My Purple Cure, 54 x 54 inches, by O.V. Brantley, 2002.

Quilters make quilts for many reasons. We make baby quilts to welcome babies into the world. We make wedding quilts to celebrate love. We make quilts because we are happy, and we make quilts because we are sad. Sometimes we make quilts just to make something beautiful, but one of the most important reasons we make quilts is because we believe they heal.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. Almost every quilter I know has made a quilt for someone suffering from breast cancer. My Purple Cure was a block exchange among a group of friends. The purple fabric in the quilt was the “breast cancer fabric” for that year.