Dannielle's Graduation

Stephen and I are heading down to Redding, California this weekend. Our daughter Dannielle is graduating with honors (summa cum laude) on Saturday. She has a degree in Cross Cultural Studies. She's not exactly sure whether she's continuing her education next Fall but she's been thinking she'd like to be a Physician's Assistant or Nurse Practitioner. We're very proud of her.

The Virginia Tech Memorial Quilt Block project is progressing. We are beginning to receive quilt blocks from the fabric that we've sent out. All I can say about these blocks is that they are fabulous! I hope to post pictures of them to the blog as soon as we get back from California.

I am a firm believer that every single one of us has a unique gift or talent to share with the rest of the world. Every once in a while, we are privileged to glimpse into a person's soul through the artistry of their quilt blocks. We are honored to be putting the quilt blocks up in the shop as they come in and hope to see yours among them!

To participate in this project, we are asking quilters who have been moved by the recent tragedy at Virginia Tech to join us by making a 12-1/2" square quilt block (unfinished size) in the colors of Virginia Tech--maroon and orange. We will then assemble the blocks into quilts. Finished quilts will be sent to Virginia Tech. Everyone who participates in this project will have their name listed on the quilt and included in the documentation about our project. If you would like to incorporate some of the Virginia Tech fabric we talked about in our last blog post, go to Grandma's Attic website and drop us a note in our comment section of the form on that link. While supplies last, we will send you a small piece of this fabric to use in your block.

Make your quilt block in the colors of Virginia Tech--maroon and orange. Please do not introduce other colors into the color scheme as this is a school spirit quilt. Add only maroon, orange and neutrals (white, black, gray, off white) to your quilt block. The block doesn't have to look dull and drab--just be predominantly Tech colors. Once you have finished your block, mail or bring it to Grandma's Attic at the address listed here on our website. Please note: in order to be included in the project, quilt blocks need to be returned to us by June 2, 2007.

This project is historically significant! It's a way of sharing what you were thinking and feeling at this moment in time with future generations. What could be better than that?

Love and Support for Virginia Tech

The overwhelming show of support for the students and faculty of Virginia Tech and all who were affected by the recent tragedy on that campus has been so profoundly moving, so deeply touching, that it is nearly impossible to describe it in mere words. It has only been a few days into the Virginia Tech Memorial Quilt Block project and we have already been privileged to witness the outpouring of love and concern for our fellow human beings in their moment of stunning grief and terrible sadness.

People from nearly every state in America, even from across the ocean in the United Kingdom, have sent in e-mails volunteering to help assemble the blocks for this very special project. Soon, we hope to share with you some pictures of the results of the concern for Virginia Tech and its process of healing. But for now, we thought we would share some of the comments we have received through our online store.

From New York: What a strange coincidence [for Stephen] to have "sneaked" in Virginia Tech Fabric [into the cart] and what a fitting tribute to a most horrific event. God works in mysterious ways to have directed you in this. Please send me a piece so I may be a part of your quilt project. Thank you.

From Texas: I just read your blog regarding Virginia Tech. It [...] really touched my heart. Such a tragedy in such a beautiful and peaceful place. I love Virginia, just having moved away a year ago. I would be honored to help make blocks for the quilts [...] for the families who lost their most precious gifts, their children.

From Arizona: I would like to be a part of [the] VT quilt. What happened there is just too awful for words. [The] quilt will say what some of us are having a hard time expressing in words.

These comments touched our hearts more than you know and affirmed our belief in the common decency of humanity. We have also received many other e-mails from graduates and alumni of Virginia Tech, like Stephen, who have been so troubled that tragedy could strike in a place dear to their hearts. It is clear that their love for their Alma Mater does not simply reside in the buildings on campus, but also within the students and faculty who attend or have attended.

Most moving of all, however, has been the heart-wrenching e-mails from people who have felt the touch of this tragedy even closer to their lives:

From Tennessee: My son is a field engineer [...], and is a graduate of VT. He was a jr. and sr. while [the shooter] was a freshman and sophomore. [...] He has a degree in Computer Engineering. The Israeli professor was his advisor when he was a freshman. [...] I wore my VT Mom shirt to work on Tuesday and have a Hokie shirt on today, since it is mourning day for the victims of the tragedy. That's OK, but this will be a more concrete thing to do.

