Quilts are a Lot Like People

Last weekend I entered a quilter's paradise--three days of non-stop sewing (except for meals, a few hours of sleep, and two sessions to listen to the speaker, yours truly).

One hundred and thirty women gathered on the grounds of Montrose Bible Conference to make more than 130 quilts. I saw Proverbs 31 women in action. They quilted well into the night, dozed for a few hours, and were at it again early--like 4:00 a.m. I tried sneaking to the lobby in my jammies in the middle of the night for a cup of tea. I was not alone--there was a whole lot of quiltin' goin' on. They took Proverbs 31:22 very seriously, "She makes her own bedspreads."

My heart was touched by these women who came with their daughters and mothers and sisters and friends. Some made quilts for Pregnancy Care Centers; others made quilts for neo-natal hospital units. One was making a Nittany Lion quilt for her pastor for Clergy Appreciation day. I laughed at the lady who was making a quilt for her cleaning lady. You see, quilters (like writers) aren't known for their clean houses. She's smart to hire a cleaning lady to clean so she can quilt.

I learned alot about quilting last weekend. Each quilt has three sections. The face (the pretty top), the back (a fabric which complements the face) and the batting (the stuffing).

Quilts are beautiful and they are a lot like people. We can have a pretty face, but if our batting is rotten, we won't be very cuddly.

We surely do make our own bedspreads. When our feet come out from under our quilts and our toes hit the ground running, we determine by our batting (our actions and our words and our attitudes) what the quilt of our lives will look like that day.

Choose wisely your fabric and your pattern and how you stitch it all together. We do reap what we sew. And for all the times I miss a stitch, I am thankful for the Great Comforter who sews me all back together again.

Praying you sew some serenity into your quilt today!

Elaine