Why did we commission a quilt? After all, there are a number of people, maybe especially the younger generations, that think quilts are old fashioned and irrelevant. However, we believe there is a significant amount of symbolism to be uncovered within quilts that speaks to our ministry.
Quilts represent comfort and healing. They embody relationship and love. In many ways quilts speak to refuge, they are associated with relationship and function as a tool bringing about restoration when we are sick or cold. We commissioned a quilt that will be sold to benefit Severe Weather Shelter Network because we are all about refuge, relationship and restoration.
Quilts are not the average blanket. Most quilts are given as a meaningful gift to a loved one. They require hours of work, and represent deep love and commitment to the person on the receiving end of the quilt. Quilts are a source of warmth and evoke a sense of safety. The quilt is most often reached for when someone wants to throw an extra layer of warmth on a cold winter night. In contrast, quilts are often displayed – either on the wall or foot of the bed to remind us of the one who made it and the meaning it holds. Quilts are, no doubt, a special covering.
Quilts are made up of 3 layers. The backing is a single piece of fabric that provides support and is the foundation that helps keep the pieced top layer strong and stable. The batting is in the middle providing the thick layer that traps body heat and recirculates it back to the person sleeping or resting. The final layer is the quilt top. It is the most beautiful part of the quilt. Quilt tops are made up of several pieces of fabric to represent a pattern of some kind. All three layers are stitched together in a creative pattern giving texture to the quilt and holding all the pieces together, thus making it one.
Quilts are, in fact, reflective of the lives we live out every day. Each day is a piece of the pattern that creates the larger quilt we call life. It is pieced together over many years creating a beautiful pattern made up of a wide spectrum of shades. Different patterns imprint each piece bringing interest to the overall tapestry. The lessons we learn in the course of our journey represent the batting in the middle of the quilt; they give meaning and depth. The stitching holding the layers together are symbolic of all the relationships we build that give us stability and help us stay strong in the difficult times.
So…why a quilt? We have commissioned this quilt because of the timeless treasures embedded within its many facets. Layers. Stitches. Pieces and patterns. Long hours of hard work and dedication. Love. Warmth. And most of all: refuge. relationship. restoration.