Quilter's Home Magazine Recommends VoiceQuilt As A Unique Birthday Gift

VoiceQuilt Featured by Quilter's Home Magazine Expert Meg Cox

Megabites

Quilters: We hear voices

Atlanta-based entrepreneur Hope Flammer is not a quilter, but when she created a music box-like device full of readings and personal messages for milestone celebrations, she decided to call it a VoiceQuilt.

“We were writing the patent for the technology in 2003 and 2004 and trying to name the product. The concept for a playlist wasn't really out there, but we were fascinated with the idea of a group of people stitching all their voices together,” Hope told Megabites. “Just like the scraps in a quilt together make the whole quilt magnificent, so do all the voices. We also began to see that the cumulative effect of all those messages was warmth and comfort for the recipient.” So the VoiceQuilt name stuck, even though some of her 20-something clients whine that it evokes a corny, low-tech object. (Shows you how much they don't know! We digress…)

Megabites knows from personal experience how comforting and warm a VoiceQuilt can be. I thought I'd make a quilt for my hubby's milestone (Don't ask – I'm not telling) birthday, but heh, I'm a quilter and I ran out of time. When I learned a VoiceQuilt could be made in a few weeks using only my phone and computer and that it would cost less than a quilt's backing and batting, I was amped.

Emails flew out to friends and family everywhere telling them they had a two-week window to call a toll-free number and share for up to four minutes a memory or appreciation over the phone. I arranged the messages in whatever order I wanted (like an audio design wall) and added an intro and closing. The recording can be stored in a box, scrapbook-like cover and frame, or downloaded onto an MP3 device. At the party, my beloved opened his box and we all listened to the voices of those that love him, from Dick's 2-year-old granddaughter to his 90-something godmother. We laughed and we cried at this recorded version of This is Your Life. So this is a recommendation from the heart, not a product placement (Megabites doesn't do those!). Prices and accessories range, so check out the web site, www.VoiceQuilt.com.