Sowing Seeds by Sewing

by Ann Horsley

I used to think I enjoyed gardening, but I’m not so sure I really do. However, the Bible encourages the followers of Jesus to plant seeds. That is what our Christ’s Church Quilting Group is trying to do (and you thought this was going to be about gardening!).

We have been an organized group for many years. Early on we learned new techniques and worked on our own projects. And then a few years ago we felt a need to focus on serving through our enjoyment of quilting and our ever-growing stash of fabric. We decided to start sewing baby quilts for Life Forward, a crisis pregnancy center that our church partners with. You can find out more about them here.

The members of our quilting group recognized that we had more than enough quilts of our own, yet we didn’t want to give up the creative process. When we recognize that God is the Creator of beauty, we can understand the source of our own creativity. We pray this prayer from Psalm 90:17, “May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hand for us—yes, establish the work of our hands” (NIV). And that is why we have the desire to continue to create.

I have not kept an exact count, but looking back through the pictures I have, we have donated over 350 quilts to others. Our goal is to plant some seeds no matter how small they might be, encouraging these young parents in the Lord. The apostle Paul tells us, “The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor” (1 Corinthians 3:8, NIV). Life Forward is doing the watering, and it is God himself who makes all things grow. We pray that God will use our efforts in some way to be a part of providing that growth.

Sewing and Showing Love

Can God use a baby quilt to show love? I think God can use anything or anyone with a heart for him. We don’t usually get to see who receives the quilts or what they do with them. Our prayer is that we have planted a seed—a seed that says someone cares about you and are happy you have come into this world. We want to plant a seed that says, “you are fearfully and wonderfully made.” We apply a label on the quilts with this verse from Psalm 139:14, “I praise you [God] because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well” (NIV).

We welcome anyone who would like to join us. We are also happy to teach anyone who is interested in learning the craft of quilting—male or female (we have both in our group!). Currently we meet on the fourth Monday of each month from 4:00–7:30 pm in the parlor of Christ’s Church. Wanna know more? Click here.

Quilts of Valor

In addition to our Christ’s Church Quilting Group, the Logos class that meets on Sunday mornings has made and distributed quilts to veterans. There is an organization called “Quilts of Valor” Their goal is to award a quality, handmade quilt to veterans who have been impacted by war. The quilt is a way of saying, “Thank you for your service and sacrifice in serving our nation.” They often say, “Quilts = Healing!” As of this writing, the Quilts of Valor organization has awarded 382,765 quilts through individuals and groups.

Both the men and women in our Logos class, even if they had never sewn before, participated in making the quilts. They were involved in the whole process—from the cutting of the material, to pinning the pieces, and then sewing them all together. After the quilts were finished, we selected a day to deliver them to the veterans. We made quilts for veterans from WWII, the Korean War, Vietnam, and Desert Storm. Some of the quilts were presented to veterans who are part of Christ’s Church, but many went to members of our community.

The first year we did this, the quilt “leaders” first taught their husbands to make a quilt before they taught the rest of the class. This was a learning experience for us as well! My husband Charley chose a difficult pattern, but did a bang-up job on his quilt. From the news he had learned of a young man from Hamilton, Ohio, who was just weeks from coming home, when he stepped on a land mine and lost both of his legs. Charley tracked down the young man’s mother and asked to present his quilt to him. We also discovered that she was trying to raise funds to modify his shower. The class raised the money for the redo and presented that to them as well.

Our delivery day of the quilts was always the most fun. A Christian motorcycle group would lead our procession of vans to deliver the quilts. The families knew we were coming, but many of the veterans were surprised. We were often met with tears and hugs—especially from the Vietnam vets who had not received a nice welcome home.

What do you enjoy doing? If not quilting, what has God given you as a means to express your creativity? Someone once said, “Creativity is hereditary. I got it from my Father.” Gardening, sewing, painting, singing . . . you fill in the blank. How are you using it to plant seeds for God’s glory and the benefit of others?

Ann Horsley recently retired as office manager of her husband Charley’s medical practice. Besides enjoying quilting, she loves being grandma to her two granddaughters.