click on this link to view the photo: http://www.madd.org/madd.org/images/1821_5082.jpg

My MADD friends...

I would like to share with you my feelings about this quilt. I was honored to be asked to create this quilt and I loved every moment I worked on it! As the squares began to arrive there was so much excitement...it was like my birthday everyday!! The anticipation of opening the packages was intense and the beauty of every square was breathtaking! Each square is unique and expresses a whole realm of design. No two are alike and each makes a statement. As the time passed and the squares added up I began to think "can I really do this quilt?" I recruited my dearest friends and my husband and the adventure began! We squared them up, we added pieces when they weren't the 12 inch square, we doctored the (arrived that way) damaged, and we laughed until our tummies hurt! It was the best experience and please know this quilt has been put together with love and laughter! We sewed and we sewed and we sewed and it just kept getting bigger and bigger! The bigger it got the more beautiful it became and the more beautiful it became, the more I fell in love with it.

To the folks who created each square I say...thank you. You have filled my life with smiles and creativity. Thank you for allowing me to make this quilt. It has been an honor and a privilege to be part of the grand scheme. I give this quilt to all of you because there is a part of you hanging up there.

A more somber note, as I put the quilt together I was reminded of all the tragedy that has brought us to this place. I sewed and thought of my brother-in-law Leonard who, at the hands of a drunk driver, was killed and all the other Leonards out there. I dedicate this quilt to the memory of Leonard and all the victims of drunk driving and may we put an end to this senseless crime.

Happy 25th anniversary MADD and thank you so much for the adventure!

With love and hugs,

Carole Ravicchio
Oakland County, Michigan
September 29, 2005