The seventh annual Spring Fling -- a live auction fundraiser -- for my kids school happened April 27. The name of the event was the only spring in the Minnesota air though, as snow fell around us changing the spring attire of many who attended to sweaters and shoes instead of dresses and sandals. But, even in our warm digs, a good time was had by all. The highlight of the evening for me is always the quilt auction. Each grade has made a quilt and it is auctioned to the highest bidder. The quilts averaged $1000 each and we made $9000 that night for a total in 6 years of $45,000 dollars. This is not where the story lies though.
The story lies in the children and volunteers who make the quilts. Each year I am blessed with the opportunity to tell a tale that keeps me wanting to teach the kids to quilt. This year it is of a first grade boy. It is a tale of sparkling eyes and little sewing fingers, a tale of pride in accomplishment. Four moms helped the first graders make their Gamequilt this year. I helped too. We divided the Gamequilt into sections and split the kids into groups with the moms to sew the sections.
The kids were all talk and excitement over the concept of a quilt that you could play games on. The buzzing never stopped, they never wanted to leave to let the next group sew. They were in awe.
After a couple of hours, the quilt top was ready and the excitement was almost uncontrollable. They jumped up and down, they pointed to the parts they had a hand in. They were sure that their parent would be the one to buy this fabulous quilt.
I packed it up wishing they could all have one like it. I went upstairs to pick up my two kids with the Gamequilt tucked under my arm. As I neared my daughter's classroom I heard a child's voice yell, "There she is! There she is!" I looked and he was pointing at me.
"Oh-oh, what did I do now?" was my first thought.
He was pulling his mother like a big dog pulls you when you take it for a walk. Mom was slightly embarrassed and asked if she could she see the quilt the first graders made. I sighed in relief and unfolded the quilt top to show it in all its glory. The little boy beamed and lifted his arm to the quilt, as if to present it to his mother. "This is the quilt I made, mom!"
This is why I teach the kids to quilt.
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