Just a Bump in the Road

Just when things are going well and you get in a comfort zone, life comes along and gives you a jolt.  That is exactly what happened to Greg and I on Friday evening.  We were settling in to watch football on tv.  It was raining and the kind of night you grab a quilt to throw over your feet.  All of a sudden we heard the loudest sound you can imagine.  We had been hit by lightening.  Technically our beautiful, huge tulip tree had been hit.  Several large limbs had fallen on our neighbor's fence and on our lawn.  We were very fortunate they didn't land on our roof.  Our neighbor said he saw a large orange ball of flames when it hit, but luckily we didn't have a fire.  At this point we are still finding out things that have been "fried" by the lightening.  On top of  two tv's, our desktop computer and a garage door, we found out our furnace and air conditioning were bad also.  So....bottom line is I have been busy calling adjusters and repairmen.  I apologize for not getting something more interesting posted but hope to be able to get back closer to normal in a couple of days. This has been testing our patience but after all....it is just a bump in the road!

Marla

Time for Quilts

This is Chloe, a darling little 2 year old.  She received our first quilt and I was very lucky to be able to give it to her.  She is really a lot more interested in her toys than in me.  We unexpectedly got a phone call from the family letting us know how much the quilt meant to them.  You can't imagine how wonderful it felt to be able to give it to her.  Words won't describe how I felt leaving the hospital that day!

Now--on to more quilts!

Some of our quilts are quite bright.  The kids love them.  Their hospital rooms are white--calm and soothing.  These quilts bring a shot of color and cheer to the room.

We try to make quilts that will appeal to different ages.  Some are definitely more for boys or more for girls.  Hopefully each child, regardless of age, will find one they like.  We have already given quilts to those as young as ten days and to those as old as 16.  The unit cares for kids up to age 18.  Denise reports that the nurses have so much fun going in and giving away the quilts. One little boy was seen clutching the quilt every time the nurse went in the room.  I would say he liked it!  As hot as our summer has been you would wonder how nice a quilt sounds.  The rooms are kept very cool so having something to cuddle helps keep them a little warmer.  Plus doesn't everyone need some comfort when they don't feel well? I know I grab a quilt every chance I get.

Check back.  I will be posting more of the fun quilts we have already finished. There are lots more to come!

Our Stash

Every family has a member who is designated "the worrier".  That would be my sister.  Susan can worry about not worrying.  Don't get me wrong.  I worry.  I just try to be more selective.  Her big worry when I called to tell her I was starting this whole thing, was where were we going to get the fabric?  I, of course, was not worried.  We would just wing it.  I am a scrap lover and I thought we'll use what we have and it will all work out.  Never in my wildest dreams would I have guessed exactly how it has worked out.  The four of us started pooling what we had that we were willing to give up.  I posted a message on the SMS group site that I belong to.  Before I knew it, a couple of people sent me fabric.  Then Nan D. hosted a charity swap in which everyone sent bright fat quarters.  I wish everyone knew Nan.  She has this sweet little Georgia accent that just makes you want to be her friend the minute you hear her.  If her smile and infectious giggle doesn't brighten your day, I don't know what would.  A friend of Nan's emailed me and told me if I would drive to her house she would fill my car with goodies she was willing to give up. It was incredible.  Since then we have had all sorts of people give us fabric and batting.  You can not imagine what the stacks in my basement looked like. So to all those who have given, thank you, thank you.  No scrap has been too small, no amount insignificant.  We are using it all. 

Road Trip

On Monday, my sister and I drove to Emporia Kansas to meet.  That is about halfway for both us.  We planned on swapping quilting stuff and then going to the quilt shop there.  It was a beautiful day with a hint of the fall air to come.  She brought me quilt tops she had done and ready for me to quilt and I took her more kits that I had assembled from the stash of fabric.  (More on our wonderful stash later.)  We had a great time looking at all the stuff we each had in our many sacks.  Things were looking good, we hopped out of the car and went up to the door of the quilt store.  It was locked.  Yes, yes, yes.  They are closed on Mondays.  In all the planning, I hadn't even thought to check.  Major bummer.  We ended up browsing in Walmart, bought some vitamins, and went and had lunch.  It did save us some money!  We had a good time together, so it was a fun day.  Here's a picture of us. 

I hate pictures of myself, but I swallowed hard and posted the picture below.  We are presenting Denise, the head nurse of the pediatric floor, the first stack of quilts.  Beth is first with one of my favorite quilts.  It is yellow and pink--my two favorite colors.  Next is me with a very bright pinwheel quilt.  Denise of course is the one wearing hospital scrubs.  (They are the most comfortable clothes you can wear out in public.  I wish someone would start a new fashion trend so we can all wear scrubs!)  Shelly is last holding the orange, blue and green quilt.  Susan, my sister, lives a couple of hours away so she couldn't be here to go with us.  I wish she could have joined us, but all things considered, I'd rather she stayed home and worked on quilt tops!!  I will try to post a picture of her at some point.  We took 11 quilts at the end of May.  Summer is the slow time for the pediatric unit.  Everyone is too busy swimming, biking, and enjoying their summer to get sick.  Denise is one of the most awesome people you will ever meet.  I know she is great at her job just by being around her a short time.  We got a tremendous response to the quilts we took and left feeling like we had done a very good thing.  Off to make more quilts.....

Who We Are

Pieces

In April of 2010 I started a group called PIECES.  I had made a few quilts for Quilts for Kids when my husband sugggested that if I were going to do something, why not make quilts for the kids at our local hospital.  As usual, his suggestion was worthy of consideration.  I mentioned to my friend Shelly what I was thinking and she jumped right in.  Before I knew it, another friend, Beth, was on board.  I called my sister Susan, told her what we were doing, and told her to get started sewing!  So PIECES was born and as of yesterday, we have delivered 25 quilts to the pediatric unit at Lawrence Memorial Hospital in Lawrence, Kansas.  This may not sound like that big of an accomplishment, but it feels tremendous.  With this blog, I am going to try to take you along the path with us, showing you pictures of quilts, ideas and the results of a little bit of work and a lot of love.  There are a lot of choices we make in our life and this is the best one at this point in mine.