Fabric Travels

One of the interesting things about our project is seeing where our fabrics have come from.  When we started, we literally had next to no supplies.  As we mentioned to our friends what we were doing, we started having people say, "I have some scraps you can have."  From there it has blossomed.  We have gotten anything from small scraps to lots of yardage.  Sometimes it is a challenge to put together fabrics that coordinate.  Other times they seem to fall out of my closet together.  We have gotten fabrics as close as our own closets to states across the nation.  Some of the first came from Washington, D.C.  Some came from Oregon, Arizona, and Michigan.  And of course friends in Kansas have given us what they can.  Fabric has come from friends, friends of friends, and total strangers.  One person donated thread.  Several people have left fabric and batting with my hairdresser. You never know what we will get next and where it may come from!

Hopefully everyone had a nice and relaxing holiday weekend.  The change to fall weather will bring an increase in children becoming ill.  We are gearing up and trying to finish as many quilts as we can.  The increase will result in the quilts being given out quickly so we need to try to stay ahead and have quilts ready to go.

Here's a block that I have been playing with.  It is a very simple and quick block, but I think it can be very effective in different color options.  The hospital keeps telling us the brighter the quilts the better, but we just can't help making some soft and sweet ones too.

There are lots of possiblities  to work with on this block.

This is a great flannel quilt that my sister put together using leftover blocks from a quilt she made for her family.  It was fast and easy--great for an older boy.

This quilt is a favorite of mine--bright but still easy to look at.

Sometimes the back of the quilt can be as much fun as the front.

I hope you enjoyed this sampling of blocks and more quilts from our stash.

Quilts to Warm Our Hearts

Today has been both a good day and a sad day for Greg and me.  I was able to deliver six more quilts to Lawrence Memorial Hospital.  Their gratitude is genuine and very heartwarming.  The nurses love getting them and giving them.  That was the good part.  The sad part is a close friend of ours lost his son today.  He was a second grader and was hit by a car after school and died.  I was reminded that when we first started this project with the quilts, I was asked if we were agreeable to having the nurses give a quilt to a family who had a loss of a child at the hospital.  Denise, the nurse in charge, felt that it was something they wanted to do.  We of course agreed that would be fine.  I was also reminded this evening that I hope we never have to do that.  We all know how uncertain life is for all of us.  It never goes exactly the way we have planned.  For this family, the unimaginable has happened.  I know tonight I will tell my family how much they mean to me.  I hope you will do the same.

I thought you might like to see where the quilts are going.
This is a picture of the front of Lawrence Memorial Hospital.

Isn't this a fun quilt? Black, pink, and purple with bright lime green on the front and back.  Can't you just see a little girl with big beautiful eyes picking this one?

This one has bright colorful crayons in the blocks.  A boy or a girl would love this one.

This one is a very simple two color quilt that would be good for a young child or a teenager.

We are now at 31quilts that we have donated.  Each one represents a child who is sick.  Hopefully most of them will have a short hospital stay and be back home happy and healthy.

Back on Track

We have things repaired, replaced and back on track at our house (fingers crossed behind my back).  I was actually able to get back into my sewing room yesterday.  It was great to be in there messing with fabric again!  Touching fabric for you non-quilters may seem weird, but you quilters know just how good that feels!! I have so many ideas for quilts that I can't wait to start. 
   Some good news came my way this week.  Nan, who hosted the charity swap for fabrics for our group and Shannon, who is a friend of Nan's, have volunteered to help quilt some of the quilts for us.  This is a huge offer on their part and I am very excited to have them joining in.
  To give you a little bit of insight, I thought I would share our process. Right now, I collect the fabrics from anyone who shares their scraps with us.  I try to put together a kit for a quilt top. One of my favorite things about the process of making a quilt is cutting the fabric.  Sometime I have what I need and sometimes I have to scrounge to find what will work.  After I get the kit together and cut, I pass it on to Beth, Shelly, or Susan.  They will sew the quilt top and return it to me.  I then "sandwich" the quilt with batting and backing and quilt it.  I will then pass it on to Beth, along with the binding.  She puts the binding on and sews on the label.  The quilt then gets passed on to my friend Carrol who has recently began washing them for us. They have to be washed in fragrance and dye free detergent and softener to avoid allergies.  Then they are put in a stack ready to be delivered to the hospital.  So, if things are going well, we always have quilts in progress and some ready to be delivered.  Our "assembly line" works quite well and takes advantage of everyone's abilities.  I admit sometimes I just can't stand it and I sew a quilt top myself when I really have other things to be doing.  Sometimes I will make a quilt block that we haven't used before to see if it is one that we can make quickly and will work for us.  Since we are making quilts for "almost newborns" to 18 year olds, we need lots of variety.

   Here is a picture of a block I have been playing with.  Who knows, you may see it in a quilt soon!

There are two lessons I have learned:

1.  Figure out how to make it work with what you have.

2.  You might not like it but someone will.

This is a very simple quilt made of pastel 4 1/2 inch squares but is one of my favorites.  It is soft and sweet.

Yellow is my favorite color so of course this one is one I like.

This quilt is anything but soft and sweet!  It is one of the first ones we made and it was made with fabric we found at an estate sale.  It is a prime example of lesson #2.  I don't like it but the kids at the hospital did!

Time for me to play with fabric!

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.