Her name was Dorie. Her plan was to make a king-size cathedral window quilt. She collected many different blue fabrics and cut them into tiny squares. She used bleached muslin and made the foundation blocks. Each block was handsewn and then joined to the next one. Her quilt was about a fourth of the way done when she passed away. The unfinished quilt and all the supplies to finish it were packed away into a box.
There was a garage sale at the house across the street from me. I wandered over and I selected a few items to purchase. I saw a sign: “Amazing unfinished quilt. $100.” I didn’t quilt, but my sister did. However, that was a lot of money to invest in a gift that she might like. During the weekend of the garage sale, I visited with Ray and we discussed his aunt’s quilt. I arranged for the Jewish Refugee Center to pick up unsold baby and kitchen items when the sale was over. I took warm banana nut bread across the street. We became friends.
When the garage sale was over, the quilt had not sold. I asked Ray what he intended to do with the quilt. “Maybe try to sell it through a quilt shop or on E-Bay.”
I hesitated, but then made my offer. “If you would accept $25, I would like to buy the quilt.”
Ray considered my offer. “I’d like to see my aunt’s quilt go to a friend and know that it would be finished. I’ll sell it to you for $35.”
I bought the quilt and then I bought a fabric tote with quilting supplies for $10. I carried the box across the street to my home. I examined the finished portion of the quilt and wondered how Dorie had made each block. I threaded a needle, picked up a block that had the pieces already pinned in place. I began sewing. I was hooked. I thought about my sister. She had a full-time job and probably wouldn’t have time to finish this quilt, but I could. A twin-size cathedral window quilt would be a beautiful addition to my guest room.
My quilting friends are surprised that I—a beginning quilter—began with such a challenging pattern. A cathedral window quilt is all sewed by hand. The quilt is not finished yet, but block by block it is growing. Each tiny piece, when stitched into place, adds to the amazing beauty of the whole quilt.
My fingers hold a needle and I stitch the blocks of Dorie’s quilt together. I think about her and feel an affinity with this woman that I never met. Her nephew shared information about Dorie with me. Her life was one of service. She never had children of her own, but she opened her heart and home to children who needed love and guidance. Each choice, like the tiny fabric pieces of her quilt, was stitched together to create an amazing life.
Life is like a quilt. Each choice, each action, each moment may seem small and insignificant, but they contribute to the beauty of the whole. Moment by moment the pattern emerges to create an amazing whole.