From Infertility to Family: How One Quilt Inspired a Journey

It’s often said that people come into your life for a season. If you’re lucky enough to have someone be part of your life across many seasons, you are truly blessed. I have several friends who have been with me for a long time, but it’s amazing how people you haven’t spoken to in years can reappear as if no time has passed. Those are the relationships that reveal the true meaning of love, friendship, and family.

Josh and I struggled to have children. Even with expensive and emotionally draining fertility treatments, we were never able to have a baby. I often blamed myself. Josh encouraged me to consider adoption, but I was hesitant at first. It took time for me to come around to the idea. But God has a way of opening paths when we least expect it.

We became a foster family. Our first two placements were temporary, but the next four children became the core of our family. When Phillip and Carl came to us in 2013, we began our journey together. Autumn joined us a few months later, and almost exactly one year after the boys arrived, we welcomed Jonathan. Our journey had its ups and downs, filled with tears and laughter, and it ultimately created a family stitched together like a beautiful quilt. That kind of family only comes through effort and determination. I know how fortunate we are to have found one another.

Not long after finalizing the adoption of all four children, a large box arrived in the mail from a college friend, Beth. She and I had studied Child Development and Family Studies at UNCG, and we reconnected on social media. Beth had seen that I was learning to sew and had started doing embroidery so I could monogram Autumn’s tops to match her oversized hair bows. She messaged me to say she had some fabric scraps she wanted to share.

When the huge box arrived, I was excited to dig into it. Inside were beautiful fabric pieces, but also something more. Tied with a sage green silk ribbon was a handmade quilt. I burst into tears. I knew the time, love, and care Beth had put into creating this work of art for our family. I could not believe someone cared enough to make us such a special gift. That quilt has wrapped each one of us in love over the years. It was my daughter’s first bedspread. It has kept us warm on chilly nights and comforted us when we were sick.

This past winter, I found myself thinking about that quilt and how meaningful it is to have a piece of someone you love, especially after they are gone. It is something to hold, something that keeps the memory close. Every time I look at that quilt, I am reminded of Beth’s compassion and of how, despite time and distance, our friendship remained strong. Her gift inspired me to learn to quilt.

I watched videos, TikToks, asked Beth lots of questions, and made plenty of mistakes. I have saved all of them. Each mistake has taught me something, not just about quilting but about life. Our fertility journey was not a mistake. It was the start of a new path that brought us to the family we were meant to have. It is part of the patchwork of who we are.

I hope you enjoy exploring the selections here at Pisgah Needleworks. I hope you begin your own creative journey and stitch together items that will hold memories for your family. A handmade gift from the heart can do wonders for a broken spirit. It helped heal mine and reminded me what a blessing family and friendship will always be.