Primary Compassion Quilt

I am LDS and every 6 months our church has a 2 day conference with meetings for the entire world wide church. On Saturday evening the men and young men 12 years old and above have a special meeting. They go to the church and watch it.We have a special meeting for women the week before General conference and it is amazing. But on the night the men have meetings we do something fun. We women affectionately call this 'Ladies Night'. It has always been a fun time for me and my girls. We will go out to dinner and a movie. Go shopping. Sometimes we stay home and watch our favorite 'chick-flick' Anne of Green Gables. Now that my family has grown and we have 7 women and lots of children, we stay home and have a potluck meal and do a craft. With the grandchildren getting older I thought we should have a fun, yet meaningful activity for them (which helps to corral them for a minute, but just a minute.) Six months ago they made quilt squares by painting their hands and pressing them on to pre-cut fabric. I was amazed at how careful and patient they were. I had had images of paint all over my house. Then they turned their hand print into something like butterflies or turkeys or flowers, etc. They and their mothers were so creative. Our plan was to give this quilt to a sick child at Primary Children's Hospital. They signed their names and wrote sweet little 'get-better' wishes to the child. But the squares sat and sat on my counter until I finally moved them into the sewing room.

Between the guilt and needing another activity for the littles to do, I remembered the quilt. I sewed the squares together, added a back and batting. Then all that needed to be done was to tie it. Well, 7-year-olds are not the best knot tiers. They seem to be able to tie everything else in knots but when it is time to tie a real knot it just wasn't happening. I was a Cub Scout leader for years and taught many a little boy to tie square knots. I guess there is a reason that they start when they are 8. But the littles were so darling and careful as they worked. When we were finished and the quilt frames were put away I checked their knots. Most of them were just half knots like when they are tying their shoes. So maybe it was more my instructions than their skill. So I simply retied the stitches and had a fun time looking at all their squares again.