Featured Member Quilts: December 13

Tonight we’d like to feature just a few quilts that have have a special meaning. They all have been shared with us recently. Quilters have always been able to capture all kinds of emotions in fabric and thread. Our history, too, of quilting in groups and giving quilts to help or memorialize others has a long tradition. We’d like to thank everyone who has shared photos of their work and the story of inspiration behind them.

from: Diane Saxton: “I made this prayer quilt in memory of those lost at SAndy hook Elementary. Most of my prayers were for the families who lost loved ones. Quilting is my therapy.”

We’d like to thank Diane for sharing this work with us. It is heartbreaking in so many ways to remember tiny children and their beloved teachers killed like they were. It’s good that a piece of fabric art, with the names of those killed, will last for generations…maybe longer. It is, unfortunately, a part of our cultural history. Sometimes we just have to remember the lives that were lived, no matter how short that time was, and hold precious every moment we have with those we love.

from: Jari Mahoney: “This is a quilt I made for my mom who was going through chemo for Ovarian Cancer . She wasn’t doing well at the time and I was afraid of losing her at that time. I had wanted to make her a quilt for her Birthday. I chose water color method as I could do a heart. My quilt tag read as follows . For my one and Only mother. You touch hearts in so many ways.Love Jari 2006 My Mom passed 1-10-2012 After fighting Ovarian Cancer for almost 10 years . The quilt now covers my spare bedroom bed where mom use to stay while in my home.”

We’d like, also, to thank Jari for sharing her work with our community at 24 Blocks. Those of us who have made quilts for those going through treatments can understand how they take on a special meaning. The words on the tag will live in many ways.

from: Jennifer Wagner: “I made this from doilies that my Mother and her Mother made..”

Jennifer’s use of crochet work, done by a Mother and Grandmother, help keep that form of craft on display. Sometimes we think that we, in our modern age, don’t appreciate the vintage doily and crochet filet work that was so popular in the mid-1900’s. Much work and artistry went into them. Thank you, Jennifer, for sharing this idea with us all.

Thanks to everyone who has participated in our quilting community at 24 Blocks. We may be virtual, but we do inspire each other!