sewcrafty

Quite right, powerful story indeed!! WOW!!! Glad you hooked up with quilting for whatever reason.

Gayle - I'm soooo sorry for you, I ended up doing that a couple weeks ago and it hurts from the bottom of your heart. {{{HUGS}}}

I started quilting when my son was about 3 yrs old. I didn't have any family around, lived in the country (I use to be a city girl), on a dead end street with only 3 houses (including mine)! Joined a play group for son and a friend (that I met there)talked me into coming to a guild meeting, as I've been a sewer since around 8-9 years old, why not. Needless to say I got hooked!! Found out how much I loved doing hand quilting and applique.

I found hand quilting and applique very theraputic during tough times.

loopywren

Yes Marcia, quilting is helping me right now in a very difficult situation,as does the friends I have found on this board, without that I am not sure i would get through each day. Thank you

leatheflea

Wonderful story. I picked up the hobby of quilting during bad times. My story is very self absorbing and not something I'm proud of but I will say that after my divorce I made a quilt for my three children of all the fabrics that I had used during our marriage. They were from various projects, curtains, halloween costumes, coverlets. We lost everything in the divorce the house forclosed...times were bad. I lived in a small 2 bedroom apartment with 2 preteen and one teen. Long story short, my kids loved the quilt and used it everyday until I had to store it. you see I had no idea what I was doing I just threw this thing together so the pattern and the workmanship are horrible. They argue over who is gonna get the quilt when I'm gone. So since I had to put it away in storage I told each of them I would make any quilt they wanted. And that began my obsession. And I'm thankful to my ex, little does he know that his leaving brought many good things into my life. And thankful for my children that inspired me to keep stitching. And thankful that I'm still here to see how they've grown and what wonderful people they turned out to be.

Magdalena

My whole heart jumped with compassion as I read your story. It is wonderful that love and hope continue to surround your congregation. My first quilt was a memorial quilt for my Mother. My brother died in June 2001. I kept my brother's shirts, from personal to work, his patches and badges from the military and his pillow case. I started the quilt with no idea how to do it - pure prayer and luck. I started the quilt on September 10, 2001. So, I worked on my quilt through the 9/11 tragedy. My brother served in the Army and US Coast Guard. He would have been there for his country, no questions asked. There were many tears running down my face as I pieced this quilt together. Tears for my brother and tears for my country and those that were victims of this terrorist act. All the memories your heart and mind remember as you quilt - all the tears, some laughter. I actually, added pictures of my brother onto the quilt too. I finished it by adding his badges, his medals, dog tags and a dog tag that reads, "Never Forget". It was too sentimental for my Mama, so she asked me to take care of it. When I moved into my new home, the first thing I hung up was a cross my Mother gave me, and then the quilt. I think of my brother, Vicente Jaime, everyday.

Flying_V_Goddess

I do and actually currently am. My boyfriend lives in Alabama (I live in Wisconsin) and he's going through a rough time with his family so I actually haven't heard from him for two months. No matter what the circumstances are (except maybe if he's overseas) if you don't hear from your boyfriend for two months you kind of wonder where the relationship part is or even if there is one and you just don't know it. I'm really trying hard to keep faith that things will work out, but not having any contact is torture. And then I got all this other stuff going on...work has been on my case about stocking slower, living with my family has its quirks (I don't live with them entirely by choice), and all my friends moved away so I don't really have anybody around. If I go anywhere, its pretty much because I have to go to work or I got asked by my mom to go on a car ride with my younger brothers. I was so desperate to go out that I went out with my brother and his friend to a town half and hour away (did have fun, though). I'm lonely and depressed and been eating comfort foods to deal with it all (I emotionally eat). The emotional eating wouldn't be so bad except that its "holiday season" and Wal-Mart is now stocking up on Halloween candy. You know, more things to eat. Sometimes after a crappy day at work I'll pass by the candy isle and go something like "Hmmm...a bag of candy corn for breakfast sounds nice". I try not to, but when you get chewed out by the manager for taking so long stocking your department its like "F*** it! I want the bag of bite sized Milky Ways." I'm just completely unhappy.

