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Friday 6 November 2009, Assistant Bishop of Adelaide, Rt Revd Dr Stephen Pickard conducted Australia’s first and largest ever public ‘BLESSING OF THE QUILTS’ honoring 25 years of SA Quilters’ Guild at the Adelaide Craft & Quilt Fair. The ‘Blessing of the Quilts’ is an old tradition founded in America, where quilts would be blessed before sending them with soldiers to war, with the idea of cover and protection.
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| Quilters use their talents to create beautiful messages of love to the people in the world who may need comfort. The Quilt blessings are predominately designed for charity quilts, family heirlooms (where the blessing is for the protection of family) and soldiers quilts. |
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Rt Revd Dr Stephen Pickard blessed more than 250 quilts on display, including charity quilts to be donated to the Autism Association of SA, Little Quilts of Love project for the Hagahospital in The Hague and Southern Comforters. During the Ceremony Dr Pickard will wear a special ceremonial Cope designed by leading Australian Quilter, Helen Godden.
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This very special Cope was made at the special request of Dr Pickard who asked to have it made for his Ordination earlier this year. The Cope's design is called 'Heaven in the Ordinary' as Rev Stephen Pickard believes we can find love and joy in our everyday lives. This stunning ‘quilted’ Cope connects many of the quilters in a really personal way to the Blessing itself.
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Special Guests on the day included Quilter's Guild of SA Inc Candice Walker, Assistant Bishop Reverend Dr Stephen Pickard, Chaplin Assisting the Blessing Barbara Bonifant & Autism SA Carl Zander.
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