Surprise Christmas Gift

This blanket was fun to make. I received a call early December with a special request. "Do you think you can make a blanket for my husband in time for Christmas?" It was going to be a surprise, and her husband had played football, coached basketball, even designed a couple of the logos for the shirts. "He kept everything," she explained, as we pulled out the  neatly folded shirts, athletic shorts and sweatshirts from a huge plastic bin.  She had retrieved the bin which usually stayed near where they store their Christmas decorations, and she was hoping he wouldn't notice it was missing! He had so many shirts, we had to make a king size blanket to use them all.

One of the things that is great about gathering these memories all in one place is that it gives a way for parents to show their children and grandchildren they weren't always as they are today. It tells the story that they were kids once, college stars once, coaches once. They had shared their talents with their communities, performed in front of cheering crowds, helped other kids find their way. A blanket like this is made to be passed along to the next generation. It helps tell the story that playing, competing, teaching are in the fabric of who we are.

Taylor's College Volleyball Blanket

Taylor was graduating from high school, getting ready to go to West Virginia on a volleyball scholarship. She was always the athlete...playing basketball with her Dad, hitting golf balls, playing soccer and volleyball. When our family sent away on vacation, she was the one we asked to check in on our Great Pyrenees, Muelin, and feed the cats. When I offered to make her a tcover to take to college as a graduation gift, her Mom was thrilled...gathering over 20 T-shirts, memories of growing up in a little town north of Cincinnati in Loveland, OH, and playing competitive sports all over the state. Volleyball was the key, but nursing is her calling. Drive, constancy, being a team player are values she will carry with her always.

Urban League Benefit Gala

How pretty is Cincinnati Urban League Monica Magette's daughter, posing with the tcover blanket I made for her to take to college! I made this as a gift...and a sample blanket to display at the Urban League Gala in Cincinnati, offering a custom blanket as one of the raffle prizes. One of the reasons for creating tcovers is a statistic former UC President Nancy Zimpher cited about the high drop-out rate at Ohio colleges and universities. At the time, she indicated about 3 in 10 college freshmen drop out in their first quarter! I found his astounding, yet I do remember starting at Michigan State, so far from friends and family in Long Island, and realizing that I was suddenly a very small little fish in a very big pond. I had been Editor of my high school newspaper, active in my church and community, yet no one knew me at M.S.U. So many young people can't find comfortable ways to communicate who they are to roommates, new acquaintances, professors. Having a blanket that reminds them of their many talents, achievements and leadership roles is a great conversation starter. More importantly, it is something to wrap yourself up in when struggling to find your bearings, study for exams, take to a football game, share special memories with new friends.