my friend.  She, my Mother, and I all tied the quilt together that I had sewn and basted.  I did some decorative stitching between the blocks to add a little something extra since I hadn’t had time for a complicated pattern.  Unfortunately, I forgot to get a close-up photo :-(


Here are more entries from the Festival:  
Amy's Creative Side

Thank you for visiting today!  Hope you are enjoying the Blogger’s Quilt Festival.  There is so much inspiration here!  Thanks to Amy for putting it together, too.

15 comments:

  1. That is a really nice quilt. I'm sure it will be well loved and they will always be grateful for such a meaningful gift. Thanks for sharing

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  2. I have tears in my eyes reading this. What a special heartfelt gift.
    I am sure when this baby get older and understands what is behind this quilt will cherish it. So touching.
    Thank you for sharing this, you are an angel doing this for your friend.

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  3. Please make sure you label the quilt with this story so the child will know it is being wrapped in grandpa's arms (literally). What a touching gift.
    Come see my entries #211, repro cheddar orange stars and #215 antique 1850 applique flower garden

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  4. What a truely special quilt. Thank you for sharing.

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  5. What a darling story and I Love this quilt,very pretty colors! I am from NC too;)

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  6. Sweetness. That was so kind of you.

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  7. I congratulate. is very special quilt.

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  8. Such a very special quilt. Grandpa will be smiling.

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  9. Quilts like yours--ones with a meaningful story--are more beautiful than those that hang in national quilt shows. Thanks for sharing.

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  10. What a super sweet quilt and story. It is such a fun thing you've done using the grandpa's shirts. Makes me think of my dad's shirts I slept with for awhile after he died. It was such a comfort. Thanks for sharing and have a great day

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  11. I love the story behind this quilt. What a wonderful gift that I'm sure will be used and treasured for years to come.

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  12. What a wonderful idea. Your quilt looks great and will have many special memories.

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  13. Oh, such a lovely quilt with a beautiful story.

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  14. What a touching story. Thank you for sharing.

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  15. What a wonderful thing you did!

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