Saturday Sewing – Giving Thanks

A friend of mine’s Uncle had some tragic things happen in his life. He lost his wife to cancer and three weeks later his apartment building burned down and he lost every memory he had in his suite.

I didn’t know this man; his likes or interests, just his name…James.

When things like this happen, I take inventory of my life and how blessed I am with my family and the things I have. I was gifted with talents in my crafting, and I like to give back using them where and when I can. I thought, “What can I do for James that would be practical; something he could use and would enjoy?” I made him this quilt.

So many of us have fabric in our stash, or, as I refer to it, our “Fabric Library”, so this was a great time to dig in and create something special to give away to someone in need.

The quilt was made with 3 fabrics. I made the snowball blocks with the Polar Bear fabric in the centre, framed with the darker blue fabric, then used the lighter blue for the plain blocks in between. I quilted on my Janome Quilt Maker Pro 18 longarm quilting machine and chose one of the many built-in designs to the Pro Stitcher Premium software accompanying my machine. This one looks like blowing snow with a paw print, which I thought it was perfect.

I got a beautiful thank you card from James, which reads: “Dear Anne-Margaret. Thank you so much for the quilt. I love it more than you will ever know. I’m crazy about polar bears. The lighter blue was my wife’s favorite colour. This gift means the world to me. James”.

Needless to say, I burst into tears!

Remember, I did not know anything about him or what he likes. I didn’t know he liked Polar Bears, or that the lighter blue was his late wife’s favourite colour. You never know how, or in what ways your creative gesture will touch someone’s heart when you make it, so don’t get caught up in finding the “right” colours or prints. Just make it!

Happy Sewing!