One Million Pillowcases

I have an awesome quilting friend, Peggy, who has been sewing up a storm lately (you should go check her blog, Stitchin With Peg).  Not only has she finished a couple quilts already, but has sewn up over a dozen, I think actually two dozen pillowcases for ConKerr Cancer.  They are an organization that donates colorful pillowcases to children undergoing treatment for cancer or other childhood diseases.

I have donated a few pillowcases in the past, but decided to follow Peggy's lead and do a fabric clean out and find fabrics that would make perfect pillowcases.  I pulled fabrics that had large prints or ones I can't see using in a quilt anytime soon.

So far I have 11 pillowcases to drop off at my local quilt shop, Quilting Possibilities, on the 31.  There is a pillowcase sew in that day, info on their events page.  QP took the challenge in 2010 when American Patchwork and Quilting magazine challenged the quilting community to make and donate one million pillowcases to charity.  I know the local group has sewn thousands of pillowcases and I am glad that I can help them out.

I have to say, I love the fabrics that I used.  I mean, those dogs are too cute and the monsters are super fun.  Stars are always a good bet and why not some hot air balloons.  And a few elephants are always up for a good time.

This was such a fun quick project that I might need to do another fabrics clean out for their next sew in date.

Project Quilting Season 6 Challenge 1

Ahh it is here again!  Another season of Project Quilting hosted by Kim at Persimon Dreams.  I am not sure if you all know how much I love Project Quilting.  It is a one week challenge where we are inspired by a topic posted by Kim.  We can make any quilted item for the challenge as long at it is completed in the week and posted to her blog by 12 noon the following Sunday after it is announced.  I've made all sizes of quilts for Project Quilting, 2 have been in multiple quilt shows and one of the ones I designed has the pattern is in American Quilter!  So I really love Project Quilting!

Challenge 1 was trees.  I had to think about it for a couple days before I came up with my plan, improv whimsical trees.

I reverse appliqued the colorful tops then fused and zigzag stitched the trunks.  The white fabrics are all different white on whites.

After I made a number of trees I decided my whimsical forest needed some birds so I drew up a little curving flying geese pattern and sprinkled them through.  My mom says they remind her of kites flying.  Then came time to piece it all together.  Oh the fun of inset seams, next time I shouldn't have so many in the quilt.

I decided on some swirly free motion quilting around the trees and geese.  It gives movement to the little quilt.  

I just love the little geese.  

The back is a sketch fabric in a light blue.  I have a lot of it since it makes great backings.

It is machine bound in a fun orange that frames the little quilt nicely.  This was a fun quilt to start the year off with.  My first finish for 2015.  It had reverse applique, regular applique, and paper piecing.  Definitely a great way to start a year of quilting!

Whimsical Trees Baby Quilt
28.5" x 31.5"
Assorted cotton fabrics
Pellon 100% cotton batting
quilted with Coats and Clark machine quilting thread

Emmett Baby Quilt

I have been on a baby quilt roll lately.  Everyone keeps having babies!  This baby quilt was created in a color pallet of navy blue and gray.  That is a really hard color combo for a baby quilt.  I created a couple of quilts before I figured out the perfect quilt pattern.

I found a fun print with boat schematics and felt that it needed to be in the quilt.  But was at a loss at what to make.  Then on a trip to the fabric store I stumbled on the elephant print.  It had navy blue in it!  I decided to use that fabric as my inspiration.  I cut the print on the bias to have the elephants standing upright.  The blocks are places in an argyle pattern and quilted to emphasize that.  

If you look closely, the plaid lines in his name line up perfectly.  Ya, I am nuts like that, haha.  

I backed the quilt with white minky fabric, which shows off the quilting nicely.  

Maggie had to check out the quilt while I was taking pictures.  She loves to look at quilts...

and the she loves to hide in the bushes when the wind blows.

Emmett Baby Quilt
35" x 45"
80/20 Pellon Batting

Brown and Blue

Recently I created a brown and blue baby quilt for a little boy.  Using almost all stash fabrics, this little quilt came together quickly.

It is made with the disappearing nine patch block.  I added a couple borders to frame the quilt.  

I free motion quilted the quilt using a light blue thread in a large meander.  I love the loopy on these baby quilts and it goes so quickly when I quilt it.  

I backed the quilt with minky fabric, blue with a strip of brown.  The quilt is bound in a brown argyle.  

I love the simple blocks for baby quilts, they really make sweet quilts.  I hope the little baby enjoys his quilt.

I-Spy Baby Quilt

My sister recently asked me if I could make a neutral baby quilt for a friend of hers.  They were not finding out the gender of the baby, so I decided to make an I-Spy quilt.  I pulled out my crazy stash of I-Spy blocks that I have collected from my stash and from swaps with Polly from Pieces by Polly.

I sorted a handful of squares by color and pulled out 18 blocks from each stack to make 2 nine patch blocks of each color.

