… or else

Hi, my name is Keith, and I’m a quilter. I have 33 days to quilt 69 quilts … or else.

On Sunday night, Judi and I did talk about what we were going to do with 73 quilt tops (maybe 80) on standby. But the dialogue in my piece yesterday was pure fiction. Jenny and Sara were correct; Judi didn’t say those things.

Actually, we have a good rhythm going. I do most of the design work, Judi does the piecing, I do the longarm quilting, and she does the binding (and fixes my mistakes). I quilted four quilts yesterday. This morning I found four quilts with the binding done. I’ve posted a photo.

The partnership, however, extends beyond just the two of us. Let me provide a couple of recent examples. On March 10, six days before the National Quilting Day event, Jeanne said she had a sewing machine to give us. Judi picked it up on Friday morning, I did a quick tuneup, and Lily used it on Saturday. Also on March 10, Cheryl gave us a bag of fabric. That afternoon, Judi and I worked it into quilt kits. Dorothy sewed one of those kits on Saturday. Life is delightful with those kinds of partnerships.

The best part of all is that we link arms to care for kids — 73 specific kids in our current context. Some who receive these quilts will be in the hospital because of serious health issues. Some may be in a domestic situation where they have seen more violence than any child should have to endure. The quilts we’re making are small — just 36 by 56 inches — but the quilts could huge for children clinging to any lifeline thrown their way.

That’s why I’ll be at the longarm quilting machine most days in the next 33. I’m not standing there because I’m being forced to or shamed into doing. The only obligation I feel is the call to love. That’s the magnet that pulls me.

Well, gotta go. I’m headed to the basement.