Quilter’s Name: Kathie Kerler from Portland, Oregon
Style of Quilt: Wallhanging
Pattern Used: Original design
Featured Date: 02-09-23
My name is Kathie Kerler. I live in Portland, Or. This quilt is an original design taken from one of my photos. This is my story behind it.
Cycling was one of my and my late husband’s favorite activities. The wall hanging “Can’t You Hear My Heart Beat?” refers to our cycling trip through New Mexico. On the last day of the trip, we were riding from Taos to Red River when he had a heart attack and did not survive. As painful as that memory is, the rest of the trip is nothing but good memories. Each year I participate in a one-day ride called the Bridge Pedal which is a fundraiser for Providence Hospital’s heart research program. It’s even more meaningful to me as my father, also a heart patient, passed away six weeks before my husband.
Among the photos I have taken while participating in the Bridge Pedal is one at the top of the Fremont Bridge. You feel a certain joy among the riders on this bridge. Its expanse allows people to stop to take in the river on both sides. You can look to the east side of the city and see where you’ve come from, then look toward the city center and the West Hills ahead. As cyclists travel along the route from one bridge to the next, the action feels like a life metaphor: humans following our paths from one point to the next. For me this was when I returned to my hometown and then was able to move forward.
Thank you. This quilt is deeply meaningful to me.
Kathie R. Kerler
Fiber Artist, Writer, NACQJ Certified Judge
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My goodness this is so wonderful. Your sharing the cherished memories we all need. Thank you.