Why We Do What We Do

From my church liturgy today:
"God, sometimes it is hard to love.
Where there is hatred, give us love.
God, sometimes it is hard to forgive.
Where there is injury, give us pardon.
God, sometimes it is hard to believe.
Where there is doubt, give us faith.
God, sometimes we are overwhelmed by grief.
Where there is despair, let there be HOPE.
God, sometimes the world seems so dark.
Where there is darkness, let there be light.
God, sometimes we forget who we are.
Where there is death, let there be life."

We come to you Lord.
Teach us to love.
We turn to you Lord
for HOPE in a broken world.

Seeing Double and Other Odd and Ends

I'm glad you were wondering what I have been doing this week because I really wanted to show someone these matching farm-themed tops.  I have decided to make two of every top again--if I have enough fabric of course.  I guess I figure if I am going to go through all the work of finding the fabric and cutting it out--I might as well make two!  I used Cluck Cluck Sew's Road Trip Quilt pattern--a very easy pattern to cut and sew and guess what ladies, it has no matching seams--perfect for when you are having one of those days where perfectly aligned seams are the least of your worries!

 Yes, that is my back yard.  And yes, I left the toys there on purpose because  I am too lazy to move them  I thought they would add to the playfulness of the quilts.  And yes, I did crop out the broken plastic patio table and chairs that I am also too lazy to throw out my kids use for all kinds of imaginary play. You're welcome.

And after what seems like FOREVER I have finally allowed myself to play with pink fabric again.  

In May of this year I put myself of a special boy-only quilt diet. There are a few examples of my boy-themed work Here, Here, Here, Here.  Six months later I still feel a bit icky about making girl quilts--and my eyes are now drawn to the sport prints on equilter.com.  I wonder if I have poisoned my quilting life forever.......

On a completely different note, many people have generously offered to send quilts for our prison giveaway coming up on Dec. 4.  This is a friendly reminder that if you were planning on sending us something-you should probably be doing it within the next week or so. 

One more item I should mention--I am adding 25 more kids to the 'Wrapped in Hope' list tonight! 

Please take a look at the available children and e-mail me if you are interested in quilting for one!

Polka Dot Obsession Part Two

224 HST(half-square triangle) blocks made of assorted polka dot fabrics

 I made this quilt top while trying to participate in Goddess in Progress's HST sew along.  

I was supposed to only do 8 HST's a day--I averaged around 75 a day.  I have problems controlling my rate of sewing!  While others in the group are still sewing HST's together in group of 8's--I have finished the top and am moving on to other projects.  I am feeling guilty--sort-of :)

60 left over polka dots squares paired with various solids

This quilt top was designed by a group of 3rd graders at my kids school last week.  I did a similar project  last year.  This year, to make the project easier for me, the squares are 5 inches instead of 2 inches.

I will show the quilt top to the kids tomorrow--they will be excited to see it!

My Blogger's Quilt Festival Entry

 This is my entry for the Blogger's Quilt Festival.  I just finished off this quilt yesterday and it will be on it's way to a new home this weekend.  A bit of history behind this quilt.  Last year, I taught a quilting class at my daughter's school during the month of February.  These blocks were designed by students ages 8-12.  They chose the fabric and did the initial sewing--our foundations were used fabric softener sheets.  I just love how BRIGHT this quilt is!  
Now, this quilt will be going to Hayleigh from Colorado.  Her daddy is in prison and she is receiving this quilt as a birthday present from him via Margaret's Hope Chest.  MHC runs a program called 'Wrapped in Hope' that serves children of incarcerated parents.  This year over 300 quilts will bring HOPE and comfort to children just like Hayleigh.  We just released our 2011 list of available children and we are looking for quilters of all skill levels to join us in this project.  Hop over to our other blog and check it out!

 I did an overall meander stitch for the quilting.

The pieced backing is equally as bright!

Wrapped in Hope 2011!!!!

