Quilting

“She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands. . . . She makes coverings for her bed” (Proverbs 31:13, 22). If quilters (who are usually women but occasionally men) ever required encouragement to make quilts, they need go no further than these two verses describing activities of the wife of noble character. But the whole business of quilting goes much further and encompasses many of the things that God desires to see bound up in the activity of our lives. When one ponders the act of making and giving a quilt, the love expressed is real—the desire to keep another warm, to comfort and nurture, to spend time on behalf of another, to give a gift of beauty. A quilt may be a token of celebration, commemoration or thanksgiving. And furthermore, the gathering of quilters develops community while encouraging the expression of creativity.

Anatomy of a Quilt

So let us look at the concept of quilting as an expression of our spirituality, beginning with the quilt itself. The quilt top is usually made up of many different fabrics—some beautiful, some interesting, some dark and murky and some bright and glowing. These can readily be translated into the experiences of our lives as we consider our beautiful thoughts, words and deeds that are prayers to God in their own right; the interesting times such as travel and education that have played a part in molding our lives; the ugly experiences that cause us shame and need to be cleansed through confession and forgiveness; and the bright glow of our Lord and Savior as his influence shines through our actions.

The quilt backing, which must be strong and serviceable, is like our desire to withstand worldly ways and our determination to seek the narrow road: “For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it” (Matthew 7:13-14).

The soft batting between these layers suggests to me the grace of God. And the quilting stitches, which cover every square inch, decorate, strengthen, invade every layer and influence the life of the quilt, as does the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. The only remaining component is the binding around the edges, without which the quilt is not usable, attractive, or durable, as batting strays from between unfinished layers. The binding is our regular prayer and study time when we communicate with God and God with us. It is the strong, vital finishing touch.

So when we consider ourselves as a quilt, the concept of quilts as art—to be hung on a cold and oblivious wall—is most unappealing. Rather, a quilt is to keep someone you love warm; and whether it is a blue-ribbon masterpiece or a humble scrap quilt, its prime purpose is to nurture. Thus the making of a quilt becomes a true expression of love.

Comfort

At times the giving of a quilt can also be a tangible expression of comfort. Since a quilt by its very nature keeps a person warm, it is the logical thing to offer a person who may be hurting physically or emotionally. God intended the work of his hands to be used, and the makers of quilts do too: “He who fashioned and made the earth, he founded it; he did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited” (Isaiah 45:18). A quilter also makes a quilt to be inhabited, and with the exception of quilts as art, very rarely are they solely intended to be kept at arm’s length.

In the days of the homesteaders, who suffered constant and often tragic privations, neighboring women would routinely show up with an armful of quilts as practical and loving comfort. In a book of recollections one homesteader remembers: “They took all the pretty quilts to the Baptist Church. They was [sic] for the poor people and the missions. And sometimes if somebody lost their house to a fire or a twister, the women would all go with a stack of quilts and say, `These is a gift from the ladies of The First Baptist Church’” (Cooper and Buferd, p. 29).

Not only are quilts a comfort in times of trial, but the very act of quilting can be a means of dealing with grief or anxiety. A homesteader recalls, “After my boy Razzie died when he was fourteen, I began to quilt in earnest, all day sometimes. . . . I lost my spirit for housework for a long time but quiltin’ was a comfort” (Cooper and Buferd, p. 107). I have used the making of a quilt to relieve almost unbearable anxiety. During the Gulf War, when so many lives were at stake, including some who were very dear to me, I found myself wondering whether the world would ever be the same again and despaired over the tremendous loss of life that was taking place. Looking back, I am not surprised that during those days I made the Coalition Quilt, a design that required fabrics of very different patterns to mesh closely with one another. It reminded me of all the troops from different countries, with their diverse cultures and methods, that were able to mesh together to make a successful, cohesive effort. The very act of expressing my despair and prayers of deliverance in a quilt had a calming effect on my soul.

So whether we are being comforted by the warmth of a quilt made as an expression of love for us or are making a quilt as a means of gaining comfort ourselves, we can see the parallel to the loving arms of the Father that enfold us so warmly in times of need.