I've been planning out this quilt made out of Kittie shirts (Kittie is an all-female Canadian metal band for those who don't know). I had the idea for myself a while back, but back then I didn't have a boyfriend who I was trying to think of a Christmas present for. I remembered it while listening to one of Kittie's albums while paging through a quilting catalog I had just got. I thought it would be the perfect Christmas present for Tim. We met on the official Kittie boards and they're our favorite band. The project has got me so psyched and excited and I actually feel happy about something. Tomorrow I'm starting the process of buying the actual shirts and I'm really stoked about it. Of course, I get to thinking about it and realize I'm making this totally awesome gift for someone who hasn't called for two months and it makes me sad. But other than that it's been fun to work on and I'm really enjoying myself.

Magdalena

My heart goes out to you. My cat is very sick, and we may have to do the same thing. Your dog is blessed to have loving parents. Take all your memories, mentally sew them together and create a quilt in your head. Go back to that quilt when you need comfort and good thoughts of your precious dog.

Sadiemae

Marcia, you and your church family are in my thoughts and prayers. I cannot even imagine the pain you have all been through.

Quilting has been my lifeline for several years. It is the one thing that gets me out of bed since my husband died. Everyone around me told me I should be comforted knowing that he had been in so much pain and was ready to go. He might have been ready, but I was not ready. I don't know how I would face each day alone without quilting to comfort me. It is therapeutic to make quilts that will bring happiness to others.

I am almost ready emotionally to begin a quilt made from his cotton shirts. I think this will also be good therapy for me.

Ps 150

Last summer I had an emergency appendectomy, where the doctors found my cemented internal organs so I had to have a full hysterectomy 6 weeks after my appendectomy. To cope with the pain of never having more children, my husband suggested learning how to quilt...something I always planned to learn in my "old age" when I had more time. I had 6 weeks of recovery time so I bought "Quilting For Dummies" and never looked back.

Earlier this month my step-sister's fiancee was killed in a motorcycle crash. As I grieve for her, I quilt. And now, I'm creating a quilt for her now. It's sort of designing itself as I go and it has helped so much. As has the amazing family on here. I can't lean on my own family here because they're leaning on me (my step-sister and I are the oldest so the younger ones lean on us). But, I can come here and there's an amazing family that makes quilting so much more personable. No matter what one of us faces, it's guaranteed that someone else here has faced this and come out the other side.

Jingle

I remember hearing about the shootings at your church, so so sad.
I give most of my quilts away, to someone I think should have one or needs one. Right now I'm making one for DGD's friend's Mom, taking treatments for brain cancer. Makes your heart feel better to bring a little comfort to someone.
I gave My MIL a quilt when she lost a Son 4-27-2010. She told me many,many times how much she liked it and that it was the prettiest quilt she had ever seen. She told me on the phone Monday that she thanks me every morning when she makes her bed.
I like giving the quilts to someone I or a family member knows and I get feed back as to how much they enjoy it and happy to have it.
This is how quilting helps me to help others.

AnnieF

Almost 3 years ago, my husband and I were in Florida visiting my daughter (I live in Rochester, NY....a good 23 hours away). We had planned on flying home on Saturday morning, but the airlines cancelled all flights when the weathermen up north predicted a blizzard (it never happened). They told us that maybe they could fly us out Tuesday evening. My daughter needed her house back and we needed to get back for work....but over and above that I just had a very strong feeling that we needed to rent a car and drive home Sunday morning. To make a long story short, 1/2 hour into the ride, my brother called to tell me that my mother was dying and I should hurry home because they didn't think she would last the day (she hadn't been sick when I left the week before). I was frantic to get back quickly, but had to accept that it wasn't going to happen. I had started a hand quilting project for the vacation...a simple black wholecloth with spiraling circles large stitched all over in bright colored pearl cotton. This one piece of quilting kept my sanity (with the help of my DH) for the whole ride home. My mother passed away 2 hours after the first phone call but she had her family (minus me) with her. I called the quilt "spiraling out of control" because that's what it kept me from doing. It won a second place prize in my guild's quilt show for the hand quilting....but I really think it was this story attached to it that won for me.