8.12.2008

The Quilt

Since it was my parents' 60th wedding anniversary on August 2, my brothers, my sister and I really wanted to give them something 'commemorative' so that they'd know how much we love them and what a great example they've given us to follow. It was hard to come up with something that was just right as they live in a small apartment in an assisted living place, so there's not much room for more 'stuff'.

We thought about something engraved, or something traditional, but nothing that I came up with seemed like the right answer till I had the thought of a personalized, commemorative quilt. Mom was a quilter for many years [sadly, this talent will probably die off in our family as neither my sister nor myself are quilters] and produced beautiful things. So I wondered about maybe something along that line.

I browsed Etsy and found the perfect item listed. I emailed Sara, the quilt maker, and she was very willing to work fast to produce the quilt and get it shipped to me in time to take it to Lethbridge. She was amazing to work with. I found out later that she has 4 young boys, which I'm sure made things complicated as she did a rush job on the quilt.

And it turned out to be lovely! When the quilt arrived, I had tears in my eyes because it was done so quickly [and I'm sure there were family sacrifices on Sara's part so that it could get done in time], and it was beautiful. I was proud to take it home with me as the gift for Mom and Dad on their anniversary.

Their wedding picture is on it, as well as a picture of each us kids and spouse, and a label on the back describing the occasion of their 60th anniversary. Sara did such a meticulous, beautiful job, and [as I just learned] endured a few exciting moment in the process. Mom and Dad loved it, and I gained a new friend in Sara, who actually lives just down the road in College Station, Texas.

Thanks to Sara for her hard work, her talent and creativity. And thanks to Dad and Mom for sharing their special day with all of us.

19 comments:

Hayley said...

wow jan. that's really neat!!! i'm sure your parents loved it!

Ashley said...

that is so incredibly special! what a special woman, sara must be!

Chris and Tara Mason said...

Wow! That's a great quilt! What a great gift idea!

hoLLy said...

that is an incredibly beautiful quilt! and what a great idea. something your parents will treasure for sure.

Darleen said...

Wow! That would bring tears to my eyes if it was a gift for me. Beautiful. I'm sure they loved it and will cherish it forever.

Anonymous said...

Oh my goodness gracious. That is amazing. What a thoughtful gift.

Unknown said...

it really is gorgeous! i'm sure they loved it!

tiburon said...

Oooo it is beautiful! I bet they love it!

So thoughtful :)

Rebecca said...

What a wonderful, thoughtful idea. It's beautiful.

Mia said...

That is beautiful! I love the idea and the thought behind the gift. I am sure your parents love it.

Jori said...

I LOVE it! That is such an incredible gift.

Suzanne said...

What a beautiful gift. The colors, the photos, all of it is so wonderful. I'm sure your parents just love it. Gifts like these are so thoughtful and thought provoking.

Hacking it up said...

What a beautiful quilt and what a wonderful idea! I'll bet that they LOVED it!!

Jenny said...

Jan...What a great idea and it is so beautiful. Would you email me her etsy site? I would love to look at it. You know I love quilting!

Nat Lud said...

That is a great gift! Something useful and sentimental. Great combo! How lucky to find such a talented seamstress gal! (Is that what you would call her?)

. . . . . . . . . said...

Oh! It's so awesome. I bet they loved it. You are so thoughtful.

Mel said...

What a beautiful quilt!! I'm so happy it turned out so well and your parents love it.

Anonymous said...

What a great idea, and it turned out great!

Phogles said...

Jan, that's beautiful. What a fantastic gift idea. It does get harder and harder to find meaningful gifts to demonstrate your love and gratitude. I think you did a fantastic job on this one. And kuddos to that Sara for her artistic talent and her amazing speed!