The Quilt Story

The Process

What does an organization give to someone who has given so much to that organization? Options created the quilt pictured on the cover as a farewell gift to Gail. We wanted to give Gail a gift from our hearts to mark her exit from the day to day world of Options, and the quilt seemed like a way to create something that reflected the uniqueness of Options, and of our individual senses of Gail's contributions.

The quilt's creation is an example of a fairly typical process that ideas follow at Options. Somebody thinks up an idea, and tells it to some others. Those who feel inspired by the idea offer further ideas, and offer their support and help to see the ideas to fruition. Still other unsuspecting staff begin to hear of the idea, and are encouraged to sign on to the project. A few poor souls stay more out of the loop, concentrating on other details unrelated to the project at hand, and express some distant support for the idea, and mystification about how and why it should involve them.

So went the quilt... it moved from the idea stage to a concrete selection of bright fabrics in a matter of days. A small group, fortunately including a few folks who actually understood how to put a quilt together, began to map out the design. Staff who work in Options' office were informed that they would each get a square of fabric, and that they were to complete a block for the quilt using whatever ideas and approach they felt inspired to use. Technical assistance, including design, construction and materials, was offered. Information was passed along through teams and individual conversations in the halls: again, just like most other projects at Options. Keeping the secret of the quilt from Gail was a bit challenging, but we were guided by past successes in not letting the boss know everything that staff were up to.

As people began to complete the squares, we gathered them in Missy's office, who had become the quilt "coordinator" due to her skills and her willingness to help. It became an almost daily event to ask Missy to lay out all of the newly finished blocks. The quilt began to take shape, and we began planning the layout. The variety of styles, ideas, and methods used to finish the blocks was fascinating to observe, and it was moving to see the little stories told by the blocks. Also true to most projects at Options, a firm deadline was given for the completion of the blocks, and then it was extended for a few last minute folks. In a matter of a few weeks, the quilt went from an idea to a completed top, and then to a finished quilt that amazed and captivated all of us. Josh, who was one of those who cautiously went along with the instructions given to him on his part in the project, and who sought technical assistance from others, noted, "Wow... who would have thought it would turn out like this!" Needless to say, we were rather proud of our finished project. Quilters say that it is good to include an error in every quilt as a reminder to all of our imperfections. Miraculously, this was a detail we found it unnecessary to plan for....

The Blocks

Our original plan for the quilt was to leave the top right square unfinished, for Gail herself to put her mark on the quilt. For a variety of reasons, this plan changed as the quilt grew. The square that took its place there was created by Missy, without whose skill and time the quilt might still be unfinished. The words read "stitched by hand with little pieces from our hearts." This block belonged in that spot because it explains the gift of the quilt.

Hearts became a recurring theme as individual blocks were completed, showing up in several more squares, glowing from the windows of a cozy home, anchoring the Hebrew letters for shalom, and as a part of the Chinese characters for the word "integrity." The hearts in the outside border fabric were partially by design, and partially the gift of the community. We liked the idea of finding a border fabric that included hearts, since the quilt was a heart-felt gift. But, we couldn't find the right fabric and the right colors. At the fabric store, a couple of us tried mightily to find that perfect fabric that pulled all of the blocks together. We had the finished blocks pinned together, and we wandered through the store selecting and rejecting fabric. We became increasingly overwhelmed with our fabric selection task, so we turned to the store clerks for assistance.

They were more than happy to offer their practiced eye and fabric selection skills to our project, and it felt comfortable because they first warmly praised our half-assembled quilt top with the proper amount of enthusiasm, but as they began to select bolts of fabric from throughout the store for our approval, we began to worry because the choices were not at all close to the picture in our mind's eye. As we gathered in one corner of the store to consider what I thought was some absolutely ugly fabric, a voice called from across the store that she had found the perfect fabric. A customer shopping for her own fabric had taken one look at the quilt and walked directly to the fabric that we instantly knew was the perfect border to complete the quilt that came from our hearts. Moreover, it provided another lesson in the importance of including community perspectives in our work, and opening ourselves to the possibility of new ideas. The quilt is richer and better because of the contribution of a stranger. The quilt reminds us to question, and the central location of the question mark points out that questions will always be with us. Ruby slippers encourage us to dream about visions of home, and several blocks describe the value of story in Options' work. Spanish words remind us to value our diversity, a pocket holds hidden treasure, and children take their place on the quilt. There are reminders to keep people in the center of our work, and to see the beauty and grandeur of our world. Several blocks offer pictures of community and home, which are powerful images at Options; one of these squares was completed by a man that Options has supported for many years. Finally, other squares remind us to follow our own star, have a relaxing cup of coffee, and listen to the "Optionettes" sing.

-- Kim Turner