From Virginia: I am from [Virginia], know many Hokies, and work with several mothers at Tech. It has been a horrific week. Thanks for offering something meaningful for the quilting community to do.

From Virginia: Please send me a piece of the VA Tech fabric. I would like to make a square or two for your quilts. Thank you and God bless you for your thoughtfulness. We lost a local student in the tragedy.

This response leads us to affirm the reason why we are making quilt blocks to assemble into quilts for the families who have felt the cold touch of these heart-breaking events. Blankets by themselves are a powerful symbol of healing and nurturing within a society. For example, one of the first methods to comfort someone suffering from grief and trauma is to wrap them in a blanket. Like blankets, quilts are also a symbol of healing, but through the art and love people put in them, and the messages they can convey, the healing can become more personal and touching. The love of family, the connection to home, the things that are important to us are woven into the spirit of a quilt block in a way much more powerful than a simple solid colored blanket.

Although we cannot be physically present to offer each individual affected by this tragedy our personal sympathies, to offer each person a comforting touch on the shoulder, we hope that we can offer the most tangible thing we can give instead: the fabric hug of a quilt wrapped around them.

Please Note: There is still time to participate! Follow the directions in the previous post (click here to view it) to receive the Virginia Tech Fabric, and remember, make sure your completed block is returned to us by June 2, 2007 to be included in the final assembled quilts.

Virginia Tech Memorial Quilts Project

Grandma's Attic is making memorial quilts for Virginia Tech. We are asking quilters who have been moved by this recent tragedy to join us by making a quilt block 12-1/2" square (unfinished size) in the colors of Virginia Tech--maroon and orange. We will assemble your blocks into quilts. Finished quilts will be sent to Virginia Tech as an offering to all who have been affected by recent events. Everyone who participates in this project will have their name listed on the quilt. If you would like to incorporate some of the Virginia Tech fabric we talked about in our last blog post, go to Grandma's Attic website and drop us a note in our comment section of the form on that link. We'll send you a small piece of this fabric to use in your block.

Make your quilt block in the colors of Virginia Tech--maroon and orange. Please do not introduce other colors into the color scheme as this is a school spirit quilt. Add only maroon, orange and neutrals (white, black, gray, off white) to your quilt block. Once you have finished your block, mail or bring it to Grandma's Attic at the address listed here on our website. Please note: in order to be included in the project, quilt blocks need to be returned to us by June 2, 2007.

Quilts have always served as historical symbols of comfort and support. As a Quilt Historian, I couldn't let this moment in history go by without commemorating it with a quilt full of the hugs and healing we all feel for the victims, survivors, students and faculty. God bless each and every one of you in advance for participating in this very special project. To learn more about Stephen's and my connection to Virginia Tech, please read the post below.

Tragedy at Virginia Tech

A few weeks ago, Stephen and I decided to take time away from our normal work routines and spend the day together. At the last minute, I remembered that I needed to get a few things at a fabric warehouse so I asked him to tag along. While I was picking out the fabric I needed for the shop, Stephen noticed some bolts of fabric with collegiate names on them. "Hey, honey," he said, "here's a bolt with Virginia Tech motifs on it." I sort of nodded in his direction and said, "That's nice," while continuing to shop the warehouse. When it came time to check out, Stephen loaded up the car while I talked with a sales rep about other things. Imagine my surprise when I got back to the shop and discovered that I was now the proud owner of a bolt of Virginia Tech fabric--bright orange with maroon motifs, including a football helmet and a turkey! We live in Oregon now. What in the world was I going to do with this? Stephen had apparently snuck the bolt into the cart while I wasn't looking!

