Month: January 2014

Because of all your support, (my quilting family)… and the support from my husband, employees, family and friends, you all gave me the strength to stand up at Lance’s Memorial service and read this…

“Hello…I am Lisa…Lance’s Mom

I want to stand up here and tell you about my son Lance and how much he meant to me….but I know that is not possible without breaking down…so instead I want to share this with you…

As some of you know….. I am a Quiltmaker…and a lot of you think you know what quilts are…but maybe not like I am going to explain them…

Quilts are LOVE you can touch…it takes a lot of time to stitch a quilt…. and time is one of our most precious assets……giving a quilt is like giving a piece of yourself to that special person.  This is why quilt making is so popular and why our family can make a living doing this…we provide the means for quiltmakers to share their love with their families and friends.

Now the reason I am telling you about quilts is this…

Only last night while snuggling on the couch…I discovered that the one quilt I kept for myself from Lance’s house out of the three he had,  had a little poem on the back that I had attached on to the quilt when I had given it to him at Christmas time in the year 2000…13 years ago…Lance was 16

I am not the author….but here is what that poem read..

THIS QUILT WITH STITCHES STRONG AND TRUE.

HOLDS ALL THE LOVE I HAVE FOR YOU

NO ANTIQUE THREASURE OR WORK OF ART

JUST A SIMPLE GIFT OF A MOTHER HEART

BRIGHT PATCHES WITH SOME DARK MIXED IN

THE WAY MY LOVE FOR YOU HAS BEEN

JOY AND PRIDE AND WORRY TOO

EVENINGS WAITING UP FOR YOU

 

AS I PLACED EACH STITCH WITH PATIENT CARE

I THOUGHT OF YOU AND BREATHED A PRAYER

THAT GOD WOULD KEEP YOU SAFE TONIGHT

AND SHOW ME THE WAY TO GUIDE YOU RIGHT

 

NOW YOU ARE GROWN, MY JOB ALMOST THROUGH

AS THE QUILT IS BOUND AND FINISHED TOO.

IT HOLDS MY LOVE AND FAITH AND CARE

TO TRAVEL WITH YOU EVERYWHERE

 

IT MAY NOT BE IMPORTANT NOW

BUT KEEP IT SAFE ANYHOW

AND WHEN THERES NO ONE ELSE TO CARE

YOU’LL FIND MY LOVE STILL WAITING THERE.

TO HOLD YOU WARMLY FOR AWHILE

AND SEE YOU THROUGH TIMES OF TRIAL

NO ANTIQUE TREASURE OR WORK OF ART

JUST A SIMPLE GIFT FROM A MOTHERS HEART

I  LOVE YOU, LOVE  MOM

Christmas 2000

Lance worked for our family business and his job was to dye fabric. I used this fabric to design and make quilts that would become patterns and kits for someone to buy and make a quilt.  Our company sells these patterns and quilt kits everywhere, from here at our store in town on the corner, or over the internet shipped throughout the country and across the world….So him and his work will “live on” through us… the people he touched and quilters across the world still making quilts with something he made with his hands…

We welcome you to attend a  dinner tonight that his Grandma Teri has made in honor of him… for you his family and friends…and you will see some of the things we’ve made with his dyed wool fabrics.

Thank you all for coming tonight…and please promise not forget my son.  Keep him alive in your heart and talk about him and the good times.  Good Night…”

I am sharing this personal thing with you all because you shared your pain, your prayers and your advice with me at probably the most difficult time I will ever have in my life…and I am forever grateful to have you all  and to be apart of the quilting world.  All your blog comments, Facebook comments and texts, kept me going during sleepless nights and painful days…I know that the hardest days still lie ahead and I just ask to keep me in mind when you are praying for your family and friends…

There was great comfort in knowing my son had this flannel quilt with him when he went out on his own…and it was clearly worn and loved but the greatest gift that I have because of this quilt is that he always knew that I loved him and It feels good to snuggle with it when I need to feel close to him, I would not have this if I was not a quilt maker.

Again…thank you….Lisa