Sometime in November 2014, one of my daughter’s friend’s mother asked if I would make a t-shirt quilt for her graduating daughter (whom I’ll call T).  I was still having side effects from the failed MS therapy so was not ready to commit to doing anything that required a timeline.  I had so much to do already and no gumption to do any of it.  I did not relay this info to the mother because I had no idea when I would come out from my funk and be rearing to quilt again.  I basically ignored the question.

In January 2015, I found out our friends were coming near where we live and wanted to get together for lunch.  They also wanted to see the t-shirt quilt I was making for their daughter and son-in-law.  Except, all I’d done on that quilt was stabilize the t-shirts and cut them to-size.  And buy the fabric.  I had to work fast and furious, over the course of a week, to get that quilt top finished.  And I did it!

A week or two later, I found a paper sack on my cutting table.  I knew I didn’t put it there so started asking around the house.  Finally, my daughter said her friend’s mom sent the bag home with her, to give to me.  As I peered inside, I saw t-shirts.  This was the t-shirt quilt I ignored.  UGH

Another week or two later, I decided to take a look at what T’s mom sent.  As I pulled out the t-shirts, they weren’t what I expected.  T has been in the one-act play group at school and I expected her play t-shirts.  What I got, instead, were camp t-shirts.  Summer camp t-shirts.  Church summer camp t-shirts.  I pulled them out of the bag, not paying attention to anything on them except for the years.  I had t-shirts from the summer of 2007 through 2014.

And once again, I did nothing more with them.

Until I realized I didn’t have a whole lot of time to finish the quilt top and it was way past time when T’s mom could hire someone else to make the t-shirt quilt.

I start going through the shirts and really paying attention to them because I need to figure out what will and won’t work for the quilt and the sizes they need to be.

While reading the shirts, I came across this on a shirt:

“I have been crucified with Christ.  It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life which I now have in the flesh, I have by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”  Galatians 2:20

This is what I call a “God Moment” in my life.  You see, I was confirmed at the end of my ninth-grade school year and each of the confirmands in my grade had to choose a Bible verse that they felt suited them.  Then we had to memorize it and recite it to the congregation during our confirmation church service.  THIS was my Bible verse.  I can still recite this verse from memory – and its meaning continues to speak to me, about me.

There was absolutely no doubt in my mind, after seeing this verse on one of those t-shirts, that I was meant to make this t-shirt quilt for T.