This past year has been different but fun and exciting!  Quilting is an acitivity I dabbled in while I was working and, wow, what I have learned since retiring!  My husband retired in 1999 early in our lives.  I had worked for my last fourteen working years in various jobs with the United Methodist Church.  We always loved traveling and our kids landed in TX, CO, and WA state while we were in New Hampshire which is on the other side of the country.  Solved the geography problem by selling the house, all our stuff and moved into a motorhome in 1999.


Two generational quilt with my Mom.

Here are some quilts I have made over the years.




15" x 15" prayer cloth

  

We worked many years with the United Methodist NOMADS (www.nomadsumc.org where you can learn more about them).  I also started making quilted prayer cloths while visiting our home church, Trinity UMC in Denton, TX.  I give them to NOMADS who request prayers as well as others while we travel, friends, family, and those at our winter park, Sundance 1 RV Resort in Casa Grande, AZ.

Back to this past year...I wanted to make a special quilt for the annual charity auction for the NOMADS out of scraps of the prayer cloths.  I prayed for a special design and on Easter Sunday morning at 4:30 am I was startled awake with the design of the cross in my header.  At the auction it went extremely well for a cool and amazing $5,000.  I offered the second bidder one for his bid and he raised his bid to the same amount.  Two other friends of mine wanted me to make them one.

Returning to Casa Grande, I had three of them to make.  My quilting friends loved it and also wanted to make some.  They insisted and encouraged me to make it into a pattern which I did.  In Feb. 2012 the pattern was ready.  In May I opened an Etsy shop (www.etsy.com/shop/raysofhopequilts which is still under development).  In the meantime three others have commissioned me to make a quilt for them.  I also offered one in our home church's auction which brough in a good amount for them.

The prayer cloth ministry is going well and I often get requests for orders for special occasions or special people.  The last photo in my header is for a 50th wedding anniversary.  Over the past nine years I have made and distributed over 1900. I give away about 2/3 of what I make and sell the other 1/3 to help keep me in fabric and thread.

The Rays of Hope quilt is a speciality item but one that brings hope and peace to many.  A couple of ladies have even suggested they could be used as casket covers for family members and reused for other family members in lieu of flower sprays or in addition to them!  I am always open to suggestions for other uses of the quilt.  It was a gift to me from God and I want others to also have access to it.  Yes, I sell patterns and will make the quilt for you for a price but I also do a lot of charity work with them as well.  Your purchase enables me to continue serving God in different ways.

Check in and see how the work continues!