Monday, September 12, 2011

Mystery Monday...

Sitting here (on Sunday afternoon)...my thoughts were
taken away to the time when I was watching the morning
news...and, I saw...right there on TV...as it happened...
planes flying into the
Twin Towers and the Pentagon.
It was a terrible thing to watch.  But, it was only the
beginning of many...MANY sad days that would follow.
I didn't lose anyone in this terrible tragedy.  But, my heart
was deeply saddened, nonetheless.

Mystery Monday...how can I include 911?
I want to remember the price that was paid by the
people whose lives it touched.  But, I also want to
feel the positive feelings of hope.

I googled..."quilts for 911" and was taken to
this website...click HERE 

the following is an excerpt
 from the article written by Elizabeth Davies:

Teresa Jahn never met Robert Noonan, but she knows
 that his son, Chance, sees his daddy in the stars
when he looks at the night sky.
~~~

She knows that Lizie Martinez-Calderon held her child
 a little longer on that morning she left for work and..
 never came back.
~~~
She knows that Nancy Perez learned sign language
 so she could teach karate to deaf children.


They’re all strangers, these people whose stories
(Teresa) Jahn holds so dear. But they became precious
to this Dixon woman when they gave their lives in
 the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

To help...Teresa Jahn said..."the hearts of the victims"
she decided to make a
quilt.

This is just a portion of  the quilt.  There are two large sections.
  In the picture is Mike and Teresa Jahn.

(more excerpts from the article by Elizabeth Davies)
An Arduous Undertaking
In addition to the Pentagon quilt, Jahn has been involved
with each quilt in the overall project, working as the
 communications director. She has researched the project,
 organized meetings and worked to get permission
 to use photos on the quilts.
For years, Jahn spent nearly every nonworking hour
 pouring her efforts into the quilt project. On her days off,
she would put in 16-hour days, speaking to
victims’ families and getting their permission to use
 photos of their lost loved ones.




Many people came from across the US to work on
the binding.
If you click HERE, you will go to the website
that has LOTS of pictures of the making of this quilt.
I really like the words written here.  This is
just one of many important parts to this quilt.

But...that's not all!!! As I surfed around more
and went from links to other links...I found this
website click HERE.  This is a link
that takes you to
America's 911 Memorial Quilts
On the left side are tabs.  At the top is a tab
"Quilts" if you click on that it will bring up
a list of quilts that were made.
The quilt created by Teresa Jahn is called
"Victims Quilt"
To my surprise...
there are several other wonderful, spectacular
 "911" quilts!  WOW!


