For generations, quilters have stitched together pieces of fabric to create memories and communicate love in the process. Now those looking for a sentimental keepsake can use VoiceQuilt to piece together the voices of loved ones into a uniquely personal gift.

The process of creating a VoiceQuilt is much simpler than stitching, and there’s no risk of pricked fingers. First, using an email message the company has crafted, the person initiating the gift invites significant people in the recipient’s life to call a toll-free number and record a message from the heart, or perhaps even a song. The remainder of the process is web-based – email alerts announce the recording of additional messages, and all of the messages can be accessed online, labeled and placed in your preferred order. 

After the messages are recorded and assembled, the completed Quilt can be distributed electronically via email or downloaded as an MP3 file to be played on a computer or digital music player. The process of creating and distributing the file is free of charge. However, the recording can also be delivered in a variety of keepsake packages, ranging from a simple audio CD to gift boxes that play the messages when the lid is lifted, and can include picture frames and other gift items for anniversaries, birthdays, baby gifts or any occasion. These gifts ship the next day.

• Prices range from $16.95 for the CD up to $159.99 for a wooden Anniversary Box that comes with a leather CD holder and picture frame and is equipped with controls for playing selected messages
• The company’s inspiration came from the serious illness of a friend’s husband; although he was unconscious, friends and family spoke to him constantly, and he recovered against significant odds, reinforcing the power of the human voice

Jay Shaffer, the company’s Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer, explains the rationale behind the Challenger Brand: “People don’t share stories the way they used to. We wanted to make it easy for families to call in and share stories. A person’s voice can say so much and share so much emotion. Anything people can type into a website, they can say into a phone.”

Believing VoiceQuilt is “challenging the gift industry status quo,” Shaffer adds that the company believes that “voice will lead the next wave of personalization for gifts, and VoiceQuilt is poised to capitalize on that trend.”  Looking into the future, Shaffer is hoping to partner with larger gift companies. 

The company has progressed in some interesting ways; people have been buried with their VoiceQuilts, and the company partnered with a school to send messages from its students to President Obama, who referred to the product as “remarkable.” From six feet under to the heights of power, this is a company that plans to have a strong voice, becoming the gift of choice for those who want to piece together sentiment and technology in a single package.