After I pieced the top, I quilted some wavy lines along a number of the seams.  I like to add a lot of quilting to baby quilts to make sure they hod up to lots of washings.  I also machine bound the quilt.

I backed it in a fun tree print with a couple teal strips running through.  The binding is a small yellow chevron, adding a pretty stripe along the edge.

I love the colorful quilt among the fall leaves.

I-Spy Baby quilt
31.5" x 42"
Assorted fabrics
100% Pellon cotton batting

Bee Blocks

I've been working on my stash bee blocks lately.  I haven't shared them here in a couple months so I figured I would.

September Heather asked for the Marley Quilt block, free from Craftsy, in aqua, purple, pink and orangey yellow.  I made one and sent it off then jumped in when another member of our hive needed an angel block so I made a second one.

My block

Angel block

In October RobinSue asked us to make a fun scrappy block that she  designed.  I made 3 for her, couldn't help myself (and in case an extra was needed :) ).  I fussy cut the fabrics, too, for added fun. 

 

And this month, November, Rachel asked us to use our words.  She asked for powerful, uplifting words to encourage others.  This block idea is so great and I love it.  I have made two blocks so far and might make one or two more for her, we will see.  I drew out the words by hand in script onto freezer paper and then just sketched the lines to make the letters wider.  Once I had the size I liked I cut the freezer paper into a blob around the letters then pressed it onto the chosen fabric.  Then I cut the fabric to the same size as the blob, then pressed that onto Heat'n Bond light.  (This method keeps me from getting the fusible stuff on my iron).  I then cut out the word from all three layers.  Once it was cut out I peeled off the freezer paper and the paper from the Heat'n Bond and pressed it onto the background.  After I pressed it I used a small stitch and zigzagged around the words.  I feel these are two uplifting and powerful words.  

  

I have loved being a part of Stash Bee this year and I am looking forward to next year.  I have had a great Hive with so much talent in it.  

RSD/CRPS Awareness Month

Did you know that November is CRPS/RSD Awareness Month?  So many know that February is Heart Desiese Awareness Month and October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month (and so on), but few know about RSD/CRPS.

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), previously known as Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD) is a chronic pain disorder.  It is an extremely painful disorder that tops any pain according to the  McGill Pain Index.  CPRS pain is constant, extremely intense, and out of proportion to the original injury.  The pain is often joined with swelling, skin changes, extreme sensitivity, and can often be debilitating.

If you are wondering why I might be bringing up this topic is because this is something that is very personal to me.  In January of 2013 I was diagnosed with RSD/CRPS.  It has taken me almost two years to be able to just come out and say it, to accept it.
I can't tell you how many times I wished for them to just cut my leg off to stop the pain, which I know sounds horrible.  There are times when it feels like there is a knife in my leg (or even the entire steak knife set), other times like I laid on a pin cushion and can't get the pins out.  And the newest pain is a frozen burning that just won't let up no matter what.  This is a constant pain, it never goes away.

Other symptoms include: (From American RSDHope)
- changes in skin temperature and color 
- hypersensitivity to touch, sound, vibration, wind, noise, temperature, weather, water temperature, etc.
- irritability, depression, fatigue, and/or insomnia. 
- changes in hair/nail growth 
- bone and muscle loss/changes, atrophy/weakness. 
- swelling and stiffness in effected joints.
- throbbing, crushing, tingling, shooting, aching, stabbing, burning pain in the effected area.
- tremors (shakes).
- problems moving the effected extremity/body part. 
- migraines/cluster headaches.

To be diagnosed with this has been kinda overwhelming and a blessing.  I mean, I finally have an answer for the pain and for the crazy sensitivity that causes me to not be able to wear pants or have my sheets and blankets touch my leg.  I know that there are other people out there who can understand with what I have been going through.  How mine started is not very common, it took over a year to even figure out what was going on.

This debilitating pain is why I quilt, why I sew every day.  Sewing has become the best therapy for me, helping me to concentrate on something when everything else is overwhelming.  This month the Jersey Shore Modern Quilt Guild will be creating orange awareness ribbon blocks to be made into a quilt to donate to the RSDSA, an organization that funds research for RSD/CRPS.

Who would have thought that a simple injury could turn into something that is life long, that I will struggle with forever.  At the moment, there is no more running, hiking, climbing, or boating.  I struggle just to walk any real distance or drive any real length of time.

I do have hope that with continued treatments I will one day be able to be somewhat active, that I will be able to work and lead a normal life.  That my pain will be under control and I won't want to cry every time the wind changes.  I even hope that I might be able to tolerate jeans again, oh to just pull on a pair of jeans and a cute pair of heels is a dream that I hope will come true.

Monday, November 3, is Color the World Orange Day.  A day to wear orange to support those fighting this disease.  It is a world wide event.

I know this is a long post and it is very personal, but sometimes it just makes you feel better to share something, to put it out there for others to maybe gain a better understanding.

For more information check out RSDSA or American RSDHope.  And the Color the Wold Orange event page.