Ten More Quilts to 'A Mother's Hope'!!

Ten more quilts were delivered to the Mother and Baby program yesterday.  This is so exciting for all involved!  Maybe you see a quilt that you sent us?  I see two of my quilts in the pile and that brought a smile to my face.  Thank you to those who had quilts on hand and sent them right away--they were needed and will be chosen by a mother needing hope very soon.
We need more quilts to continue helping this program.  I would estimate that we could easily need 10 a month for the entire year--wow! Good thing we have so many generous volunteers out there!
Here is the original post with the directions on how to participate.

Finish it Up Friday

 {I am linking up to Amanda Jean's Finish it Up Friday}

 The last two weeks of December and the first week and a half of January have been good for my quilting.  I have gotten more finished over the past three and a half weeks than in the prior three months!
I finished these 'twin' Thomas the Train quilts this week.  I made them simply by sewing  6X9 inch blocks together.  I stitched in the ditch along the blocks and then tied it in the middle to add a little interest to each block.  Actually, my daughter was able to help me tie the blocks which she enjoyed.
These two quilts will go to 'Wrapped in Hope'- our program for children who have a parent in prison.  We always need boy themed quilts!

 My mom and dad have been here all this week visiting (my high productivity level may be due to the fact that she is here :)) and so we played around with different ideas.  The quilt top below my mom designed and I sewed.  We started with a 9 patch and cut it apart and rearranged it to this design.

 And finally, here are two of the first 'Fun in the Middle' tops.  One we tried monochromatic and the other was random.  My daughter also arranged an all pink one that I don't have a picture of yet.  I am still deciding how to quilt them but I do know where they are going when finished.......Guatemala!!!
I have made a friend who is building a 'Village of Hope' for children with various special needs (remember that Guatemala has closed all international adoptions) who need a family.  They just raised enough money to build the first two houses.  Each house will have 10 children in it--so I contacted her and asked her if she would like quilts for those 20 kids bed's.  Of course, she was so excited and said YES!  So, all of the 'Fun in the Middle' quilts will go to Guatemala!! 

Sorry for the wrinkles :)

URGENT 'A Mother's Hope' Update

It's looks like our new project I posted about last week has struck a chord with many of our quilters. The promise of many quilts has been made. Yeah!! I also found out today that these quilts are going to meet a real need.  {When my mom toured the program last week she was able to drop off five quilts to start with-those are the quilts this e-mail is referring to}Here is an e-mail that I received yesterday:

Carin, We gave away two quilts. It was so exciting for the ladies to pick out which one they would take. And emotional for them too. They were so touched/moved by the gift to them. One sweet lady picked one out initially (a blue one) and then the therapist told her that it was for her, not the baby. She immediately picked out a different one and could not believe it was for her.  Thank you again. I can't even tell you how touched we are by this gift.

So, my friends, until the promised quilts start arriving, we need some finished quilts as soon as possible.  Does anyone have a quilt already made that they could send?  The size at this point doesn't matter. Colors should be appropriate for a woman. Thank you in advance.
 

A Mother's Hope

{I am linking up to Crazy Mom Quilts--Finish it up Friday}

I have the pleasure of introducing a brand new Margaret's Hope Chest program today!  We are calling it 'A Mother's Hope'.  Through a path that only God could orchestrate, my mom heard of a new program starting up in town (Grand Rapids, Michigan) for mothers who are struggling with postpartum depression.  As I said in an earlier post, I had PPD after my 3rd and 4th pregnancies.  I could have used a program like this-especially after my 3rd child was born.  I had no idea what was happening to me and how to make it stop.

I am thankful that now there is a place where mothers can go every week day from 9am to 3pm with their baby and get some help and HOPE.  Can you believe that this program is only the second in the country to offer this type of program (where the baby stays with the mom)?  That was surprising and saddening for me to hear.

So, A Mother's Hope will offer a quilt for the mom to use while she attends the program and then bring home with her after she has completed her time in the program.  

{The director of the program told my mom today that the rooms they are using for therapy are cold so it's nice for the moms to have something warm to wrap up in}

Here are the details of what we are asking quilters to send:

1. A quilt that is appoximately 36X50 inches. (a little over or under is fine)

2. Please choose colors or a pattern that inspires you or brings you joy or HOPE.

3. Please include a short note to the mom on why you chose those colors or patterns--I think they will enjoy this.  Please sign it with your first name and hometown-it's always fun to know where your quilt came from :)

4. Please don't think of this as a 'charity' quilt.  This is a gift of HOPE.  These moms don't need charity--they need to know that tomorrow is a new day and there is hope for them and their family.

5. E-mail me or comment with any questions--we are accepting quilts immediately and will continue to accept them all year.

6. Our mailing address is Margaret's Hope Chest   630 Griswold SE  Grand Rapids, MI 49507

I want to share my first 'A Mother's Hope' quilt that I just finished this week.  I chose pinwheels because, as you may know, pinwheels are my favorite and the smaller the better.  These pinwheels were made from scraps.  I chose bright colors because they reminded me of joy.  I backed it in orange because orange reminds me of my best friend Jennifer who was a wonderful friend to me through some rough times.  I love this quilt--the back is a voile so it is extra soft and cuddly.  I pray it brings comfort and HOPE to a special mother.

New Year's Resolution

from Loder's "Prayer for New Beginnings"

"Help me to be a beginning for others,
to be a singer to the songless,
a storyteller to the aimless,
a befriender of the friendless;
to become a beginning of hope for the despairing,
of assurance for the doubting,
of reconciliation for the divided;
to become a beginning of freedom for the oppressed,
of comfort for the sorrowing,
of friendship for the forgotten;
to become a beginning of beauty for the forlorn,
of sweetness for the soured,
of gentleness for the angry,
of wholeness for the broken,
of peace for the frightened and violated of the earth."