Several years ago I was sent to a retina specialist with a torn retina in my right eye. He did a laser treatment that day to repair the tear. Shortly after I experienced a bright flash in my left eye and knew it was another tear. I called and got in immediately. The same thing happened 3 more times in my left eye and each time was taken care of immediately. I made a quilt for him to say thank you, and took it to him on my 6 month check up after the last laser treatment. On the label I thanked him and mentioned it was his care that allowed me to be able to see to make the quilt. He was thrilled. As I was leaving I saw him walking down the hall with the quilt. His assistant said he was taking it to show the other doctor. Really made my day, week, and month!!!!

I lead a church quilting group. Sometimes I am called on to deliver a quilt to a sick or shut in church member. Each quilt that I have delivered has been met surprise. Their first question is usually "Why am I getting this?" When I tell them it is to remind them that they are in our thoughts and prayers always even when we aren't with them, they start to cry. Then I start to crying and hug each person. Even though they want to display the quilt, I tell them it is to be used and meant to give them comfort. This is why I quilt.

My Dad was always cold - he used a heated mattress cover, an electric blanket and even tried sleeping in a sleeping bag. I made him a chenille cuddler for Christmas one year. He put it over him in bed and slept all night without getting cold. I told him it was all the love stitched in it. I now have his chenille cuddler and it warms my heart whenever I look at it.

My recollection is from quilts made by children (8-13) from the church for "critically ill children". They used fabric markers to do art work on alternate blocks w/colorful fabrics between. They did all the artwork, the sewing and tieing. Did the corners always match, NO, but they loved making these quilts. They were proud of their work and said simple prayers over them when we had a pile. When we finished the project after two winters, we were able to take 45 quilts to Hershey Med Childrens Hospital after meeting local needs.

The recollection: A grandmother called the church after she read about our quilts and asked for a quilt for her granddaughter who was having her leg removed from above the knee. The ankle joint was then turned around and attached at the knee and became her new knee joint. This child was about 3. Anyhow, the granny cried when she received the quilt. Later she sent us a picture of the granddaughter hugging this quilt w/granny in the photo also. The child knew that her quilt was made by other children. ------ Talk about modern medicine!! God is good.

Mine was a baby quilt I made for my daughter's good friend and former roommate. I appliqued Winnie the Pooh. She posted pictures to facebook with her newborn on the quilt, just about the same size as Winnie. Then every few months would post another of him on it to show his growth.

I made a simple quilt with black squares and colorful batiks for a raffle during our Christmas lunch at work. The proceeds were to go to our community kitchen that serves lunches 5 days a week and they give out baskets at Christmas to needy families to help tie them over the holidays while they are closed.

It was small 44 x 60 so I wasn't holding out on it raising much money... it raised $205 from about 35 people (not bad for our office). The winner ended up being our company president. I told her later that I was glad she had won it. She said she supposed she should re-donate it to try and raise more but said ... I really want to keep it because you made it. That made me feel good all over :)

I just love hearing everyone's stories. It surely warms the heart.

I made a quilt for my sister's birthday to commemorate our trip to Yellowstone. It had embroidered animals (a moose, bear etc) and the center was 4 bear's claws blocks. It was lap size. When she got it, she was thrilled and said she felt honored to get it, and later brought it to work to show one of her co-workers that quilts. Made me feel great!

I am a quilter, but my best reaction was for something else. My husband and I became good friends with a WWII veteran and widower that we met at a restaurant. Our 3 young grandchildren went with us sometimes to the restaurant. We had been friends for several years. One year his precious dog was stolen. He was broken-hearted. When our grandchildren heard this, they were devastated too. So, we decided to make him a dishtowel. We used my animal quilting stencils to outline animals on the towel and they wrote him a note that said, "Paul, we are sorry your dog is lost." When we gave Paul the dishtowel, he cried. He loved family and children. When we went to visit him later, he had the towel draped over a chair so he could show all his friends and family. He was very proud of it.

The best part of the story is that he got his dog back after several months. We were all so happy then.

My dear friend while in her mid 80's and she was determined to make quilts for her great-grand children while she could still see (she had macular degeneration). So I helped her make the basic patchwork quilts, one for her great-grand daughter was Christmas fabric (between the 2 of us she was able to put 300 different fabrics in it). She asked me to sew on the binding and she gave it to her daughter to put under the tree. Instead of wrapping the quilt they had it draped over the edge of the chair next to the tree. Christmas morning when the little girl saw it her mom said she took a deep breath, turned to her mother and said, "Oh look what Mrs. Claus made just for me, isn't it beautiful?!" No-one had the heart to tell her that her great-grand mother made it.

What a wonderful story. Just what I needed!

Mine isn't wonderful but it means a lot to me. My darling aunt was consigned to a nursing home and proceeded apace toward death. I sent her banana breads from time, and home made fudge, and another time a quilt made out of furry fabrics. I free hand embroidered it, telling her how much she was loved. She was half the US away and my heart was breaking.

Her nurse wound up talking for her and told me that she spent a great deal of time in the sun, petting the furry quilt. I also learned that she and some of her caregivers would have a coffee klatch when the baked goodies arrived. She had the quilt on her lap while everyone passed the bread and told silly stories.

The quilt was returned to me.

Alvie