Mother’s Tears Quilt

a mothers tears quilt

As a quilter I get emails asking me to help with projects.  One came to my inbox in December 2014 that made me want to help.  A Quilt for Mother’s Tears makes quilts for the mother of every fallen officer in the country.  On average 120 officers are killed in the line of duty across the country every year.

The founder, Sheri Bradway, lost her son in the line of duty.  To help her cope she turned to quilting as a comfort.  I fondly remember the day Officer Bradway was killed.  He was a seasoned officer with IMPD (Indianapolis Metropolitain Police Department).  He responded to a domestic violence call and didn’t hesistate to help the woman he heard inside.  This charity hits a little close to home.

The email asked if I would be interested in helping.  The first part of this year has been hectic so I asked to contacted again at the end of summer.  If you followed any national news recently, you may realize a number of officers have been killed in the line of duty over the last couple of months.  I hated getting the email because of what it means for a family and community.  Quilting a quilt won’t bring the officer back, but hopefully provides some peace and comfort to their survivors.

While working on this quilt, I wonder how the recipient will use it.  Will it be a wall display (hopefully my quilting won’t be criticized), will she snuggle with it for comfort, or will she pass it down to the officers family?  I really struggled to make sure I was happy with the overall look and quilting of the quilt.  I didn’t piece it or choose the design, this is their design for every quilt.

Sergeant Scott Lunger of the Hayward, CA police department.
Sergeant Scott Lunger of the Hayward, CA police department.

Here is the story to the officer my quilt is for.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/22/us/california-police-officer-killed/

 

If you are interested in donating your skills, please let A Mother’s Tears know.