I decided to make a joke about it at the $5.00 quilt club meeting. I told participants about how Stephen loved his alma mater, Virginia Tech. Not only did Stephen get all his degrees at Tech, but I used to work in the geology department. (What I remember about that job was that my desk was wedged in and among various buckets of rocks! Sometimes I would have to move little boulders off the desk so that I would have enough room to type--making sure to keep them labeled and in order for the professors to study.) I also told club members that it was obvious that Stephen liked this orange and maroon fabric or he wouldn't have snuck it into my cart. The kids and I decided that we would make him some "projects" for Father's Day, but we weren't sure what. I asked for and received suggestions from the group, including pillowcases, curtains for the tool room, a quilt in a pillow, etc. At the time, April 6 and 7, it was a pretty funny story.

Everything about that changed early morning on April 16. I was at my desk in the back office when my mother called and told me that there had been a "shooting" at Virginia Tech, one student was dead. I couldn't believe it! As the day progressed, the news got worse and worse, ending finally with the tragic discovery that 33 people, the gunman included, had been killed on the Virginia Tech Campus. Stephen and I were so shocked we spent the entire day glued to the television set. The whole thing was too horrific and overwhelmingly sad to actually take in and try to comprehend. I think we've continued to be in a state of shock over this. I've always wanted people to know about Virginia Tech, but this is certainly not what I wanted them to equate with the school. Can you imagine? "Virginia Tech--oh yeah, isn't that the school where that terrible shooting occurred?" I'd rather people remember Tech for all the positive things that make it special.

You see, Stephen and I met in Blacksburg, Virginia. Our first "date" was at Virginia Tech where we attended a play at Burrus Hall. We used to walk along the paths of the drill field, feed the ducks at the duck pond, visit the veterinary barns to see the cows, watch the 4th of July fireworks, and in general "hang out" together at Tech. Homecoming Parades were always a treat. The Highty Tighties marching band practiced in the streets of Blacksburg all year long, and we loved hearing them play. We loved the fact that the alumni band would come to town and ride in the parade on an air conditioned bus with the windows opened so that 80-year-old band members could serenade the crowds. We thought the alumni band always sounded the best!

We were married in Blacksburg. Two of our daughters were born at Montgomery Regional Hospital. I owned a business in the center of Blacksburg and was part of the Downtown Business Association that put on the summer festivals and raised money for downtown improvements. The business owners were special too. Shops had names like Mish Mish; Books, Strings & Things; Mainstreet Bazaar; E. Gadd's (that was my shop); College Inn, Carolee Donuts, and Gilly's Ice Cream. All of our shops were adjacent to the Virginia Tech campus, and during those years, we literally saw thousands of students come through our doors as friends, customers, co-workers, and employees.

While Stephen was busy getting his degrees, he had an office on the 2nd floor of Norris Hall, the building so central to this tragedy. He taught classes on the 2nd floor of Norris--in Room 211 to be exact. I visited him there many times. We always thought that Tech was a beautiful, peaceful campus with an energy all its own, and we think that to this day.

As you can tell, many of our fondest memories together are wrapped up in that school. Now, some of our saddest memories reside there as well. Stephen knew Professor Librescu, the Holocaust Survivor who used his body to block the door so that his students could escape.

So, needless to say, it's been a difficult week. Now, the fabric that Stephen put into our cart has special meaning. I've even called the warehouse and ordered the rest of this fabric that they had in stock. Stephen and I strongly believe it would be fitting to put together quilts for the families of the victims. We're asking others to join us in making quilt blocks from this fabric to be sewn into quilts. I'm also going to mention this project at my $5 Quilt Club. If you'd like to help make a block or two for this project, let me know.

Chick Day!

April 7th was "Chick Day" at our house. That's when Stephen went to the Feed Store and brought home six new baby chicks to add to his small barnyard brood. He's got 16 chickens now, counting the babies, and that's enough for anyone. Stephen registered his flock with the Oregon State University program to ensure that he has the latest updates on raising chickens and keeping them safe from illness. He built a special box for the new chicks, adjusted the heat lamp, and got everything placed "just so." Stephen's chickens produce an average of six to eight eggs per day. That means he's got as many eggs as the Easter Bunny. He gives them away to family and friends. The chickens come to him when he calls and follow him anywhere he goes!