I made it!  After weeks of looking forward to my time with Simon (and Joel and Cara), I am finally here in DC.  Simon is so sweet.  He is such a good baby.

My duties  while I am here is to do daycare while the kids are at work.  Daycare in DC is a real issue.  So while that issue is being worked out, family is filling in as daycare.  Lucky me!!

Life in DC is quite different.  That is certainly not to say it is bad at all.  I am amazed at it and how these two Midwestern kids grew up and are totally immersed in the city.  They live in a historic area of DC called Foggy Bottom.  Their home is the second and third level of a three level townhouse.  There is a Starbucks less than two blocks away in every direction and George Washington University is only a block away.  The White House??  Eight blocks away.  Presidental Motorcades go by the townhouse frequently.  Marine One, the helicopter the President travels in, goes overhead.  It is a facinating city to say the least.  The best thing in the city without a doubt though is Simon!

Even though I am in DC, the need for quilts still exists.  Thanks to some help from some great people, we were able to get a stack to the hospital and a stack waiting to be delivered.  Greg has stepped up and volunteered to make the delivery.  As I have said before, it takes a village for sure!

I've got some great quilts for you.

This quilt was pieced and donated to us.  The bright squares really work well.

Shannon added an awesome backing and her magic quilting.

This awesome quilt was made and donated by someone in our local quilt guild.  Of course, the yellow makes it!

Not only did someone piece this but she also hand quilted it!  I consider that a labor of love.  Isn't the backing fabric fabulous?

This quilt is a perfect example of how our process works.  I cut a kit and passed it on to Teresa.  She pieced it, returned it, and I passed it on to Shannon.

Shannon added the backing and the quilting.  She passed it back to me and I added the binding.  I love the fact that we all do different things and do what we like to do.

Everyone told me being a grandma was going to be awesome.  They were right.  Awesome doesn't even begin to describe it.  Simon is truly a delight.  The only thing better is if there were two of him!

Creativity

Creativity and neatness are not always compatible.  Have you noticed how things can be all in their place and your sewing room nice and neat?  You go in to work on a project, get sidetracked by an idea, and before you know it your sewing room is a mess. The project you are working on is here, some scraps you want to trim over there, the beginnings of a disappearing 9 patch right under your feet.  Yes, creativity is flowing!  One of the problems I run into is that although I am constantly trying to use up our scraps for the quilts, I am creating more scraps all the time.  Add that to the fact that I have many more ideas than I do time and I have stacks of ideas everywhere!  My sister seems to have the same problem. We've discussed possible solutions and decided the only thing to do is to sew our way out of it.  We both are optomistic.   If only we have more time to sew and less cooking and cleaning to do, we can complete all of our "ideas" and just "sew our way out of the mess!"

Maybe we should just go ahead and look at some quilts.  At least we are getting some things done!

 

This is a fun quilt!  It is a disappearing 9 patch--fun to cut and fun to sew.  With patches of ducks, stars, and the alphabet among others,  it shows off some great color.

Sandy added a red with white stars backing and some fun quilting.

Kathy pieced this quilt for us.  It is our basic four patch with focus squares.

This close up shows the focus fabric is soccer players.  The black and white four patches mimic the look of the soccer balls.

This backing is great with soccer balls and sports figures.  Kathy also quilted this one.

 

Shelly's Mom, Lois, pieced this quilt  It has a great flannel football fabric.

I had bought several yards of this rust fabric to use as a backing for a quilt I had made for myself.  It turned out to be not what I wanted.  As I was looking for something to use on this quilt, I ran across the rust fabric.  It turned out to be just the right choice for the footballs!

Sandy pieced this very traditional looking quilt.  It has an old fashioned scrappy feel.

Sandy added a soft floral backing and great quilting to add to the old fashioned feeling.

Judith took a stack of fat quarters that had been donated to us.  This darling St. Patrick's Day quilt is the result.

The backing gives it a fun and whimsical feeling.  I would not have guessed this quilt would turn out so cute!