Product or Process?

In terms of motivation, quilters generally fall into one of two main categories. There are those for whom the goal to produce a particular quilt for a particular purpose is the key. These people are governed by the do-or-die, success-or-failure philosophy as described in The Active Life: “Instrumental action is governed by the logic of success or failure; [it] traps us in a system of praise or blame, credit or shame, a system that gives primacy to goals and external evaluations” (Palmer, p. 23). Admittedly these people may be more productive in a worldly sense, and depending on their circumstances, it may be of vital importance to have a product to show for time spent. Today’s women are busy; sadly, it is almost socially unacceptable not to be busy.

For women working inside or outside the home, and particularly for working moms, life is a parade of constant activity with often little tangible evidence to show for it. Few jobs result in a recognizable monument, unless you happen to be an architect or sculptor. Meals get eaten, laundry is dirtied, and car pools flow on forever. Embarking on a project that results in a quilt becomes a way of capturing in a useful object at least a portion of a woman’s expenditure of energy. But how much more fortunate are those who are able to enjoy the process as an expression of a God-given gift: “An expressive act is one taken because if I did not take it I would be denying my own insight, gift, nature. By taking an expressive act, an act not obsessed with outcomes, I come closer to making the contribution that is mine to make in the scheme of things” (Palmer, p. 24). Expressing ourselves, enjoying and learning from the process regardless of the outcome, becomes an exploration of our giftedness. We can delight in the blessing and learn and grow as we work, rather than be so compelled to produce that the experience is no more than a grind.

Creativity

Certainly the making of a quilt is usually an act of inspiration and creativity. It gives us an opportunity to understand the pleasure God experienced as he went about creating the earth and all that is in it. We begin with the gift of our eyes and hands, both needed for the process of selecting pattern, color scheme and fabrics and for the actual making of a quilt. These are very tangible and vital tools, but they do not begin to encompass the essence of creativity.

Creativity goes far beyond the mere production of an item and is most vividly illustrated in Chuang Tzu’s poem “The Woodcarver.” This poem describes the process by which a master woodcarver divests himself of all extraneous thoughts and concerns through contemplation upon the marriage of his spirit with the project at hand. The result is a bell stand of extraordinary beauty, a testimony to true creativity. But not everyone can be a master artist, and the degree of creativity with which we are blessed is a gift from God that is measured differently for each of us. Thus by accepting the uniqueness of our gift and expressing it sincerely in our actions, we are glorifying God. So whether it is through our daily work, the carving of a beautiful bell stand or the making of a cozy quilt, we express our spirituality through the work of our hands.

Beauty

God has given us the gift of beauty, an appreciation of it and the ability to create beautiful things. Although it is necessary to make useful items, Robert Banks expresses God’s desire for something more:

God is interested in more than an object’s use value: God is not just a utilitarian. The aesthetic dimension of life is also important. God is interested in creating a pleasing impression upon the senses. The eyes and all the senses do not only exist for practical purposes. They exist to gaze on and delight in what has been created. . . . Beauty comes in various guises and God is interested in surrounding us with many varieties of it. (p. 172)

Beautiful quilts invariably honor principles of good design, such as rhythmical lines, variety of shapes, delightful color combinations and interesting textures. And where can we better gain our inspiration than in the beauty of nature that surrounds us? We can learn a great deal by examining God’s use of these principles in the perfection of his creation. Such inspiration is usually readily accessible to us, but for those who are deprived of beauty, there develops a bleakness of spirit that can exacerbate an already depressed or lonely feeling. A homesteader on the plains of west Texas poignantly remembers, “There was an emptiness as far as the eye could see. How could a human endure? . . . The color was dull yellow and brown . . . the houses was built underground and called dugouts. . . . Mama’s best quilts were her dugout quilts because that was when she really needed something pretty” (Cooper and Buferd, pp. 22, 24).

