Some quilts are created in a quilt class with a teacher helping the learner make every point match and every fabric coordinate. Other quilts are created as a gift of love with absolutely no knowledge of how to quilt, piece or connect the fabrics.

This quilt was created by 4 siblings as a gift for their parents back in the late 60s, this Oldham Quilt XYZ still serves as a reminder of what can be done when kids get an idea and do something special!

Oldham Quilt XYZ – A Gift of Love

My Grandad served in the United States Coast Guard and was attached to the US Navy on the USS San Pedro Battleship. During this time of his military service, he was a young teen. Some Navy men aboard the ship were involved in a group called Navigators. His life was so dramatically changed through the scripture memory program of the Navigators, that many years later he implemented this program with his family.

In 1967 his four children decided to make a very special gift for their parents for Christmas. They chose the Navigator Wheel design with the hub as Christ, each spoke with the date of their decision to become a Christian, and their names on the rim of the wheel. The secrecy of making this quilt was so much a part of the project that that labeled each phase so their parents wouldn’t get any clues as to what they were doing.

Locked in the oldest sister’s bedroom, they worked on cutting the squares from scraps of fabric left over from clothing they had made. The oldest sister, Karen, age 17 was home from her first semester of college and did the machine embroidering. Mahala and Ritchie, ages 14, and 15 put the pieces together and cut the “wheel”. Little brother, Sing, age 11, helped cut out the squares and helped with much comic relief.

Their Mom would call out from the other side of the locked door, “What are you all doing?” They’d respond, “Working on Project X”. On another day, they’d answer, “Project Y”, and finally when they were almost done, they’d respond, “Project Z”.

None of them had a clue how to quilt, so they “tacked” it. The quilt was a great surprise and a hit with their parents. For many years they used it on their bed…not because of its beauty, but because of its love.

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