Doll Quilts

 

My daughter Anne and her friend Alison (who was staying at our house this weekend) designed these 4 doll quilts for the Santa Claus Girls in GR. This Christmas, these blankets (and many others) will be distributed to little girls who might not have ever had a homemade gift before. Anne and Alison are blessed with mothers, grandmothers and great grandmothers who make them lots of homemade treasures. It is important to me that my daughter's earliest memories include giving CONCRETELY to others. If you have a daughter or granddaughter please consider giving her the gift of these memories too. Everyone has something to give someone else.

October Quilts

 

Nothing like the impending birth of a new baby to light a fire under my sewing machine. As of today all 6 of these quilts are bound and ready for a label and a new home. 3 of the quilts are monkey themed. The fabric is flannel and so soft! I bought 6 charm packs of the same fabric earlier this year at The Fat Quarter Shop (online) for half price! So far I have made 5 quilts from them and I still have more left. Charm packs (for those who don't know) are precut 5 inch squares of matching fabric. If I find them half price I always buy them-it's a fun way to see a whole line of matching fabric without having to buy large quantities. Off to start some more projects!

Hope and Love in This Life and the Next

One of our quilt recipients in on the brink of death. Her name is Emily and she is only 15 years old. She has a rare genetic disease that has been slowly robbing her of life for about 5 years now. Her mother Lindsey keeps an inspiring CaringBridge website updating family and friends. The following is what she has written today-as she watches her child die. I want you to notice with me what she says about HOPE and LOVE.


"She is tired. I think it really hit her hard today, the realization that she was completely on the brink of death the other night. She still continues to startle the medical folks by even being alive.

For some reason, the sadness is hitting me today... I guess I had, inside, hoped that today would yield a marked turning point, that we could start to begin to picture her coming home with us again, sometime. No one else is holding out that promise... it must just be another time of waiting, waiting, waiting without knowing the eventual or immediate outcome.

One learns to be patient in the waiting... and GRATEFUL. But such lessons of the soul do not occur easily, or without distinct cost. Thankfully, there is One who has gone before us, an Example who has paved the way along the road of suffering... and Who has borne the far greater brunt of the load, to achieve at the end of it all what we as humans could never completely achieve.

For WEEKS now, I have given some thought to the end of 1 Corintians 13, which is that famous treatise on LOVE from the New Testament. 'And now abide faith, hope and love; but the greatest of these is love.' Somewhere in the back of my mind, and with these very words often repeated familiarly to me, I had latched onto a notion that faith, hope and love were three great things but that love was the only one of the three that would last forever... but, after further reflection on the words, I had to realize that it was simply not true. The statement actually indicates that all THREE will remain, but that in their remaining, the greatest of the three is actually LOVE.

When you are in a life-and-death situation like ours, it is actually HOPE that weighs in pretty heavily. Understandably. But I guess in all my musing recently, and especially culminating in my thoughts today as I watch Emily, I have suddenly caught a grasping of the fact that LOVE is even greater than hope. Am not even sure that words can be found to unravel such a great mystery... but something poignant has been spoken to my heart, by the Spirit of the One who is God, the One who amongst many things is known as The Revealer of Mysteries, in this life and the next. And today, I quietly have found a measure of consolation in that."


Please be in prayer for the Yeskoo family as they travel the through the valley of the shadow of death. If you have an account with CaringBridge you can read her page by using emilyy as the login.

Recent Gifts of Hope

 

I am trying to keep myself updated on where the quilts are going...it's a bit hard because my mom is "Central Command" in Grand Rapids and I am in Toronto trying to crank quilt tops out before baby #4 arrives in less than a month! Thankfully, my mom is a meticulous list maker-I know I chose her for my partner for a reason! So here are our recent gifts of hope.
We sent a quilt to Nigeria (our furthest destination so far!) for Megan, whose mom was diagnosed with brain cancer about a month ago. Megan and her husband are missionaries in Nigeria. Her mom lives in Iowa. For two years I lived far, far away from my parents and I was always scared that something terrible would happen to them and I would be have to choose to care for my husband and kids or my parents....we are praying for their family, specifically for healing (number 1) and wisdom to know when it is time to travel "home". We also sent a quilt to Megan's mom, Cella. Actually, they are matching quilts, just like the one pictured above.
We gave three more quilts to Safe Haven Ministries for families that are being served there.
Finally, two more quilts were given to Children's Assessment Center. My mom was supposed to go on a tour there last month but because of the heavy rain, thier office was flooded. I'm sure that caused a bit of discouragement. They provide a very important service to our community.
So, the total number of quilts we have gifted is up to 38! I really, really want to make it to 50 before the new year (we have MANY quilts finished and ready to go) so I need referrals!!! Please don't hesitate to e-mail me with an individual or family that could use HOPE! margaretshopechest@yahoo.com

West Michigan Quilt Show

 

 

 

Just wanted to let you see the quilt that Margaret's Hope Chest had displayed at the area quilt show this weekend. It was made from donated material, pieced by myself, quilted by Phyllis Myers of 'Quilts Completed' and bound by my mom. I LOVE it, I think the quilting by Phyllis makes this quilt so cool. She did a great job. We haven't decided what to do with this quilt but we have discussed donating it to Silent Observer of Greater Grand Rapids who helped our family after my grandma's murder-as I understand it, they have auctions every once and a while to raise money....we'll see. The other quilt is one that I entered personally. I made it for our best friends last year. Enjoy!

Quilting Kits Now Available

 

I have 9 kit quilts now available for volunteers to piece. If you have ever thought of helping us THIS is the kit for you-it is sooo....easy and quick-and downright attractive too! All of the fabric you need is cut, labeled and ready to piece. A great use of 2 hours!