Anne from Guam Posted June 21, 2012 Report Share Posted June 21, 2012 I'd like to share the story of this very special quilt. The quilt is not very fancy or even beautiful, but the story behind it is awesome. We have a 20yr old son who is currently living in New Zealand with a host family. They treat him like he is their own son and the mom dotes on him to no end. We traveled to NZ recently and met this wonderful family. We had some gifts to give, but none seemed quite adequate to express our gratitude. As we got to know this family, we found out that they had a son who passed away suddenly at age 23. Ryan died a few years ago; he was autistic and also suffered from epileptic seizures. After hearing about Ryan, I knew that I wanted to make them a Tshirt quilt out of his old tshirts. So one day I was talking about my quilting and explained how tshirt quilts were made and how much I enjoyed making them because I really felt like I knew the person after working with their shirts...etc. Then the next day I made the offer to make the quilt for them and the mom kept saying oh no maybe just a pillowcase, just a pillowcase. Then we got online so that I could show them how they turn out and what a wonderful keepsake it would be for them. So she said that her husband would have to go through the boxes and pick out 9 or 10 shirts, but that she just could not do it herself. We brought the tshirts home and I started to work on this quilt. And sweat. I had all the shirts laid out and had a plan. There was one tshirt that was super soft and I thought oh this will be perfect for the pillowcase. It was curious though because this was the only shirt that was cut. I figured they started to cut out the shirt fronts for me and then decided that would not be such a good idea...then I had goosebumps all over and realized that this was probably the shirt that Ryan was wearing when he died. The quilt was finished and mailed off to NZ. The parents waited until the house was empty before opening the package. And just as they expected, they both broke down in tears. They appreciated all of my work and said there was no way they could repay our kindness. And the tshirt on the pillowcase was the last tshirt Ryan wore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmuntz Posted June 21, 2012 Report Share Posted June 21, 2012 What a wonderful gift you gave them. I hope that it will help them to heal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heritage Keepsakes Posted June 21, 2012 Report Share Posted June 21, 2012 What a beautiful gift. They will definitely treasure this wonderful piece of their sons history that you have given them to enjoy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quilting Heidi Posted June 21, 2012 Report Share Posted June 21, 2012 What a gift and what a wonderful thing for you to do. You made me cry but that is ok they are joyful tears. OK some sad tears too because I can't imagine the pain of losing a child. Thanks for sharing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiltingjoyful51 Posted June 21, 2012 Report Share Posted June 21, 2012 Beautiful quilt. Thanks for sharing the story behind it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
witha'K'quilting Posted June 21, 2012 Report Share Posted June 21, 2012 This was a beautiful thing you did for the family. They will treasure the quilt and pillowcase forever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oma Posted June 21, 2012 Report Share Posted June 21, 2012 Beautiful story and beautiful quilt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustee Posted June 21, 2012 Report Share Posted June 21, 2012 What a wonderful story. The quilt is beautiful. I am sure they will cherish it always. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judy Bland Posted June 21, 2012 Report Share Posted June 21, 2012 What a wonderful gift and so thoughtful of you. Anything belonging to a deceased child takes on great significance, after 16 years I still can't bear to part with certain items of clothing. This special quilt will be a comfort and so much nicer than T shirts being packed away in boxes.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K. Szymaszek Posted June 21, 2012 Report Share Posted June 21, 2012 Awesome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yankiequilter Posted June 21, 2012 Report Share Posted June 21, 2012 Anne, that is a very thoughtful and caring thing for you to do and you have created a treasure for the family to remember their son. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoseCity Quilter Posted June 21, 2012 Report Share Posted June 21, 2012 That brought tears to my eyes! I'm sure they will treasure your gift.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathG Posted June 21, 2012 Report Share Posted June 21, 2012 Anne, that brought tears to my eyes. You have made Ryan's family a beautiful gift, that they will treasure forever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IBQLTN2 Posted June 21, 2012 Report Share Posted June 21, 2012 Very sweet and touching story, I love the quilt, especially the ones from Wales as my MIL is from Wales and I recognized the emblems right away,. he must have participated in some special olympics in other countries. Very sweet of you to do this for them, Quilters are just the best! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrandmaLKB Posted June 21, 2012 Report Share Posted June 21, 2012 What a wonderful story and and even more wonderful thing you did for those parents. I like the quilt, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BunkHouseQuilts Posted June 21, 2012 Report Share Posted June 21, 2012 Oh my. I am teary eyed. What a special thing you have done for this family. Thanks so much for sharing this story. I think the quilt is fabulous too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustSewSimple Posted June 21, 2012 Report Share Posted June 21, 2012 Precious life story and precious gift you gave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmcclannan Posted June 21, 2012 Report Share Posted June 21, 2012 you have given them a priceless gift they will always treasure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CindyT Posted June 21, 2012 Report Share Posted June 21, 2012 What a heartwarming gift! Thanks for sharing the story and the pictures. You did a wonderful job on the quilt and pillowcase. I know what you mean when you say you feel like you know the person you make the t-shirt quilts for. That happened to me when I made one for dad of a 17 year old kid that was killed in a car wreck of the kid's t-shirts. It's very nice that this couple is taking good care of your son, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peglu Posted June 21, 2012 Report Share Posted June 21, 2012 Dear Anne, You have no idea how much your precious gift will give this family. Since we lost our daughter 7 months ago, everything that she touched has so much more significance. We love it when people think of her and talk about her. The fact that you took all these memories and put them together for them is amazing. The thought that you looked at these shirts, handled them, and arranged them so nicely; then put such caring in to quilting it and binding it, and shipping it to them. It is much more than a quilt to them. It is a gesture of caring that will truly bring them comfort as they mourn. It is so awesome that there are people like you who take that extra effort with such kindness. You are blessed. Peggy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LauraJ Posted June 21, 2012 Report Share Posted June 21, 2012 Awesome all the way around, the story, the quilt and the pillowcase. Teary eyed like Ann. Sorry they lost their son but you gave them so many blessings in that quilt! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lisae Posted June 21, 2012 Report Share Posted June 21, 2012 What a wonderful story, Anne! You have created a keepsake for Ryan's parents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linda G. Craig Posted June 21, 2012 Report Share Posted June 21, 2012 Wow, how lovely! I'm speechless....absolutely wonderful quilt, priceless. :cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerriVB Posted June 21, 2012 Report Share Posted June 21, 2012 Who would have thought that your son going to NZ and he would connect with a family that would need you to do this for them---Providence at work!! Wonderful job!! And thank you to Peggy for expressing the emotions coming from the other side!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheri Butler Posted June 21, 2012 Report Share Posted June 21, 2012 Ok Anne, ya shoulda warned this was a Kleen-x moment. Beautiful EVERYTHING! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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