Quilting for a Cause

8" x 8" quilt square made for the Rocky Mountain Threads of Life Donor Family Quilt Project to honor Tess LeAnn Smith who loved the beach and also Christmas.

There are a lot of worthy causes that quilters support including:

- the AIDS Memorial quilt honoring those who have died from AIDS
- Project Linus which provides quilts to kids in need
- Quilts of Valor for veterans and service members
- Kennel Quilts made for animals affected by natural disasters
- Threads of Resistance for political protest quilts
- the 70237 Project honoring the 70,273 disabled people killed by Nazis before the Holocaust began

One cause that I didn't know about until recently was the Rocky Mountain Threads of Life Donor Family Quilt Project to commemorate individuals who have given the gift of life through the donation of organs and/or tissue.

I had the honor of creating the quilt square above to commemorate Tess Smith who was skiing with her friends in Colorado on a ski trip when she broke her leg. Unfortunately, a small fatty embolism found it's way to her brain and she died suddenly. Her mother says that the decisions made that weekend were difficult, but the one to donate her organs was not.

Tess LeAnn Smith was granted her angel wings on March 5, 2017. Her final days were spent surrounded by family and friends that Tess had touched in major ways throughout her short, yet very memorable life. She was born on June 27, 2001 in Wichita, Kansas. Tess's life would seem too short to many, but those who were touched by her understood that the quality of existence far exceeds the quantity of time in which one lives. She led a life as beautiful and blessed as she was. She preferred to spend her time with friends and family, dancing, traveling, listening to music and taking selfies. She loved to explore and see new parts of the world, although some of her favorite places to visit were Starbucks and Victoria's Secret. She was truly a walking testament of someone who valued others before herself, as she loved to make new friends and cherished relationships with many.

I never met Tess but her mother tells me that
 - Her favorite color was pink
 - Her favorite movie was Endless Love
 - She was in love, his name was Andre’
 - Favorite place to shop was Pink/Victoria’s Secret
 - She loved Starbucks Frappucinos
 - Her favorite song was The Little Things by Big Gigantic
 - She loved to read and write poetry
 - Favorite flower was a pink rose
 - She loved Yankee Candles, always had one burning in her bedroom
 - Favorite TV show was Law & Order
 - Favorite Food was plain spaghetti – no sauce, no meatballs
 - Favorite Holiday was Christmas
 - Language arts was her favorite subject
 - Math was her least favorite subject
 - Had her favorite blanket she took on every vacation and even overnight sleepovers
 - She had a room full of clothes, but her favorites came from her big brothers closet
 - Loved to play Pitch – and was good at it
 - Didn’t like to play board games, but would play if her brother promised to take her to QuikTrip
 - She took kickboxing classes, and was a natural
 - Favorite place to be was the beach
 - Best friend was Madelyn
 - Favorite pet was her dog Roscoe
 - Loved a cup of hot Green Tea before bedtime
 - Favorite book was “Me Before You”
 - Favorite restaurant was Olive Garden
 - Planned on attending University of Texas
 - Nickname = Tessie. When she was little we called her Tessy Messy
 - Summer was her favorite Season
 - Collected Angels
 - Caramel Flan was her favorite dessert
 - The Place she dreamed most about visiting was Paris