Wedding quilts are a soft spot for me. The metaphor of inviting a few dozen college roommates and cousins of the couple to piece a block, to be included in one tapestry of warmth and beauty, never gets old. 

 

The asking begins months ahead of time, while the bride and groom are distracted by guest lists. Someone, not always me, chooses colors and a design that feels right. The sweet spot is a pattern that is neither intimidating nor mundane, and fabrics that play together like music. 

 

I've participated in scores of such endeavors over the years, if you include those whose purpose was to welcome a baby, or bid farewell. Which I do.

Children sometimes join the fun, and a few men. My Benjamin did a fine job on his block last spring. 

 

After the gifting is over, the tangible love gets to live with the receivers. Bring beauty to a newborn couple, or baby. I imagine that on a gloomy afternoon, when there is a lump of laundry on the bed, one or both of them will rediscover that gallery of affection, hidden under the mismatched socks. The sweetness embedded within the bright threads will break into the air, and they will believe that they are loved.