The Wedding Dress Christening Quilt

My sister Sherry (white top) lives near Cape Cod, MA. She came to Amherst for a visit and brought along with her a christening quilt for a young lady, Emily whom Sherry had met on an earlier visit to Amherst about a year and half ago. Emily just happened to mention that she wanted a quilt made out of her wedding gown (married 7 years ago). However, everyone she approached in her hometown refused to cut up her wedding gown... they just didn't want the responsibility. So Sherry offered to cut her gown up and make the quilt.

Sherry carted the dress back to Cape Cod and looked at it for about eight months before, as she put it, "I was waiting for the dress to speak to me," and provide the concept for the quilt. She took apart every square inch of the gown, carefully removing the lace, beading and satin. Then she started making the squares using the parts of the gown for embellishment. The result was a beautiful christening quilt that Emily plans on handing down to her son (who's 2 years old now) for her future grandchildren to use.

Needless to say, Emily LOVED the quilt, as did her Mom. If you have a wedding gown that you would like turned into a quilt, pillow, etc. I know someone who won't have any problem cutting it up for you! Depending on the gown and the size of the quilt the cost for a custom designed wedding dress quilt runs about $1000 or more. Just email me if you are interested and I'll pass on Sherry's contact information.

Photographing an Angel

Today I said goodbye in this life to a precious young woman, Breanna.

I met Breanna in October and spent a couple hours with her and her stepmom taking her casual senior photos. Breanna was 17 and a senior at Lynchburg Christian Academy. She was planning on going to college at the Savannah Art Institute. She told me she was interested in marketing and fashion. Breanna's Mom, Kristi, works at the bank where I do my photography business and personal banking. Kristi has been very supportive of my photography business and I was excited to have the opportunity to take her daughter's senior photos.

From the onset of meeting her, Breanna had a composure that exceeded her 17 years. Her eyes sparkled and her smile lit up my camera's viewfinder. She was a natural in front of the camera, and from the photos her Mom had shown me, Breanna was also a very good photographer.

We waltzed around downtown Lynchburg taking a variety of shots and poses. Breanna was game for sitting on the pavement, jumping high more than once, and at a moment's notice, (knowing she loved shoes), I asked her for a quick pose in front of an old shoe factory, now an art studio. That shot turned out to be her Mom's favorite. We finished up at a closed gas station that had unique black and white graffiti all over it's windows and walls. I asked her to spin so I could capture that flying hair look. She laughed and spun several times. The last photo I took of Breanna was with her stepmom... afterall she had followed us everywhere and was a great audience as we took photos.


On January 6, 2012, Breanna left this world to go in the arms of Jesus. She died as a result of a tragic car accident. Her friend who was driving also died. Little did I know that the photos I took of Breanna would make up the slideshow at her visitation. Little did I know that these photos would be the last professional images taken of Kristi's daughter.

It is so very hard to put into words how this tragedy has affected me. I suppose it reminds me of how precious life is and that our days here on earth are a gift. In just two hours of knowing Breanna, I knew the time I had spent with her that day was a gift; a gift I will treasure.