Every quilt, as they say, has a story. With gold metallic thread, this one links all the way to Jordan from a dot on the map in the Pioneer Valley.

I was commissioned to make a quilt for King Abdullah II in Jordan by Bill Schenker, explains Brenda Knight, of Granby.

Schenker, who is the retired police chief in South Hadley, was among the group of law enforcement members from across Western Massachusetts who were part of a security team for Jordans king, Abdullah II, decades ago. The team provided security to the king and his brother when they attended the Eaglebrook School and Deerfield Academy.

Through the whole school year, he would guard him from Friday night through Sunday, every weekend, Knight explains. Bill got to know him really well over the years. They had him and his brother over to their home for barbecues and ball games. They are still very good friends. He went to visit him in Jordan a few times. They even went to his wedding.

More than a year ago now, Schenker thought hed like to get a quilt made for his old friends birthday. Someone mentioned Knights name, and thus began the story of the quilts creation.

Measuring a little over 7-feet square, the quilt, now en route to the king, is composed of star blocks, the colors chosen from a jelly roll which is a collection of fabric strips with complementary colors and patterns. It features tan shades that Knight says represented the desert and blues which reflect the sky. I also wanted to depict the ancient ruins (of Jordan), she added.

In the center, on a large square, were sewn the royal crown, a map of Jordan showing its major cities, and the flag of Jordan. The border and backing is royal blue, though upon close inspection there is royal purple as well.

The fabric is batik, says Knight, manufactured in Indonesia.

Once the squares were sewn together, she passed the project on to her daughter, Selena Krajewski, in Pennsylvania. Krajewski machine quilted the piece with the gold thread. She did a masterful job, said Knight. It came out very well.

Knight herself is masterful. As a child she learned to sew from her mother. She didnt pick up quilting until she was a young mother. I went to a lot of quilting classes, explains the long-time member of the Hands Across the Valley Quilters Club.

She has tried her hand at basket weaving. In addition, in her home hangs a number of paintings reflecting her love of the countryside in which she lives. She has tried oils and acrylic, but likes watercolor the best.

Quilting remains her favorite craft. Sewing I Spy quilts for the children at the Shriners Hospital gives me joy. But I was a bit stressed while working on the Kings quilt, she admits. I wanted everything to go right.

The first priority in quilting is planning. When Knight met with Schenker, she had the initial idea of something Americana, reminiscent of the kings years in New England. But Schenker had an idea of his own. How about two quilts? One to represent Deerfield Academy and the other to represent King Abdullahs new Kings Academy in Jordan?

Schenker told Knight he knew that the new academy, designed much like Deerfield and built in 2008, was close to the kings heart. That seemed a bit of a reach with Knights time constraints, so she brought quilt samples and he brought literature about Jordan. Together, they came up with a plan.

Before being sent to Jordan, the completed quilt hung in the Granby Public Library for a few hours. Many quilting friends and curious townsfolk came, said Knight.

It was the Schenkers first time seeing the completed quilt. It was emotional, she adds. I was happy that they were so pleased with it.

The quilt is en route to Jordan, where, Knight has been told, it will hang in a place of honor in a government building near the kings office.

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Jordan King Abdullah II is gifted with quilt crafted in Granby - masslive.com