OPQG member, Barbara H., developed a passion for making quilts from men’s slightly worn shirts. Before retirement, she was employed at an Arkansas Welcome Center. It allowed her to see and visit hundreds of tourists each day. A truck driver that dropped by about three times a week became one of her “regular” friends. On one occasion, she made the comment that he had on a beautiful shirt and that it would look great in a quilt!
This led him to donate a few colorful shirts to her every few months. She saved the shirts until she finally designed a wall-hanging pattern. In a few months, the quilt was hung on the wall of the Welcome Center. The first time he came into the welcome center she told him to look at his shirts. He was in shock and couldn’t believe it! Many tourists viewed, commented and photographed the quilt over the two years that it hung there.
When Barbara retired, she mailed the quilt to him and his family as a Christmas gift. Barb said, “It brought me such joy to make a quilt by repurposing this traveler’s shirts. It also allowed me to talk “quilting” with many of the tourists and seeing their reactions made my heart happy.”
Thanks for sharing this quilty story, Barbara. The quilt is a beauty.