I got an interesting phone call a couple of days ago. There was an elderly gentleman on the phone who asked for Jean MaDan. I answered "speaking!", and he asked me "Did you make my quilt?" I told him that I did make a lot of quilts, but in order to know if I made his, I'd need more information. So here's the story he told me.
One of the quilts that I had made for my soldier guys was given to a man who had fought in WWII, and he had since passed away. His granddaughter said he loved that quilt, and all he knew about it was who made it. (On my love quilts, the embroidered label only says my name and the year. I almost never add more info than that. But on THIS particular quilt, for some reason I had gone further and added the words "From a grateful citizen of the United States") He told her that when he passed, he wanted the quilt given to another soldier if possible. So, when the time came, the granddaughter gave the quilt to a man who had fought in Korea. That man owned the quilt for two years, and when HE passed, the quilt was given to ANOTHER soldier who had fought in Vietnam. Seems it had now become a tradition to pass the quilt on to other soldiers!! The current owner told me he had already made arrangements for it to be passed on again when he dies, but this time it would stay in the family, as he has a son who fought in Desert Storm.
I was speechless to know how much impact one simple sofa throw had made on these various gallant warriors! And let this be a lesson to those who never put labels on their quilts! I would never have known any of this if I didn't make a habit of adding a simple label with my name on it when I finish each quilt. (Of course, it helped that my name is kind of different, so I wasn't impossible to track down. LOL!)
I've been unable to sew for several days due to extreme chest pain, so this was just the thing I needed to perk me up. (And get me off the self-pity train! LOL!) Anyway, I wasn't going to tell anyone, but it seemed this was just too happy a story not to share it, so now I want to tell EVERYONE! LOL!
Happy Quilting!
Jean MaDan
Jean! Stop with the chest pain already! I dont want more people to worry about and I want you without pain since you overwhelm us with inspiration!
ReplyDeleteJean, I hope you're feeling better.
ReplyDeleteConnie - Boise, ID
Beautiful story! I love that it's been passed down to so many as a special honor.
ReplyDeleteI was privileged to meet a soldier wounded in battle and present him with a quilt I'd made and a friend had quilted so elegantly. It was a touching moment I'll never forget. He was genuinely appreciative of the gift just as I was (and still am) for his service to our country.
Whata beuatiful story! I am so happy you share it. My father was in the Air Force for 22 years and I know how much the soldiers appreciate the time and effort that was behind a gift like yours.
ReplyDelete