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Monday, August 23, 2010

Summer Work Party With Amanda Jean From Crazy Mom Quilts!!

How Amanda Jean from Crazy Mom Quilts came to be at the MHC Summer Work Party at the end of July may very well be one of those mysteries I never figure out. Our relationship started over a random e-mail request about a year ago--it was me asking for one of her quilts for our quilt collection--she sent 3 :) and then blogged about us and BOOM! She still continues to amaze me with her generosity and willingness to help and support what we do. And so, as I planned our Summer Work Party the first person I asked to join us was Amanda. She agreed-again :) and even went as far as to design a quilt pattern called 'Fair and Square' for our use-more on that later in the post.

On Friday night we met for an evening of food, fellowship, and quilting at the Lasting Impressions Bed and Breakfast in Grand Rapids. Doesn't it look inviting?



Some ladies enjoyed the evening breezes on the front porch while sewing on labels....


...while others got busy sewing inside.


We played games...


...some required skill and others were just plain silly. This game was "See how many quilts you can pile on top of one person in a minute or until she passes out--whichever one came first. That's my mom under this pile....


...and this is Amanda Jean :) Yes, we like to torture our guests of honor!



There was a prize table FULL of treasures....



and TREASURES in the form of quilts made by Amanda Jean. This is her unveiling her quilt "Fair and Square" to the group. MHC was looking for a quilt pattern that was 'manly' looking, easy to cut and piece, could be varied, had no borders and was big enough for an older boy or man. Amanda Jean delivered!! This quilt is easy to cut and assemble, has countless variations, no borders and is the perfect size. We love it!


Saturday morning we met at my mom's church for 5 hours of quilting fun!


Amanda did a little teaching on her quilt pattern....


...and by the end of the day she was officially welcomed into the family--that's Amanda, my real sister Amy, my mom and me!
We expect her and the kids and hubby to come around at Thanksgiving and Christmas this year.





Overall, the weekend went well (in my opinion). It was a first for us, and a near first for Amanda Jean so I guess we all probably learned a few things. Personally, I learned you can never be TOO organized. I want to thank all of the ladies who came out to meet Amanda Jean and help out MHC. We came as strangers and left as friends :)
Thanks to Carol F., Kelli, Kate, Pam, Rebekah, Lorrie, Sharon, Arliss, Carrie, Nancy, Elaine, Jennifer, Pat, Marcia, Joan, Sara, Amy, and April--blessings to you all!

***If you would like a copy of the "Fair and Square" quilt pattern e-mail me your address and I will send you one--or I can send it to you over e-mail.***

6 comments:

Amy said...

Yeah Amanda! Still loving the pattern - and my husband loved all the quilts that Amanda made. The black and green had to be his favorite.

Carin, this is a great wrap-up of the weekend. I'm sure it was not easy trying to find the words to describe all the hard work and generosity of those who attended. It was a great experience to be amongst so many talented sewers who all had great ideas and were ready to share and sew.

Kelli said...

I am so glad I was able to come down on Saturday and meet all of you! Thanks Amanda Jean for sharing your pattern and wisdom and thanks to you too, Carin, for all you did to put the weekend together and for all you continue to do to bless so many families!

Rebekah said...

Thanks so much for hosting a wonderful weekend! I loved getting to know you and learning from you all.

Michelle said...

We just recieved our quilt the other day. THANK YOU SO MUCH! My son loves it!!!

Renae said...

Sounds like so much fun. My sister and I were trying so hard to figure out how we could come to this and we couldn't make it work this year.

We'll have to keep checking in and see if you hold a 2nd annual next year.

Amanda Jean said...

what a great recap of the weekend! it was wonderful to quilt with you...and you are so very organized!!! i was very impressed. :)