A group of us gather one Saturday a month to make 'Prayer Knot Quilts'--lap quilts and pieced throws for people who are in need of prayer. We use donated fabric and sometimes it is a stretch to imagine that the mismatched pieces and scraps that we are given will amount to a "thing of beauty to behold!" For instance, the batik fabric pictured here would never have been my choice to use but it turned out beautifully!
Once the tops are pieced, they are layered with batting and backing and stitched with colorful thread, ready to be tied by members of our church.
The prayer knot quilts are displayed in the sanctuary, not to be shown off, but so that everyone can participate in this ministry by tying knots and praying for the quilt recipient. Cards are provided to write personal messages.
My favorite thing about this ministry is that EVERYONE in church can be involved. It just takes a moment or two to tie a knot and say a prayer.
I also love the parable these quilts can tell. We are all a little scrappy and mismatched. We aren't going to be in l-o-v-e with everyone else in our church. But with some teamwork and a little trimming and some strategic color placement, we can make a beautiful body of believers to represent God's love!
8 comments:
I love this!! The quilt is beautiful, and the comparison of
quilts and the church is wonderful.
So thankful God pieces us all together and ties us with His love.
Beautiful! What a great idea!
This is wonderful! The quilt is beautiful!
I love this quilt. I like the way you have framed each block. Good post.
Awesome!
what a great idea!
Love it!
I would like to know more about how many people get together, how you choose a pattern, how far ahead you know the fabric choices, etc.
And, then how you choose who the quilt goes to.
We have a group of ladies (only about four of us) that get together once a month to sew -- sometimes, we make blankets for Project Linus. And, sometimes we sew pillowcases for kids - usually to ConKerr Cancer. and, once we have made blankets for an Alzheimer's Study group.
I love the idea of having the whole church participate in TYING the blankets and praying...
I am thinking that we could add a similar project to our list of projects -- thus, so many questions..
Thanks... DELYN
Delyn,
We have piles of donated fabrics so there is lots to choose from. Sometimes it's a coordinating group of stuff that someone purchased for a quilt or project that never was done. Most is just 'stuff' from someone's stash or estate sales or wherever. Sometimes the quilts are made from leftover quilt blocks for a bigger quilt. These are all throw size--about 50x60. We have pattern books and most of the ladies are experienced quilters so they have head knowledge of favorite patterns too--We just make what sounds fun and appealing!
There's really no criteria for who we give them to. Usually the people are from Woodward but we have made them for friends of friends in other towns. Sometimes the recipient has a life-threatening illness. But we have made them for ladies whose spouse has unexpectedly passed away, a girl who recently discovered she has rheumatoid arthritis, a boy who had hip surgery. We are always working on two or three--trying to stay ahead of the need. We don't make specific ones for specific people. Just try to match the fabric style to the age/lifestyle of the recipient--so we make kid-friendly ones, ones with teenage appeal, some are for men and some are flowery.....
Sometimes the timing is hard. We had one out that was being tied and the individual passed away before it was finished. An infant with cancer got hers just a few weeks before she died.
But overall, it has been a terrific ministry--I love seeing the people gather around the quilts to tie knots before and after church. We set the tables up in the sanctuary where it is handy to pass by and say a prayer.
Post a Comment