McKenzie Huber

My quilt belonged to my cousin, Ryan. It was gifted to him by his grandmother. The fabric of the quilt is made up of various textiles from denim that belonged to him and his dad. It symbolizes the adventures and hard work of their lives, the clothing they wore as they made memories and built their lives. Ryan and I were extremely close, our adult life was spent running around the hills and lakes of Southern Oregon, making the memories our dads once had in their youth together. We camped, hiked around Crater Lake, made many bon fires and jumped from bridges into lakes. He was even my Sadie Hawkins Dance date because I couldn’t stand any of the boys we went to school with and I knew I would have the most fun with him, anyway! Ryan was an incredibly charismatic person, loved by all who knew him. He gave the best hugs and was always full of advice. Ryan unexpectedly passed away when I was in graduate school. Two years later his mother gave me his quilt as a wedding gift. I wrap myself in it and think of him, the adventures we have and it feels like I am getting one more big teddy bear hug in.