Sunday, July 21, 2013

Another quilt has found it's home...

I was so glad to be able to deliver one of our quilts, 4-patch Orphans, to a woman (38 yr old, mom of a 5 yr old who was a teacher) with brain cancer today. How I found out about her was not the usual way. I have a classmate from High school who was applauding her friend's struggle with her cancer, when I asked her if we could send her a quilt. I sent her our blog, so she could see what we do and she was thrilled to have us do this.

We named this quilt 4-patch Orphans, because each of the blocks are made up with 4 blocks put together to make a larger one. Then we put 9 of those together. I reason they are 'orphans' is because they were leftover blocks/or didn't seem to 'get along' with the other quilt blocks made like them. By putting them together THIS way, they work beautifully and 'sing'.

Of course, the week I planned to get the quilt to her, was one of the hottest weeks on record for CT... so I waited until Sunday (temp of 93 vs 101) after church to drive it to her. the 58 miles to 'hand-deliver' it was costing me the same as if I put it in a box and sent it, but I didn't have a box a hand, so off I went.

As I knocked on the door, I heard dogs barking. Now, I'm not afraid of them, per se, I just would rather not deal with them (they jump usually). The woman that answered the door had a big dog by the collar and it had sounded like she'd already put another one in a side room before answering the door. When she struggled to keep hold of the dog and open the outer door, I told her I had something for "F". She asked if I wanted to come in, as she was upstairs in bed, I declined coming in, but just said I had something for her from her friend, R.K. I didn't want to impose.

It's funny. All the way home I wondered ... what if I'd gone upstairs? Would she have felt uncomfortable 'greeting' someone she didn't know (who she would have figured out KNEW about her condition)? What would  have said to comfort her? Could I have done that by just telling her about the quilt and what it could do for her? That the quilt had been blessed... That the ladies who made the squares LOVE doing this. Love giving them away in the hopes that wherever they land, maybe, just maybe, they will wrap themselves about the shoulders of the new owner and whisper that they are loved. That they could feel better for JUST an instance. Maybe. Just maybe, when she reads the letter we enclose with the quilt, she'll know just what we wanted to say to her, without ever saying a word. Maybe she'll hear those four-letter words you want to hear when you're sick...take care, have hope, ... and love.

 God shows his face in many forms.... may she see that today.

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Wrong Named Quilt-"Baby Blue Blocks"- NOT

Okay, here's the deal.... At our first fundraiser, I was to bring a quilt that one of our members would pick up and deliver to her friend's son, who was just diagnosed with throat cancer. I picked out a few that I thought might work, and let her choose one at the fundraiser.

The problem is that I never looked at the blog to see the names I'd given the quilts BEFORE I left the house. In all the excitement, I also forgot the name when I wrote it on the letter to be given with it. I know the memory is failing, but I figured if I thought about it long enough, I'd remember. NOT. So I gave it a name "Baby Blue Blocks", because all the centers of the blocks were a soft blue. When one of the other quilters came into the fundraiser and I related the story of which quilt was taken, she said, " I just love the name you gave it, 'Blue Bellies' ." DUH! Of course.

When I got home, I looked back in the blog to the photos I'd taken and what I'd written about it and I realize that I really called it "Delaney's Decision" because one of our newest members, Delaney, was designing the blocks that way she liked. Hence the name. The  "Blue bellies" were another quilt all together.

So, I'm putting it in the sideboards as "Delaney's Decision", but if the owner of this quilt looks for the name on his letter, "Baby Blue Blocks", he won't find that name. ....Boy, is it tough to get old.

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Fundraiser @ Sweet Frog in Manchester

I realized how beneficial frozen yogurt is (AND need we say delicious?!!), so I've planned a night at

Sweet Frog

1500 Pleasant Valley Road

Manchester, CT

 on

Tuesday, July 16th

6pm-9pm

 
 
All the sales that evening will be tallies and Peace byPiece Quilters will get the benefit of 10% of ALL sales in those three hours. Click on their name to find out more info about their store.
 
Please come and support us!! What a better (or more delicious) way to cool off this summer. And helping someone, to boot!


*** Update... We made $211.39 (10% of their earnings from thse three hours)

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

New days for the upcoming meetings

Please take notice  of the new dates we will be meeting. Previously, we met the 1st Monday of the month. NOW we will be meeting on the 2nd Monday of the month.

Our formal scedule is as follows:

Sept. 9th,
Oct 14th,
Nov 11th,
(skip Dec),
Jan 4th (Saturday, 9am-3pm),
Feb 10th,
Mar 10th,
April 5th (Sat, same hours),
May 12th,
June 7th (Sat, same hours).
 
We have it cleared with the church calender, so please mark your calendars accordingly.
Hope there is no conflict with anyone who missed this discussion at the last mtg.
 
See you in Sept.

"Fall in my Lap"

That's the name of this newest lap quilt that will get Blessed on Sunday. It was made during our "Man Up!" event to make more 'manly' quilts. Kathy S finshed the binding on this one. Since it has fall leaves/colors in it and it's lap sized, the name "Fall in My Lap" seems to fit. My grandson, Kai, loves it!

More Pocket Prayers

I wasn't sure how the Pocket Prayers were gonna go, but it seems like the original ten I put in the basket in the Narthex at church weren't enough. They WENT like crazy! I put them in at the 10:00am service last week, and I'd heard that they were gone by the 7:30am service the next week (we ran out).

I hadn't realized that the knitting group is also making something similar. They are knitting "Prayer Squares" with a cross knitted right in it. They are neatly packed in plastic with a prayer enclosed and are also in the Narthex of our church. I'm leaving ours UNpackaged (I'm staying 'green'), so they are uniquely different.  It was funny how we both thought of them at the same time, without the other group knowing! Great minds tend to think alike. LOL.

Guess I'm making more and getting the rest of the crew to make some soon. No sense waiting until we meet again in Sept. THEY ARE NEEDED and going like hotcakes!

Here are a few more that Kathy S made (very patriotic for the 4th of July). I added another 10, but will keep making some more that will get Blessed this Sunday.

Some nice Asian designs that have a two sided look to them (flip some over). 
I'm off to make more. They get made up so fast, it's easy to 'just keep going'.