I am a lucky woman. First of all, I am surrounded by a wonderful family, and second, I happen to know some amazing and caring people. Every now and then people exhibit generosity that just blows you away, and as you can see by the surrounding pictures, I recently received about a quarter ton of generosity. It came to me in the form of a quilting stash.

Those of you who have a quilter in your home know about the “Stash.” For those of you who are scratching your heads, a quilter’s fabric stash is the amount of fabric they accumulate in a lifetime. The stash is usually purchased at fabric stores as often as the quilter can manage, without looking like they have a “problem” to those on the outside. Sale signs popping into the windows of quilt stores are causes for us to drop everything and buy even more fabric. Now, I have my own stash that people often seem to  mistake for a fabric store and in some ways that’s true; with a daughter who quilts, 12 grandchildren, and several community service projects I support and supply lots of fabrics for, so since they all shop here for free, I feel a little better about having such a large stash. (That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.)

A woman I never had the privilege to meet has touched my life, her name is Sharon Hale. She was a dedicated quilter who, in her lifetime, created approximately 5,000 quilts before she passed away this year. Her daughter discovered my many community outreach and quilting projects and selected me to be the recipient of her mother’s beloved stash. I was very honored. As every quilter knows, the stash is a very personal thing. When sorting through the literal truckloads of fabric, scissors, pins, buttons, sewing machines, patterns, books, and rolls of batting, I couldn’t help but to get excited about completing some of her unfinished projects. (It also made me seriously think about some of my own unfinished projects. Who would ever finish them? I’d better get started.)

Working with another quilter’s stash is a humbling experience, especially when I consider the community service Sharon accomplished in her lifetime. Sharon spent most of her professional career as a teacher of special education at El Camino High School in South San Francisco. She was honored to receive the Woman of the Year Award in Pacifica, for her many activities with community organizations and selfless sense of giving. Here is an excerpt I would like to share with you a moving story from one of Sharon’s letters.

“Not all of my students were eager to attend High School. I had gang members who would rather be on the streets, students living with their families in cars, students born with fetal-alcohol syndrome, and some with a severe learning or emotional disability. I was fortunate to have a large room and brought my sewing machine and quilt-tying frame to school. The students joined me in my community quilt projects. While making a quilt for someone else, they learned to adjust, adapt and understand life. They learned responsibility, creativity, and stress management skills. I was so lucky to be able to take the time to tie a quilt with a student. We could work together when students need to ease a violent temper or understand why I liked them when they didn’t even like themselves. They gained self-confidence, compassion, and social skills. I wanted to teach my students to get the most out of life by giving”

I feel, very much, like a part of Sharon Hale’s vision is alive and well when working with her stash. In fact, it is this inspiration that has created my current quilting outreach project with the Berkeley Kiwanas: Berkeley Cares with Fabric Hugs. I like to think of this as the continuation of a great cycle, and that the projects we do in life impact others far more than we can ever imagine both for those who give and those who receive. I think that giving to others is very rewarding. I encourage all of you to find ways to give back and share as much as you can with those who most need it. If you live in the Bay Area, and you’ve been inspired, email me to volunteer with the Legacy Stash. You can make a difference by finishing one quilt, six quilts, or fifty quilts. There are ways for everyone to help, (we even need people to wash a load of flannel fabric). Wherever you see yourself fitting in, come and play with us, there’s room for everyone to have a great time and be inspired.

Look for updates on the progress of this stash as it works it’s way through the community. Click the button below to read more.