A book review by Trish Deitemyer
Talk about inspiring! While reading “Making a World of Difference One Quilt at a Time: Inspiring Stories about Quilters and How They Have Touched Lives” by Ruth McHaney Danner, I was moved after almost every story to get up and start quilting. And I’m not even a quilter! Danner’s uplifting book showcases 55 true accounts of quilters who use their time and talents to help others. There’s the group in Indiana that makes quilts for every family member in every Habitat for Humanity home in their county. There’s the daughter who lost her mother to cancer who makes quilts for other cancer patients to use while receiving chemo, and then keep. And then there’s Quilts of Valor, which are made by volunteers and given to veterans whose lives have been touched by war. In every story, the recipients are overwhelmed to learn that someone cared for them so much that they handmade a quilt just for them.
Helpfully, after each story is a section telling the reader how she can get involved, whether it’s actually making a quilt, preparing a quilt square, sorting fabric or simply donating materials. Everyone, no matter age or income, can help if they want to.
Quilts represent so much to so many: warmth and comfort; community (because they’re often made by a group of people); and love, because they take precious time and effort. The quilters in “Making a World of Difference One Quilt at a Time: Inspiring Stories about Quilters and How They Have Touched Lives” know this and show their love by doing something they enjoy doing and then giving it away, free of charge.
Ruth McHaney Danner is an award-winning quilter and author who has been making quilts since she was a child and has donated many to charity. She hopes everyone reading her book will experience the joy of making and giving away a quilt to a cause that they believe in.