Today is November 1st--and that may mean many things to many people but here at MHC it means that I get to unveil the 2011 Wrapped in Hope list!! I am sure none of you are as excited about this as I am and that's cool--but maybe I can get you a little more excited about it by telling you a few things:
1. When I started the program in January of 2010--I had NO idea where we would go with this or if it would even work. I only knew that I wanted MHC to get involved in prison ministry in some way or other.
2.  We started with a goal of giving 80 birthday quilts to girls and boys who have at least one parent in prison.  We (by we, I mean people like you!) have sent 125 quilts to kids enrolled in this program in 2010!  In April of 2010, I had to stop adding names to the 2010 list and instead I began the 2011 list!
3.  The parents/guardians of the children who received quilts this year have been so thankful that this program exists.  Likewise, the kids have loved their quilts.  I have enjoyed reading e-mails describing children who won't go anywhere without their quilt from dad!!
4.  Many of the volunteer quilters who have joined us this year have expressed how much they have enjoyed this work--if you quilted for this program this year and want to encourage others to join--leave a comment on this post :)!
5. I will admit we have had a handful of troubles along the way--missing quilters, missing parents, mixed up addresses etc. but overall, I think it pretty much ran itself and we had a great first year.  I have made a few changes in order to avoid some of the same errors as last year and ease my workload a bit :)

So, are you a little more excited and curious about what we are doing?  Might you be interested in joining us in bringing HOPE and comfort to the children who are affected by the crimes of their parents?

  This year I have created a blog where I have listed all of the available children, their birth dates, and what their interests are.  Volunteer quilters can go to the blog, choose a child, e-mail me or leave a comment with their selection.  I will e-mail them back with a more detailed description of the whole process and the address of the child.  We will maintain the Flickr site where quilters can upload a picture of the quilt they have made.  
Currently, there are 88 children on the list--and many children with January birthdays so please head on over to the blog and check it out!

Quarterly Quilt Giving Update

It has been a few months since I have shared where our quilts are going.  If you watch the Quilt Ticker on the side bar you will see the number slowly climbing higher and higher--that can only mean one thing--we are continuing to give quilts to people in our community and across the country.
Here is what has been given from July-October:

~a quilt was sent to the Brown family in Kentucky.  Their son was murdered in 2007. Here is a bit from a thank-you note we received, "His parents came to see me with the quilt and a picture of Roy. Their hearts are still so broken but you lifted them up and the thought of a total stranger feeling their pain made it seem not quite so bad." 

~a quilt was sent to the family of an Indonesian women who was  killed in a tragic accident when she was hit by a car in Michigan.  A second  quilt was sent to the driver who accidentally hit the woman.  


~a quilt was sent to a mother and wife in Chicago.  Her husband stands accused of killing their son.


~a quilt was sent a young girl in Texas who was sexually abused by a teacher.


~ a quilt was sent to Beth in Mississippi who has experienced numerous health problems lately.


~ 4 quilts were given to family members of murder victims in Grand Rapids, Michigan.


~ a quilt was given to an elderly woman who was having a hard time adjusting to a new living situation.

~a quilt was given to a woman who is going through cancer treatments in Michigan.

~a quilt was sent to a woman in Kentucky who is in the late stages of breast cancer.

~a quilt was sent to Utah for a little girl with brain cancer.

~36 'Wrapped in Hope' birthday quilts were given to children all over the country with at least one parent in prison.

~91 quilts were given to children attending 'A Day with Mom/Dad' camp.


We thank our very generous quilt donors for making all of these givings possible.  We also thank God for leading us to each and every one of these people--it is our pleasure to serve them.

Polka Dot Obsession

Imagine my surprise when I realized just yesterday that I have a polka dot obsession.

I had decided to join the Goddess in Progress Triangle Madness Quilt-along.  Originally, I thought I would do a scrappy quilt because heaven (and my husband) knows I have enough scraps.  But as I poured over 3 buckets of 'scrappy' fabric I started to see a pattern; floral, polka-dot, solid, polka-dot, kid-themed, polka-dot.  Yes, I have a serious collection of polka-dot fabric. 

Why not embrace the obsession and make a scrappy polka-dot quilt?    

Will 100 different polka-dot fabrics look attractive together (with a little Kona charcoal mixed in)?

The world will soon know....

 Stay tuned for more updates on the progress of this beauty!

Just a small pile of polka-dots......