I'm pretty sure I've mentioned this before, but crafting and quilting for me are kinds of therapy. Births, deaths, milestones of all kinds, and things that are meaningful to me - large or small - get transferred into some kind of quilt or craft endeavour. So when it became clear that Rory and Ewan's last day at their current daycare was looming, the only thing that seemed to "fit" for me was to make them a quilt.I've had this quilt in my head since I found a variation of this pattern some years ago. But since I only seem to get things done when I have a deadline, it only just got made. Now, I don't do this sort of thing for every child care provider or agency that helps out with the kids. But Rocking Horse Day Care has been a part of our lives, on and off, for 8 years, and all four kids have spent time there. They have an incredible ability to make me feel like our kids are their favourites (though I know they probably make every parent feel that way). They have cared for our children with love and patience and energy and enthusiasm, and that is a blessing for our whole family.
Although I was certainly the prime mover in this quilt project, all of the kids had a hand in it. I got out my stash of quilt fabrics and had Rory choose his favourite (the border fabric with the chameleons and frogs). From there, I chose a bunch of co-ordinating fabric options and had the other kids make requests about what fabrics they particularly wanted included. The square of trucks and cars in the bottom left is Ewan's; Neva chose the turquoise, purple and red fabrics used in the main part of the panel; and Hugh requested the indigo fabric with the gold stars (seen in the border and as one of the stars around the "welcome" sign). And Jeffy, of course, provided lots of support along the way, both in the emotional department ("that's a fine looking quilt, sweetie") and the practical (doing extra driving so I could snag some extra kid-free sewing time). Truly a group effort.
I have no idea what the daycare will do with this piece, but ultimately it doesn't really matter: I've poured love and energy in to it, and have made my peace with the fact that the kids are moving on, and once it goes to them, it's theirs to do with as they choose. It is a gift filled with love and thanks to the people who have helped raise our children. Not enough, by any stretch, but a heartfelt token.