I hope you enjoyed the quilts today.  I am off to Virginia tomorrow for a quick trip.  The weekend will find me trying to sew my way out!!!

 

An Increasing Demand

I have been planning on posting an update for days now.  Four days in Michigan last week plus a sudden increase in the need for quilts for the hospital has put those plans on hold.  Unfortunately, we are seeing more sick kids right now so keeping up with the demand can be a challenge at times.

Let's get right to looking at some quilts.

I love this quilt.  First of all, it has the cutest yellow dot fabric.  Of course, I love that.  It also has a print in the border that is pencils.  It is too cute!!  Shelly's mom lives in Salina, KS and has now made about a dozen quilts for us.  Be watching--I'll be posting more of her quilts.  A big thank you to her for all her work!

A fun backing of blue with umbrellas and lots of different words make this quilt a fun one for either a boy or girl.  (Isn't that yellow dot fabric just the best??)

This is a kit I cut and passed on to Teresa.  She pieced it and I think it turned out great.

If you look closely, the patterned blocks are brightly-colored ladybugs.  Sandy added a wild batik for the backing and added some fun quilting.

This quilt was pieced by Kathy.  Strawberry Shortcake fabric is always a favorite with little girls.

Blue backing and great quilting by Kathy added the finishing touch.

These are just a few of our latest quilts.  I have lots more to show you, but my time is short tonight.  I will be posting again tomorrow so come back and take a look at more of our great quilts.  Thanks for looking!  Hope your day is a good one.



A Trip to the Navy Pier

I thought I would start this post off with a picture of Chicago.  Greg snapped this picture of me on the Navy Pier on Lake Michigan.  It was cold but still fun to be on the pier.

We had a wonderful time in Chicago and we're hoping to be able to return when the weather is warm!

I have a few quilts for you.

This is a bright and fun quilt that Kathy pieced and quilted for us.  (The best part is that it has a lot of yellow in it!)

The back repeats the yellow and shows off the great quilting.

The picture of this quilt does not do it justice.  It is one of my favorites.  The stars are random ones my sister and I had made out of scraps.  We put those together and added some leftover four patch blocks.  Susan put it all together to make a totally scrappy top look gorgeous.  It is so gratifying to use up odds and ends and have it look so good.

Sandy pieced the backing for a fun look and quilted this with beautiful feathers.  I would be thrilled to get this quilt if I were in the hospital!

This is one wild quilt!! Teresa pieced this rail fence pattern in bright purples and a black print.  It makes a graphic quilt that will be very popular.

Shannon added this fun green with black dots for the backing and her quilting is the perfect touch as always.

As you know, our grandson, Simon, arrived a month early.  I had been asked how many quilts I had ready for him when he arrived.  I had none.  I had plenty of time and I frankly had been having a difficult time deciding exactly what would be the perfect quilt for this baby.  When he arrived early, I had to quickly come up with something.  I simply could not arrive without a quilt in hand!



This is the quilt I came up with on short notice.  It has delightful dragons with red spines on their backs.  The flying geese blocks mimic those red spines.

Here's a closer view of the dragons.  It was fun to put together.  Is it the perfect quilt for Simon?  No.  Is it the only one I'll make for him?  Of course not!  I have it on good authority that every grandchild should own more than one or two quilts!

Thanks for looking at our quilts.  We hope we have more quilts than what we need.  That would mean fewer sick kids.  That would be a very good thing. 

It's Cold in Chicago

Tonight finds Greg and I in Chicago.  I have two meetings scheduled here and yes, it is spitting snow and cold.  We had a chance to spend time with some great people this evening.  It is always a good experience for me to meet the people who are interested in learning more about MS and Gilenya.  The food was a yummy bonus.

Here's a few quilts we have been working on.

This quilt with greens, pinks and yellow is really fun.  It brings a touch of spring in the middle of a cold winter.

The yellow backing and Shannon's quilting finish this one.

Ambitious Judith pieced this charmer.  The prints in the "windowpanes" will make a fun quilt for any child to look at.

Karen add the purple backing and quilted this one beautifully.

Kathy sewed and quilted this charming mix of animal prints.

