A Quilt for Justice

Years ago, and a couple years before I started quilting for real, I decided I was going to make a quilt for my 3rd baby. I knew if #3 was a boy, his room would be done in primary colors and trains. I think my mom started buying train fabric pretty much as soon as we found out #3 was a boy. When Justice was a few months old, I picked out a simple pattern and drew out the fabric plan on graph paper. I bought a general quilting book. I got as far as cutting out the first square and gave up. Clearly I had no idea what I was doing. Then Justice died and I had never made his quilt. Memphis was born and "inherited" Justice's bedroom design plans. By then, I was a quilter. But I couldn't bring myself to make a quilt for Memphis knowing that Justice's was never made. The plan was to make one for both of them. I had plenty of train fabrics for more than 2 quilts, so that wouldn't be a problem. And yet, I didn't start either.

Fast forward to a little over a month ago, just a couple of days before the 5th anniversary of Justice's death. A friend who had also lost a son posted this on Facebook.

 

It was a very timely post for me. The writing was credited to Henry Scott Holland. So, of course, I had to do my own research and make sure that's who really wrote it. He did. And I found there's a bit more to the passage.

"Nothing is hurt; nothing is lost. One brief moment and all will be as it was before. How we shall laugh at the trouble of parting when we meet again!" (Some sources say, "Nothing is past; nothing is lost.")

It may have actually been on the anniversary of his death that an idea was born. I finally started working on his quilt. Cutting fabric is old hat for me now. So the first part of the quilt went together quickly. The center is the original pattern I planned to use. The words took a little longer. I was attempting to get the top finished in a week. But I ended up getting three borders on and taking a month break before finishing it this morning.

I was undecided on what to put across the bottom. I consulted my BFF and sisters, and after some discussion, decided on "All is well." Other options were "Justice Wayne Blakey," "Death is nothing," or just a series of the asterisks. Putting his name on it just seemed a little too obvious. I already know it's his. ;)

I think this will finally be the quilt that makes me break down and pay for custom quilting. I usually do my own quilting, but this one needs a little extra special touch that's beyond my capabilities.

I'm so happy with how it turned out. And I still have plenty of fabric for Memphis' quilt. I just need some more of the black background, and I actually know of a place that still has it, 7 years later!