Signed, Sealed and Delivered

Anyone who has talked to me in the last 6 - 7 months knows my life has been dedicated to making a quilt. That is, anyone but Kalyn and BJ.


The first part of last year we were visiting Kalyn and BJ in Frisco and Kalyn made the comment that when she had company she did not have enough blankets for everyone to stay warm. So the idea was born - I wanted to make Kalyn and BJ a quilt for Christmas.


A couple of months later she was in Menard and we were looking through fabrics I had gotten from Mothers things. There was one piece she really liked and she commented on it. I kept that piece of information in my mind.


Then in June John, JC and I went to San Angelo to pick fabrics. I took that piece with me and we built off of it. She had always loved the Bear Paw pattern, so that is what I had decided I wanted to do.


I wanted it big enough to serve as a bedspread if she so desired. So I started cutting out a few more than 2000 pieces. Then sewed and quilted (by hand). Put a cute little label on it (signed), wrapped it (sealed) and gave it to them for Christmas (delivered).


There are some cute stories that went on during this 6 months. We asked Kalyn if she noticed that for 6 months her daddy always answered the phone. I was always upstairs working on this project. She said she actually did think about that once, but she figured dad had just decided that was his nightly job! One night John and I were going to start the basting. We layed the lining out on the living room floor, then the batting, and then the top. The phone rang- it was Kalyn. "Mom, tonight is a good night for me to look through the cookbook with you". (we had gotten the same book and had been planning on looking at it together) Not wanting to give anything away I said " Gooooood, let me get mine." She went through the book slowly and talked about every recipe, 1 1/2 hours later I got back to the quilt! It took us two nights to baste it. Not knowing there was a wrinkle right down the middle of the lining, because when we stretched the cotton it had given back and brought the lining with it and made one large wrinkle right down the middle! We had to take all that basting out and put in on a large frame in Kalyn's room upstairs.


Come November 1, Kalyn calls and says "Mom, I think we are coming home for Thanksgiving". I am starring at a calendar, counting the number of days I have until they show up to finish this quilt. A couple of weeks later she calls and says "Mom, guess what, we are coming the weekend BEFORE Thanksgiving" I am trying to act excited about this news as I am standing before my calendar, counting the days I now have!
They did not get to come for Thanksgiving. I did not get the quilt finished either. Since she did not get to come, there was one day that she was doing something that she needed to ask her brother several questions. She would call and he would have to dive under the quilt frame to get to the phone. She called several times, he could not tell her how big a pain this was for him. We all laughed.

Now, I figure I have until Christmas. No, Odell calls, " We are coming to spend the night on December 5." I am excited and the quilt is almost finished by this time. My fingers start flying across this quilt. And I do get it quilted by December 3.


I was soooooo excited to give this gift and when it finally happened, Kalyn had tears and so did I. It was fun, special and worth all the dollars, time and love that went into it.


Gratitude: I am so thankful I have a daughter who knows the work that goes in to making a quilt. And thankful I had a mother who loved quilting and taught me so much.

Prayer: I pray that Kalyn and BJ have lots of sweet dreams under this quilt, that it keeps them warm. And that they enjoy it for many years and always remember, every stitch was shown with love for them.