7/7/2009 1:23:00 PM
Sisters man creates quilt from the heart
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| Gilbert Porraz created a pink ribbon square quilt for his mother Teresa, who cherishes the gift and the health it represents. photo by Jim Cornelius
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By Jim Cornelius
News Editor
Gilbert Porraz is into building things.
With a background in construction, he always analyzes how things are built, noticing the finish carpentry in a room or checking out how the furniture is constructed.
That's what led him along the unlikely path to quilting - and to a very special gift for his mother.
"I had some background in construction, and I saw the quilts being made and the work and precision that goes into it and thought: 'I can do that,'" Porraz said.
He picked up an old sewing machine for free and started figuring it out himself. He made his first quilt out of old shirts.
"I just taught myself," he said, "learning by my mistakes, I guess."
Porraz just completed his most important project to date: a pink ribbon square quilt for his mother, Teresa, a breast cancer survivor. He saw the pink ribbon square while surfing the Internet and thought the symbolic quilt would mean something to his mom, who was diagnosed in 1996.
Gilbert's wife, Grace, and Teresa have done the annual walkathon for breast cancer awareness in Bend each June since it started in 2000. Gilbert took his mom's commemorative shirts and started to work.
"I started the quilt a year ago in my spare time, an hour here and an hour there, and finished it the day of the walk," Porraz said.
The quilt also incorporates a number of family photographs.
"When I showed her the finished product, she was just blown away," Porraz said.
She remains so, stroking the quilt affectionately. Teresa says she has a collection of teddy bears - one for each year since her successful fight against breast cancer began. She's preparing a special space in her home for the teddy bears and the quilts.
"I'll have a room for my teddy bears and my blanket where they'll be undisturbed," she said.
The quilt means a lot to Gilbert, too. Working on it kept him focused and relaxed during a year of tough times.
"It's pretty sentimental to me," he said.
The pink ribbon square quilt will be on display at Your $12.99 Store on the day of the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show. Porraz is quick to note that it's not an official part of the show.
"It's not a display," he said. "They're displaying it because they're longtime friends of the family."
Has he considered entering a quilt in the show?
"I've thought about it," he said, "but I'm just an amateur. I'm learning technique as I go."
Porraz has upgraded his equipment as he has progressed, buying a new sewing machine. Working at Sisters Rental, he's got a fine appreciation for the value of good tools.
"The right tool for the job - that's pretty big," he said. "To get precision, you need precision tools."
Porraz acknowledges that quilting might seem like an unusual hobby for a guy like him.
"You just wouldn't think a person like myself, with my background, would quilt," he said. "I've never had a negative reaction. It's just 'Wow... you quilt.' Yes I do."
And he's going to keep on quilting.
"I've got several more I'm committed to make," he said.
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