Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Joseph Smith Tribute Quilt



Another Finished Quilt! My 2008 completed quilts list is growing. Hooray! And this is a special one. This is my completed Joseph Smith Tribute Quilt. This pattern was designed in 2005 (by some very talented ladies- not me) to commemorate the 200th birthday of Joseph Smith, latter-day propehet of God, chosen to restore the true church of Jesus Christ.

He lived at a time of great religious excitement and confusion. At 14 years of age he was affected by the widespread religious revivals in New England and wondered which was the correct church to join.

“So great were the confusion and strife among the different denominations, that it was impossible for a person young as I was . . . to come to any certain conclusion who was right and who was wrong. . . . In the midst of this war of words and tumult of opinions, I often said to myself: What is to be done? Who of all these parties are right; or, are they all wrong together? If any one of them be right, which is it, and how shall I know it?” ( Joseph Smith—History 1:8, 10).

As Joseph sought truth among the different faiths, he turned to the Bible for guidance. He read, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him” ( James 1:5). Because of this passage, Joseph decided to ask God what he should do. In the spring of 1820 he went to a nearby grove of trees and knelt in prayer. He described his experience: “I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me. . . . When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!” ( Joseph Smith—History 1:16–17)

(passages taken from http://www.mormon.org/mormonorg/eng/basic-beliefs/the-restoration-of-truth/the-restoration-of-the-gospel)

Joseph Smith saw God, the Father, and Jesus Christ. He was instructed not to join any of the churches, none of them had the fullness of Christ's gospel. It would be his responsibility to restore and reorganize Christ's true church, as it had been when He walked the earth a thousand years before. Joseph was the first prophet and president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

This quilt is made from 1800's reproduction prints and each block is designed to symbolize a part of his life. For example, the log cabin blocks at the top tell of how he came from humble beginnings and grew up in a small log cabin. The red stars symbolize the Savior Jesus Christ, who Joseph always testified of. The pink and brown block in the middle is a love knot symbolizing the love between Joseph and his devoted wife Emma. The brown, black and red block on the right symbolizes his death as a martyr.

This quilt is special to me because of what it symbolizes.

Normally, when I quilt its all about creating something of comfort and beauty. I was excited to make this one because not only is it beautiful but it also provided me a way to share my feelings and the life of Joseph Smith with my family.

Thanks for indulging me, blogland, by letting me share this quilt with all of you too.

9 comments:

Julia said...

Thank you so much for sharing this special quilt and your beautiful testimony! You have brought tears to my eyes. You inspire me to not be afraid of what people think. I sometimes tend to keep things inside for fear of offending someone.

I can't find the pattern doing an internet search, so I am going to call Broadbent's and ask them if they still have it. Thanks for the info!

Elizabeth said...

I love it! It makes me want to get mine back out and redo it or maybe I should start over again.

Nanette Merrill said...

Oh it is lovely. Your testimony and the quilt are inspiring me. I love that you said it boldly and with love.

Carin said...

I adore this quilt! Where ever did you get the pattern? Thank you for sharing your testimony with the world, you never know who's heart you may touch.

Stillvnu said...

I love your JS Quilt. I bought the patterns but never started my quilt. I am totally inspired again.

cyndi said...

Thank you for your testimony and sharing your quilt. I am making this with a group on line. Looking for my own copy of the patterns. Do you know where I could get them?

bookjunky said...

Beautiful quilt.

I've always wondered why god would give Joseph Smith the tablets in another language. Wouldn't an omnipotent god be able to give Joseph Smith the original in English so there wouldn't be any mistake on what He meant?

Crystelle Boutique said...

that is beautiful!
Thank you for sharing!
I bet your testimony grew so much while you were working on this...

Moses Lake Temple Project said...

Is there anyway you could direct me to a pattern of this quilt, please?