COMFORT QUILTS

Here is a picture of Michael and my sweet big sister and best friend!



Welcome everyone. I am in-between projects so I thought I would blog about how I got started making comfort quilts. It began in 1956. I was living next door to my future husband who, at the time was not even living next door. It was around January 22 and my parents brought home our baby brother. I was so excited! He was sleeping and I wanted to know what color his eyes were. I thought he was beautiful. Our entire family adored Michael. He was such a joy to have around. I do not remember much about him when he was a small baby but after he was a year or two I remember he used to carry his blankie around with him all the time. Not only did he carry his blankie, you always saw cotton or string dangling from his ears. We never knew why he did that but it was his signature.

He had beautiful blue eyes and the whitest hair I had ever seen. He always found things to entertain himself with. My mom would have me watch him and take him with me. I never really minded except one time I asked if my twin brother could watch him and she said she could depend on me much better.

After we all grew up and left home so we did not see much of one another. We stayed in touch by phone and occasionally visited each other but not very often. It was not until 2001 that I was living in a town very close to Mike and got re- acquainted with him. We had so much fun together. I remember it was really cold and clear one night and he wanted to get out his telescope and look at the stars. We spent a couple of hour doing that and I saw Saturn so clearly. It was beautiful. He had been married 10 years and he was very much in love with his wife. They acted like newly weds. They pampered each other all the time. It was so beautiful. I can't remember if it was Christmas or for his birthday, my sister and I made Mike a star quilt. We had so much fun.

Several years later, I was in Dallas visiting Mike in the hospital. We were staying at this apartment for out patients and we were sitting on the deck visiting. Mike had a rare and aggressive cancer. As he sat talking he said: Do you remember that quilt you made me? A tear rolled down his face and he said: It has brought me so much comfort! I hugged him and we both cried. A few months later we lost him to cancer.

After Mike passed away I began making quilts. I figure over the period of a couple of years I had made and given away about 300 lap quilts. I gave them to whoever at the time needed comforted. It was not until I had visited my daughter in Georgia that I realized I made all the quilts in memory of Michael. After that I began calling them Mike's comfort quilts.

I guess the reason I wanted to share this story with everyone is because sewing is almost becoming a thing of the past. I would like to encourage people to get their craft on and make a comfort quilt for someone in their life that they love. When you experience the receivers response it makes you feel like you handed them the world with everything good in it. You can make a quilt and not even own a sewing machine. It might take a person one day to make a very simple quilt up to a queen size. Maybe 2 days if you are a beginner. It is a project one could have their entire family pitch in and make. Mother's Day is coming up and what a beautiful thing to give a mother, sister, daughter, aunt, or friend! Think about it, When mothers cuddle their babies on the couch reading to them or watching a movie it is so much more enjoyable when you snuggled in a blanket. When your sick or sad a blankie brings comfort to the soul and soothes the spirit.

If you have received a comfort quilt from someone or have made one please share your story as I would love to hear it! Thanks!