T-Shirt and Shorts Quilt of Comfort

A few weeks ago I blogged about my sister getting an industrial sewing machine from my best friend. (See here).

While I was there, my friend gave me a bag of clothes to go through for my girls and pass along to my niece if we didn't use them. I went through but my girls are a bit taller than her girls so we weren't able to use much other than a few tops. My niece is a bit smaller but her mother doesn't like her wearing tank tops or shorter shorts. I was going to have her send those items to a good will store.

That night while I was asleep, I woke up with the idea that I needed to make a quilt for my friends daughters out of the clothes we weren't able to use and have my sister help sew some of it on the girls grandmothers sewing machine. I mentioned the idea to my sister and she wasn't sure how much time she would have to help on the project.

I told her I would do most of the work if she would just bind the quilt so that we could tell the girls it was sewn in part on their grandmothers machine and made by their "aunt" out of their clothes.

I was busy scanning thousands of photos and getting ready for the family reunions I was doing. The quilt wasn't on the front of my mind. However, God had different plans. He let me know strongly one night that I needed to cut out the shirts. I kind of wanted to ignore the feeling but soon gave in even though I was busy with other things. I cut out the quilt squares and had my daughter stay up a little late helping me with where to place the squares so that they didn't clash with each other.

I had it placed out and felt that I needed to get it sewn. I watched two old movies and sewed the top together. I got a call early the next morning from my friend. The girls father had died. They had been divorced for 14 years and the girls hadn't seen him in awhile but it was still such a shock and great loss for the girls. I thought perhaps that God had inspired me to make it so they had something to cuddle in that was made with love and sewn on their grandmothers machine.

I had the quilt laying out to bind for days but with the reunion coming, I was going to leave it for the next week. As we were loading the car, I felt really impressed to have my daughter go and pack it up even though it was unfinished.

I did the reunion last weekend and got back to my sisters about 5:30 and was quite tired. We had driven to her house very late the night before. Every one of my girls fell asleep within minutes of getting there. I tried as I put my feet up but couldn't fall asleep as tired as I was. I rested for about an hour before I felt the thought, "You've had a rest and now you need to finish the quilt and deliver it."

I got up feeling great. I finished cutting the back, pinning the binding and tying the quilt. My sister then sewed the binding edge on the girls grandmothers machine and we drove it to my friends house.

My friend took one look and exclaimed how cut it was and how she liked that I put part of her purse on one of the middle blocks and how cute she thought it came out.

She informed me that the girls father had a t-shirt collection from the time he was young and that one of his sisters suggested that the girls make quilts out of the shirts. She said she wasn't sure she wanted that constant reminder and wasn't sure how they would look. Because of the quilt I made, she now felt that it could be cute and that she thought it may be good for the girls.

I told her how strongly I was impressed to get it done and not to leave it for the next trip to her city and how I woke with the idea in the middle of the night. Only one of the girls was at the house but she literally went through each quilt block telling me who the clothing belonged to that we used to make that square.

I told her how much God must love her and how I was sure her grandmother was watching over her father and how I woke to the idea of making the quilt. I told her it probably wasn't a big deal in the long run and she told me it really was.

My friend said her girls were "fighting" over who would get to keep it. I told my friend it was for her and we would make the girls each one if she would come for a visit some weekend and bring the the girls fathers t-shirt collection.

They are excited about it now and are looking forward to each having their own t-shirt memory quilt.

I am grateful to a loving Heavenly Father who cares about each of us and that he strongly reminds me of the things he needs me to do and also that he sustains me in being able to have the strength to do them. I am grateful that I listened to those still but strong impressions he sends. I wish I were better at acting on them before he has to send stronger impressions but I am getting better at understanding those feelings and pray that I will always be willing to help Him in whatever way He needs me.