The following...is NOT a Mystery...
 especially to those who quilt.
~~~
Thru out time, during tragedies...whether in
the United States or abroad...quilts have been
 the threads of HOPE...
 connecting victims with those wanting to help.
Quilts...have given comfort, love and healing
within the very fibers...
Comfort, love and healing reaches from the hands
 that make the quilts...right into the hands/hearts that will
hold them.

To be entered into the drawing for the
 FIVE FAT QUARTER GIVEAWAY
Mystery Monday...

Please, leave one comment about
how a quilt (or quilts) have brought hope
to others...

*to win you must be a follower*
If you are not one already...WHAZ keepin ya?

**contest ends**
  Saturday Sept 17th (midnight MT)


============================

Last week's Monday Mystery
WINNER
 is
Sharon
from Georgia

34 comments:

Mosaic Magpie said...

I once taught a group of 5th graders how to crochet and we made a afghan for the homeless shelter. The next year I taught them to quilt (using the hexagon shaped pieces) and we donated the quilt to the homeless shelter. I am not sure it symbolized hope to the children but it did make them aware of others.
Deb

Stray Stitches (Linda G) said...

I have been making little quilts for Loving Hands. These quilts are used in the NICUs of our local hospitals to cover the isolettes. These quilts are given to the families of babies in this unit and hopefully they know the little quilt was made with love for the precious little bundle.

Nancy D. said...

I have made a quilt for family members who have/had cancer or their spouse. The two that meant the most to me thus far have been the ones I made for my mother-in-law and her husband (my husband's step-dad). I made them each a quilt and they were used a lot before he passed away in March. It meant more to him than I realized it would. He said it brought a little joy to his heart that I made it just for him.

Sara Lyn said...

A quilt was made for my sister-in-law's baby who was stillborn. That was comforting to the family.

Jessica said...

That's an amazing quilt. I was inspired and comforted by, of all things, a Holocaust quilt. At first look, it is quite dreary, but there is a Star of David at the bottom that emits a line of hope - it spreads through the whole quilt, literally. As a Jewish woman, a quilter, and a Holocaust scholar, I was immensely comforted seeing this. You can see this here, I blogged about it a while ago:
http://quiltyhabit.blogspot.com/2011/04/quilt-story-remembering-holocaust.html

Annmarie said...

I have made several Quilts of Valor. Twice I have received an email from the wounded soldier who received them. Their words of appreciation are all one needs to want to make another QOV. I do follow you - thanks for the links to the great quilt pics.

Vroomans' Quilts said...

I do a lot of charity quilts for various groups. Most recently for our communities ravaged by the flooding.

Sis-O said...

I give away quilts to a friend who is a missionary in South Africa. She gives them to the poor in a nearby township. The quilts bring much needed warmth in the winter and the recipients feel honored that someone in America would think of them.

suemac said...

Our community here in Texas has started an effort to make quilts for the children whose homes were destroyed in the Bastrop fire. So far 1500 homes totally destroyed and the fire is only 60% contained,

Miss Hillbilly said...

Thank you for this tribute. This was so interesting!

Quilts cuddle you with love. My prison dog quilts touch the prisoners probably more than we realize.

Sallie said...

Some of the quilts I've made have been given to orphans in foreign countries, brightening their walls or giving the children something of their own.

Anonymous said...

QUILTS PROVIDE MORE THAN PHYSICAL WARMTH-THEY FEEL OF LOVE FROM THE STICHER'S HAND.I'VE SLEPT UNDER MY GRANDMOTHER'S QUILTS SINCE BEFORE I COULD REMEMBER!
THANKS SO FOR SHARING!
BLESSINGS!

jldouglas@wispwest.net

Kira said...

We made a quilt to brighten the room of our friend as she died from leukemia. Making that quilt changed me and hopefully comforted her.

Amy said...

I think that baby quilts are a symbol of a hope for things to come, a hope for a future. The child has a new life in front of him or her, and the family also has the hope of a better life with this new little addition.

robin said...

My mom started a quilt for my sister when she was battling breast cancer years ago. She must have been hopeful about finishing it, but sadly was not able to, and passed away. Now I've started quilting, partly in her memory. I have hopes of finishing many quilts for my own family, to show them I love them in this tangible way. Quilts speak of love and hope. :)

Linda said...

My grandson was born 10 weeks prematurely. Over his incubator was a little quilt donated by a guild. It helped my son and daughter in law to know that someone who didn't even know them cared about them and their precious little son. (He is 4 years old now and doing well!)

Beth said...

I think the AIDS memorial quilt is an excellent example of a quilt that brought hope--in that case, the hope of being remembered and honored. I have seen it several times, and will always remember coming across the block made for someone I had known in a different city, of whose death I was not aware. After the wave of sadness, I was comforted to see the care with which his block had been made, because I knew that it was a representation of the love he had in his life.

Thank you for sharing today's story, and for inviting so many beautiful stories in the comments.

wordygirl at earthlink dot net

hueisei said...

