Krishna Janmashtami is Lord Krishna's birthday and is a significant festival for the Hindus.
How significant, you may ask?
It is a bank holiday, making it official that it is a day of feasting, temple visits and celebration.
My father was just 53 years old when he passed away. It was the day of Krishna Janmashtami.
For my family, the festival is no longer associated with Lord Krishna. It will always be dad's death anniversary.
Today is February 14 and most of us celebrate it as Valentine's Day but for the families who lost a loved one last year on this day, I believe that it will forever be a day of loss.
Losing a loved one on Valentine's Day must be especially difficult.
Of all the loves in our lives, our love for our children must be the strongest, purest and most selfless.
So the loss of a child must also be the most gut-wrenching of all losses. We love them even before we see them and keep loving them forever.
These muddled thoughts about love, loss and kids swirled in my brain - over and over again.
So I did what we quilters do - turn to fabric for comfort and meaning. I made baby quilts.
This Lily and Loom charm pack had a campsite, outdoorsy theme with blues, greens and grays.
I used fabric from my stash to cut additional 30 squares so that I had enough to make two quilts - each with a distinct personality. The greens went to Hunter and the blues went to Angler.
Here is Hunter.
Meet Angler.
The other Lily and Loom charm pack had an outer space theme with blues, grays, orange and yellow.
Once again, I split the charm pack into two to make sure that the two quilts looked distinct from each other and added coordinating fabric from my stash to make sure I had 36 squares for each quilt.
Meet Trooper.
And here is Archer - she is my favorite.
These four quilts were made for the Stillborn Bereavement Group. Instead of using my professional looking label, I chose a hand-written label sewn by hand. I believe that this deliberate act allows me to dwell upon each life lost as I pull the needle trying my best to conceal the threads.
Today, as you hug those you love, send a kind thought to those who have lost a child, be it to stillbirth, gun violence, or just plain estrangement.
I will send these quilts to Sue in New York.
Thank you, Sue, for coordinating this effort.
I will be linking with all my favorite linky parties. As usual, a word from you is a world to me.
How significant, you may ask?
It is a bank holiday, making it official that it is a day of feasting, temple visits and celebration.
My father was just 53 years old when he passed away. It was the day of Krishna Janmashtami.
For my family, the festival is no longer associated with Lord Krishna. It will always be dad's death anniversary.
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| A new quilt |
Today is February 14 and most of us celebrate it as Valentine's Day but for the families who lost a loved one last year on this day, I believe that it will forever be a day of loss.
 |
| Binding in process |
Losing a loved one on Valentine's Day must be especially difficult.
Of all the loves in our lives, our love for our children must be the strongest, purest and most selfless.
So the loss of a child must also be the most gut-wrenching of all losses. We love them even before we see them and keep loving them forever.
These muddled thoughts about love, loss and kids swirled in my brain - over and over again.
So I did what we quilters do - turn to fabric for comfort and meaning. I made baby quilts.
This Lily and Loom charm pack had a campsite, outdoorsy theme with blues, greens and grays.
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| Bear Mountain from Lily and Loom |
I used fabric from my stash to cut additional 30 squares so that I had enough to make two quilts - each with a distinct personality. The greens went to Hunter and the blues went to Angler.
Here is Hunter.
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| Hunter - 31" by 31" |
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| Hunter - Added squares from stash |
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| Hunter - Dog in a Truck backing |
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| Hunter - Green Pieced Binding |
Meet Angler.
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| Angler - 31" by 31" |
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| Angler - Getting Closer |
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| Angler - Snow covered peaks |
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| Angler - See the binding sliver? |
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| Angler - Backing (same as Hunter's) |
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| Angler - Light Blue Pieced Binding |
The other Lily and Loom charm pack had an outer space theme with blues, grays, orange and yellow.
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| Space Camp from Lily and Loom |
Meet Trooper.
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| Trooper - 31" by 31" |
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| Trooper - Astronaut |
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| Trooper - Added Squares from Stash |
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| Trooper - Pieced Backing |
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| Trooper - Baby Elephant rules |
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| Trooper - Bright Blue Binding |
And here is Archer - she is my favorite.
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| Archer - 31" by 31" |
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| Archer - Quilting Detail |
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| Archer - Stash Squares |
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| Archer - Wavy Stripes Backing |
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| Archer - Bright Blue Binding |
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| Archer - Completed |
These four quilts were made for the Stillborn Bereavement Group. Instead of using my professional looking label, I chose a hand-written label sewn by hand. I believe that this deliberate act allows me to dwell upon each life lost as I pull the needle trying my best to conceal the threads.
 |
| Hunter - Label |
 |
| Angler - Label |
 |
| Trooper - Label |
 |
| Archer - Label |
Today, as you hug those you love, send a kind thought to those who have lost a child, be it to stillbirth, gun violence, or just plain estrangement.
I will send these quilts to Sue in New York.
Thank you, Sue, for coordinating this effort.
I will be linking with all my favorite linky parties. As usual, a word from you is a world to me.