Someone donated a bunch of John Deere fabric.  We took it, added some four patches and came up with a quilt that a little boy will enjoy.

Sandy pieced a backing for this quilt that turned out delightful.  She used scraps and made them totally work.  Look closely at her quilting.  It is a new pattern she tried that ended up being just what the quilt needed.

This is a soft aqua  with pink and white.  It is a well-traveled quilt.  I took it with me to Washington, D.C. and sewed the binding on while I was visiting with my new grandson!

Shannon added fun dots and the quilting.

Deb pieced this bright Brown Bear fabric.  She took odds and ends and created a great quilt for kids to have fun with.

Shannon used one of her favorite fabrics for the backing.  Her quilting always adds the finishing touch.

A big thank you to all of the piecers and quilters that keep us going.  You are invaluable to me.  Because of you we are continuing to make a difference in the lives of those kids who have to spend time in the hospital and in the lives of their families.  For those who have asked how to help, we thank you as well.  Since we are self-funded we could not exist without the generosity of everyone involved.  See you next time with another round of great quilts.



Home Again

I am back home after spending ten days in Washington, D.C. with Joel and Cara and little Simon.  I enjoyed every minute with them.  It is now time for them to get on with being a family of three and time for me to get back to the quilts.  A big thank you to everyone who helped out in my absence.  You know who you are!

We are now into 2012.  We have finished a year and one half of  PIECES.  In 2010 we donated 75 quilts to the Lawrence Memorial Pediatric Unit.  Each child admitted received a quilt and no two quilts were alike.  2011 came and we reached our goal once again of each child receiving a unique quilt.  174 quilts were donated.  That makes a grand total of 249 quilts.  Quite impressive I would say!!!  We have already started on 2012 with our goal remaining the same--each child receiving a quilt to comfort them and to take home with them.  I feel confident with the ladies that are involved in this group we will have no trouble attaining that goal.  The best thing we could have happen is to have extra quilts that no one needs because that means fewer kids are sick.  Lets all hope for that!

We have quilts to catch up on!!

This bright quilt was made and quilted by Kathy.

The kids love the bright colors.

This Little Engine That Could quilt was made by Judith.



Karen added the fun backing and quilting.

Teresa pieced this quilt top with soft colors.  The pattern is actually one that Deb came up with for us and we have used it multiple times.

Shannon finished the quilt with the perfect backing and the perfect quilting.

Judith pieced this antique looking top.  Notice the blocks of people on each side.  Judith actually pieced those by hand.  Ambitious, isn't she!! 

Karen added the backing and quilting.

This great quilt uses a lot of scraps.  You know how I love using those scraps!!

Okay, okay.  You knew I couldn't end this without a picture of Simon, right?  Simon will probably be popping into the blog from time to time.  I just can't help myself!

Here this gorgeous baby is.  He's even laying on a bib that Grandma made for him to use!  Thanks for letting me share the quilts and Simon!

A Very Merry Christmas

Christmas this year is a little unusual for us this year.  As with many families, our kids alternate holidays with their extended families.  This was the year both the boys and their wives would be with us for Christmas.  With Joel and Cara expecting their first baby in mid-January, traveling for Christmas was cancelled for them.  While we were disappointed at the thought of the six of us not being together, we knew we would be traveling sometime in January following the birth of their son.  Shortly after midnight on Monday December 19th, we received a call from Joel saying they had arrived at the hospital and the birth was not going to be far off.  We were extremely surprised of course.  Our January baby was suddenly going to be an early Christmas baby!  Simon Ross Welch was born not much more than an hour after they arrived at the hospital. 

This is Simon and his daddy Joel. 

Needless to say, Greg and I are extremely excited and anxious to see Simon in person.  What a wonderful Christmas present for all of us.

Simon weighed 6 pounds and 2 ounces and was 19 and one half inches long.  He and his momma are both very happy and healthy.

Thank you for letting me share our Christmas surprise with you.  We will get back to quilts soon.  Here's hoping your Christmas was peaceful and spent with those you love.