This hunger for beauty is a reality in our lives, and those who are obliged to deny beauty, such as Amish women dressed in their dark clothing and living in homes devoid of decoration, nevertheless seek to express themselves in elaborate quilting designs and magnificent flower gardens. Beauty delights the senses and brings joy into our lives, so let us recognize the hand of God and give thanks for every beautiful thing we see.

Thanksgiving

Never has the essence of the spirituality of quilt making been more eloquently expressed than in T. Davis Bunn’s book The Quilt. The story describes the closing months of a godly woman’s life and her determination to obey God’s desire for her to make one last quilt. Despite hands that are crippled with arthritis, this old lady inspires a group of young relatives and friends to aid her in making the quilt and lovingly instructs them that the quilt is to be a prayer of thanksgiving: “We’re going to sit here and thank Him for all these wonders. Every cut, every stitch, every piece we lay down, each one’s going to have its own little prayer to help set it in place” (Bunn, p. 56). She felt that the world was speeding up so fast that you get “busy standing still” (p. 80) and that the truly important things were rapidly being forgotten:

Paul says just plain as the nose on your face that this is one of the most basic responsibilities we have. We must glorify God and we must give thanks to Him. . . . Doesn’t matter a whit, that quilt being finished. What’s important is those ladies in there remembering what it’s like to be really and truly grateful to the Lord. (Bunn, pp. 80, 82)

An elderly man, whose assistance had facilitated a life-changing move for me as a young woman, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and given only five weeks to live. Although I knew he would never live long enough to enjoy it, I was determined to make a quilt for him to express my thanksgiving. Every minute spent making the quilt gave me an opportunity to dwell on the generosity of this man and the depth of my gratitude. It was truly a memorial to a person I loved and respected. As it happened, he died the day the quilt was ready to take to him, and he did not receive it. But time has shown me that God provided this soothing activity to get me through a tough time, and I was left with a reminder of my benefactor to cherish in the future.

Community

One of the most familiar aspects of quilting is the quilting bee—a gathering of women of all ages and stages around a quilting frame. In days gone by, this was a multifaceted time when younger women were taught the finer points of technique by the older women, food and recipes were shared and camaraderie was developed. Joys and sorrows were aired, and advice and consolation offered. The quilting bee could be a regular occurrence, a casual drop-in or a special event, such as an accompaniment to a barn raising.

Sometimes a quilting bee might be made up of just a few members of the immediate family: “The art was controlled and handed down by women, usually mother, grandmother, or aunt. The best elements of teaching were often combined over the construction of a quilt: early and often loving instruction, tradition, discipline, planning and completing a task, moral reinforcement. Quilting was a virtue” (Cooper and Buferd, p. 17). Whether the bee quilters were a few family members or a convivial group of neighbors, the bottom line was, as it is today, the development of community. It is touching to hear the confidences that quilters today feel comfortable enough to share as they gather with heads bowed over their work. There is a sense of timelessness when this happens, and a feeling of sisterhood envelops the group. One would pray that God’s presence in the spirit of love and trust that develops in the room would beckon to those who do not already belong to him.

In homesteading days this feeling of community was a lifeline for hardworking, isolated and lonely women. The security sensed in this woman’s words as she likens the community to a quilt sums up the feeling:

Oh yes, then the community came next. Roots reaching out from one ranch to the next, from one house to the next . . . a whole network, a grid of support. A quilt. In our imagination we rose over the house and looked down on the patches of land spread flat out like a good quilt as far as the eye could see. (Cooper and Buferd, p. 25)

God created us to be loving, caring and sharing people, and the whole process of quilt making encompasses these attributes in an everyday activity. May you be fortunate enough to receive the beautiful gift of a quilt or, even better, to become a quilt maker yourself!

» See also: Art

» See also: Beauty

» See also: Craftsmanship

» See also: Hobbies and Crafts

» See also: Homemaking

» See also: Leisure

References and Resources

R. Banks, God the Worker (Valley Forge, Penn.: Judson, 1994); T. D. Bunn, The Quilt (Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1993); P. Cooper and N. B. Buferd, The Quilters (Garden City, N.Y.: Anchor/Doubleday, 1978); P. Palmer, The Active Life (San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1994).

—Jenny McDermid