I recently sent a block to Japan. It's for the quilt show next year. All the blocks that sent from worldwide will made a quilt and sell to collect donation for the Japan earthquake's victims. I blogged about this - http://loveitsewit.blogspot.com/2011/07/partnership-quilts-for-2012-tokyo-quilt.html

Patty said...

Going back almost 50 years, the little church where I grew up made a LOT of quilts. Some went overseas, some stayed in the community(of 300).I alway hoped I would get one. Fast forward to 5 years ago. That little church closed, and I found a quilt left over from those days. And yes, I got to keep it. I love it and the women that made it.

Janet said...

Quilts bring comfort and warmth, and they bring people together. Quilters so willingly and happily meet up with other quilters to work on a project that can be shared with someone else for a celebration - baby quilts, wedding quilts, or for a ceremony - death and rememberance, or for comfort to the sick, dying, those who have lost their home or their happiness. I am happy that I have opportunities to share in that sharing.

yorkie mom said...

My family feels the love I feel for them when they wrap themselves in the quilts I have made them. They are are at the four corners of the United States so we do not see them often. They often tell me it brings memories of home.

Anonymous said...

I am new to quilting but so far I am making things for my baby. He is almost one and I am filling his room with all things hand made by me. It's my hope that as he grows older he will love these things and it will show just how loved he is. I'm your newest follower!!

Mom C said...

Several years ago a friend decided she and I needed to make baby quilts for all the babies born to our local National Guard unit while they were deployed to Iraq. We made over 50. The unit has again been deployed and we are again making the quilts. It truly is a labor of love. I also make quilts for our homeless shelter and battered women shelter.

Anonymous said...

I made a quilt for a seriously depressed friend. I don't take any credit for her getting better (I'll leave that to her doctor and medication) but I know she drew tremendous comfort while wrapped in it and still does. VermontPines@aol.com

Kathleen C said...

Thank you for your thoughtful words about 9/11 and the quilts that have been made in response to the tragedy that affected all of us in many ways.

I've done some charity quilting as most quilters have done. I don't know the recipients of my quilts, but I feel that they have been warmed or comforted by my quilts.

The most important quilt I made for someone was one of my first, a simple tied quilt that I sent to my mother when I was living miles away. When I moved back, I smiled when I saw the quilt on her lap every afternoon when she rested in her favorite chair. We each received comfort from that quilt, in different ways.
Thanks for asking your readers to share their stories.

Maria said...

As I love to make quilts and all my family have enough I love to stitch and donate quilts to numerous charities here in Aussie.
In recent years we have had both really bad Fires and Floods and our nieghbours over the ditch in NZ had earthquakes. there is always someone who needs a quilt to snuggle into.

BillieBee (billiemick) said...

I haven't attempted charity quilts except for one Kids for Quilts for Downy. I loved doing that, but am notorious for UFOs. The quilt I made for my Mom on her 89th birthday from embroidered blocks made by my Grandma did represent love for the 3 of us and hope for Mom and I getting along.....grin.

Aimee said...

I belong to a group that does a lot of charity quilts, afghans, hats, etc. We put these things out there, & we don't know who gets them, whether they are appreciated or used. I choose to believe that the quilts I've put out there are being used to snuggle a much wanted & much loved baby, my afghans are warming the lap of a veteran. The hope I get from quilting is that maybe, just *maybe* I've made someone's life just a tiny bit better.

Marcia W. said...

We made lap quilts for the VA hospital patients, local nursing home, and the church. I've noticed that the folks who use these quilts like the tactile sense of feeling the quilts, and happy feelings seem to come across their faces when wrap up in quilty softness. The same is true for baby quilts given as gifts. It makes me feel good to see the quilts used.

Marcia W. said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Linda Big D said...

My church's prayer shawl ministry friend made me a quilt for comfort when my mother died, after living her last sweet 6 months with us. It was a comfort. I have made a quilt of valor, and I've done the bindings on a number of children's quilts that are donated to Ronald McDonald House.

Michele T said...

My sister and I are making a quilt together for her 19 year old daughter who had a diving accident one month ago and has become quadriplegic. It is our hope that it will brighten her days!

Jocelyn said...

About 8 years ago my daughter and I were involved in Operation HomeFront Quilts where a group of us were making quilts for the families of lost soldiers. The letters that came back from some of the families made our hearts swell with pride and tears. It was an honor to share a little bit of quilty love with family members of those who had given the ultimate sacrifice.

laurawilson25 said...

Quilts can be a tent, they can act as a suitcase, as a blanket, covering, etc. Someone, somewhere put it together out of love or compassion and those emotions travel with it.
I'm a new follower. Thanks for the giveaway!