Quilters love to give quilts to those who are going through a hard time: loss of a loved one, illness, disease, treatments. We call them comfort quilts because we hope that having the physical comfort of a quilt will in some small way ease pain. Of course, we also hope that the individual (or family) will feel comforted simply by the fact that we cared for and loved them enough to show our concern in this way, to help them know that they aren’t struggling alone.
I can’t speak for other quilters, but I also pray so much when I’m making these comfort quilts. God gave me this desire for quilting, the interest, the ability, the resources, and the people in my life who may need extra comfort at some point. I feel like I’m using my gifts as they are intended when I’m using them to bless others, especially in times of hardship. Of course, the problem is that there are so many quilts I’d love to make, for so many people. I can’t get them all. But, when it does work out, it’s special and I feel like I’m doing {one} of the things I was put on this earth to do. You just can’t beat that feeling of purpose!
This is one comfort quilt I made over the summer for a former co-worker of mine, his family lives in our town:
Please ignore the laundry basket beside the bed, I was in a hurry to take pictures before I headed out the door to deliver it!
Here’s a close up of the quilting and some of the fabrics. This was the first big quilt I quilted on a long arm machine. Jacque and Frank Johnson, owners of Adel Quilting and Dry Goods, regularly donate machine quilting services for comfort quilts. As any quilter who has paid for their quilts to be quilted on a long arm machine knows, this is no small donation! I think it’s pretty amazing. I started to work for them on a part time basis several months ago; I use their long arm machine to quilt shop samples, comfort quilts and the occasional customer quilt. I have so much fun doing it! I really want to make it my home-based career when all of the kids are in school.
Such a nice gesture. I have a quilt given to me by my grandma that comforts me in times of stress. Giving a comfort quilt to a friend when you can is awesome! I love the prayers that go into it as well.
I love this quilt! Is the binding the same as the back?
Thanks, Mom! I think for the back of the quilt I just pieced a lot of black and white fabrics together so I could use what I already had and not buy new backing fabric. Saves money! But now I wished I would have taken a picture. The binding is a solid red.