Worship Highlights
Altar Quilt for Sunday, March 28, 2010
“My older sister had wanted a velvet bedspread since her teenage years. The cost of such a luxurious item meant that it was not an option, however, my mother always kept the possibility in mind. For several years, Mother bought remnant pieces of velvet and kept scraps from garments she made for others until she had enough to make a patchwork quilt. Once the quilt was pieced, she played! She loved to embroider so she stitched here and there, tatted a few pieces of lace, and added scraps of this and that. Finally, she embroidered Cora’s wedding date on the corner and wrapped it as a Christmas gift. Cora, my sister, was overjoyed and it became one of her most prized possessions.
“Knowing the years of endeavor this project required, I never expected such a monumental gift. Mother didn’t want her youngest to “go without” so several years later she created a velvet Christmas tree skirt for me. Like the quilt, the Christmas tree skirt displayed her embroidery and tatting. Since she was staying with us here in Alaska for several months that year, she entered it in the Fur Rondy craft show, where it took Best of Show!
“When my sister died quickly and unexpectedly from cancer, my mother brought the quilt to me. Even with her painful rheumatism, she lovingly stitched my wedding date in the opposite corner from Cora’s. Eighteen months later, Mother joined my sister at the feet of Jesus.
“This quilt is now one of my most treasured possessions. Its home is now my quilt stand and it presence there whispers, “I love you,” every time I see it. I see, in its vivid colors, the memories of love between and around my mother, my sister, and me.”
Julie Foster