Quilts and Worship

I found a big picture book of quilts in Barnes and Nobles. Some were very old; some were new. The book told stories about the quilts because they were unique: they were made for causes.

Some historic ladies quilted to promote patriotism; they made flags and presidents, Uncle Sam with his long pointing finger, and battle scenes. African American women made freedom quilts. There were quilts made by women to protest against feminism. And quilts sewn and sold for charity; peace quilts, unity quilts, go-green quilts, etc.....

So I decided to make a worship quilt, using things around the house again for beauty and glory.

I found just the perfect thing! The female members of this household were going throughout their closets to clear out stuff they no longer wore nor liked nor fit into. It was a lovely time to gather fabric.

I made a pile of corduroy, cotton, wool, and flannel shirts to cut 6 by 6 inch pieces from.

Then I sewed them all together.

There were already some large pieces of material from leftover costumes in my material box that I used for the edges and the back. A child's size costume made an ideal sheep for the front.

I had to buy some batting.

It took about two afternoons to make the quilt. Then I hand-quilted it an old-fashioned way by pulling yarn in single stitches and knotting them.

The picture quality is poor because I hung it on the wall beside my bed, which is the darkest wall in the bedroom. It's a little shorter than me so it is about 4 feet tall, I guess.

The entire quilt is special to me. The fabrics taken from our very closets reminds me that our family is sewn and patterned together in a loving and specific way. A family is really like a quilt- every member's colorful personalities, talents, and gifts arranged in a beautiful expression of care for each other.

And the sheep on front reminds me that people are sometimes like sheep. We often stray away from where we are supposed to be, and we need a patient and strong shepherd to find us, protect us from wolves, and bring us back to the safe pastures. I am like a small sheep, and Jesus is my very good Shepherd. Jesus thinks so, too. As a matter of fact, he says so in John 10:11, 'I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd gives his life for the sheep.'