Quilts are the stories of our lives. My grandmother gifted me and my husband a wedding quilt over 40 years ago. It was a top she had appliqued years previously and lovingly hand quilted for us. At the time I had no idea of the time and effort involved in making such a treasured item. We used that quilt until it was beyond well loved. My mother, also an avid sewist, repaired its tatters and tears and we used it some more. It remains one of my treasured items and is put away for others to ponder over when it is found.

When my daughter was to be wed, I asked her and her soon to be husband to pick a pattern and fabric for a wedding quilt. This was before my transformation from traditional quilter to modern quilt designer. They picked out beautiful, bright colors that I had not been accustomed to using. Little did I know this was the direction I would be heading as a quilt designer.

The quilt was lovingly made and gifted and has been well loved. Enter Dilly, a new dog in their lives. One day I got a call that Dilly had chewed an irreparable hole right through their quilt. My daughter was horrified, but I knew this was just part of their quilt’s story.

I started to form an idea of a way to repair the hole with a bit of humor and a way to forgiveness for their beloved dog. I attached fabric photos on the front and back of the quilt to patch the hole. In years to come, when we are long gone from this earth, I hope someone finds this quilt and wonders about this part of its story.