Quilting 101

In our old age, we have discovered that there are two things that we are really bad at,  keeping secrets and sewing.  So when we decided to keep it secret that we were sewing, it provided to be a challenge.  The story goes like this…

Knowing that this Christmas would be the last we would share with our families for a while, we wanted to do something special for our mothers.  Since these special women played a lasting role in our personal development, we wanted to give them something personal that would last.

During our two-month training, we discovered the solution.  Quilts!  It was perfect.  It would be a complete surprise since our mothers know our disdain for the needle and thread, only moths can destroy our work of art, they would be assembled by hand (not to mention with a little bit of  blood), and there happened to be a place to quilt on campus (aptly named the Quilting Quad).

The Quilting Quad was a bustling and exciting place to be, even for non-quilters such as ourselves.  It was a place to meet people.  (What else do you do when you are sitting around poking a needle through woven cotton!)  The greatest thing about this pseudo-educational institute was that the ladies (and gentlemen) who ran the place showed the true spirit of why we were there, showing love to others.

 

These fine ladies taught us everything there is to know about quilting; from how to thread a sewing machine to the several different quilting techniques, we were taught it all.  After investing a mere fifteen-twenty hours, we birthed two new masterpieces in honor of our maternal examples. 

However, since we wanted to surprise them for Christmas, we had to keep it a secret.  So we had to keep it out of our conversations with them. 

“What did  you do last night son?”  “Oh nothing, mom.  Don’t you love serving orphans and widows?” 

“How did you cut yourself?”  “I once tried to save a scared cat from a tree.”  

It is all about redirecting the conversations without lying.

At the end of December, all was revealed.  We presented our wrapped creations to our mothers.  Instead of the typical frying pan or slipper gift, they were both shocked to unwrap the perfectly designed quilts.  In fact both parents said, “that was the last thing I expected.”

L’s mom couldn’t believe her daughter actually completed a quilt and in just 2 short months.  Due to her excitement, L’s mom made patches for each quilt and sewed them on the back to commemorate all the hard work.  They look great!

Folks from the Quilting Quad, thank you for showing us patience and teaching us how to quilt.  We miss you!