What's Cookin' at The Sweatshop, Week #19 - A Busy Week!!

Hi, all!

Once again, another busy week at the Sweatshop!!  It really felt like one tonight at church - I think we had 12-14 ladies crammed in one classroom sewing!  It's so good when we get together, though - we have a great time!  We've got lots of new ladies on Wednesday nights, too - and they keep coming back!  Woohoo!!

Here are the quilts we delivered this week...

This pretty quilt, made by ministry member Robin, was given to an elderly woman with COPD and heart issues.  Here's a shot of the back...

 

Robin's a new quilter, but she's definitely got a knack for it!  

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This pretty quilt, made from donated blocks sent by Terri of QuiltNCards, has found a new home with a young man recently diagnosed with Stage 4 melanoma.  Joanna made the beautiful back of this quilt...

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Here's a finished shot of the Funky Geese quilt - it was delivered to a 14-year old boy undergoing treatment for lymphoma.  His mom says it arrived at just the right time!  Here's a shot of the back...

Believe me when I say that purple, lime green and red is an odd combination of colors - but thankfully his mom said it is perfect!

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Aren't the colors in this wonderful?  Ministry member Kathy and her daughter Anna worked on this one for a 17-year old girl in our church youth group who had to have surgery for a large brain tumor today.  And here's the back - with a little extra punch from the sun!

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This beauty was pieced by ministry member Joanna, and went to an older woman recently diagnosed with a brain tumor.  It's another 1600 quilt - such a simple design, but always beautiful!!

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So those are the quilts that were delivered this week.  We've got six more identified needs that we're working on, two more I think will be added to the list this week, and I handed out ten quilt kits tonight for the ladies to work on!  I'm so thankful for the many many willing hands that work with this ministry!!

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And now, a reminder of the scrappy block challenge that's going on right now.  You can read about it here - and there's still time to pull a block design together before the linky party on Wednesday, February 8th!!  I hope you'll join in - there are prizes!!!

Hugs!

Sarah

Surfin' Sunday - All about Courage....

Hi, all!

Today's Surfin' Sunday is going to be a little different - all about courage.  All week the news shows have been remembering the events of ten years ago, and telling us amazing stories of courage.   

Susan Retick (far left) speaks with women in Afghanistan

One that really stuck with me was the story of Susan Retick, who was widowed on 9/11.  Family and friends immediately surrounded her with love and support, as was happening all around the country with people affected by the tragedy.  But Susan Retick saw beyond her own personal tragedy - she realized that if she was only able to make it through her trials with the love of family and friends, how did other widows - and particularly those in Afghanistan, where life is horribly difficult for women in the best of times - make it through such a tragedy?   Out of this was born Beyond the 11th.  In just eight years, Beyond the 11th has raised more than $1 million.  The funds have been passed on as grants to organizations in Afghanistan helping women learn a skill or trade, such as DOSTI, a soccer ball manufacturing business started by two Afghan women which now employs over 400 people, many of them widows.  

This ability to see beyond her own little world speaks volumes to me - courage beyond belief.  When asked about what she thought her husband would think of what she is doing, she said, "I know he wouldn't have wanted me to respond with more hate. I don't want Dave's memory to be about hate and anger and terrorism. I want it to be about this phenomenal human being that he was. And I can't think of a better way to carry that on than with the work that we do."  If you want to see more about her work, you can check out this website.  Watch the promo video for the documentary - it's worth the time!

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On another front, I have a friend who is taking a very courageous step in her life - she has decided to take her love of fitness and start a business encouraging and motivating people to make their lives better through fitness training.  She's also one of the funniest people I know - and we all know that humor makes exercise so much better, don't we!  I'd like to talk her into starting a fitness class for quilters, but I'm not sure we'd be willing to stop sewing long enough to work out, and sweat on the quilts might make them a little less desirable!!  But who knows, maybe we can work something out!  

Anyway, she has taken another step out into the great unknown and started a blog called Sister Chicks Guide to At-Home Fitness :o).  It is billed as a ...Calorie-Free, Fat-Free, Carb-Free Zone. Click all you want on this page... it's good exercise!  The title of the first blogpost I saw?  "If I Throw Up On Your Floor...."  Just one little story from an exercise class, but very indicative of Tonya's humor!  Go check out her blog - if you are at all interested in a home exercise program, or just feeling better in general, I think you'll enjoy it. She's trying to get fifty followers by Monday, and she's only six away from that right now.  Follow her for a while and see if you don't enjoy her wicked sense of humor!

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And it's hard to think about courage without thinking of the upcoming movie Courageous.  I'm also reminded, as we honor the first responders to 9/11 on this 10th anniversary, that Courageous focuses on police officers and their service.  The movie opens on September 30th, and I would really encourage you to go - take your family, especially your husband - it will speak to you in ways you can't imagine.  I've seen it twice already and it was better the second time.  Here's a trailer for the movie...

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But what discussion of courage would be complete without the first place most of us probably heard of it?  Please enjoy this little video which should bring back many memories.....

(sorry about the quality of the video - it was the only one I could find with an embed code!)

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Have a courageous week!

Sarah

Some Changes in the Air....

Hi, all!


Tuesdays are going to change around the blog a little bit - - 

Lilli, who is entirely too smart for her own good, will be starting a 5-day a week preschool on August 1st, so my whole week will be toddlerless, except for the days that I go eat lunch with her or pick her up early.  I'll miss her, but it will be so good for her to be around other kids and learning even more things!  She can already count in both english and spanish, told me the other day that when she got bigger and bigger, she wanted to be a teacher who taught about scientific experiments (where did she get that one??? who knows!) and keeps up a running commentary about everything she can think of non-stop until she passes out in sleep!  We've been cooking together, even tried a little sewing on "Nana's Big Machine" (the Juki!) and had a lot of fun this summer.  We've got two more weeks to fill up with lots more fun, so who know's what else we'll get done!  


So I think I'll use Tuesdays for quilt ministry updates - since so many of the ladies in our group are finishing quilts on their own now, with minimal help from me, it seems that they deserve their own day to shine!  Here are a few of the quilts they have finished recently...


Diane Wingo, who is a local quilt blogger who has been joining us for sewing made this beautiful quilt with her own scraps of Kate Spain's Central Park (oh how I love this line!)...

This quilt has already found a home with a woman diagnosed with breast cancer.  We hope it brings her lots of joy with its cheerful colors, and peace, knowing that people she doesn't even know are praying for her!


Diane also made this blue beauty, from fabric donated to us by Sarah Reames, who I met through my involvement with the Bee Splendid group.  (Sarah sent an enormous box of fabric I could barely lift, so you'll be seeing lots of things made with fabric she sent!!)

The front of the quilt...

... and the back.

Through careful planning, Diane worked it out so we've still got enough of these beautiful blues to make another quilt from it.  This quilt doesn't have a home yet, but I'm sure there's a plan for it!!  You'll see it again when it is gifted....


Pam, one of my church sewing sisters, made this cheerful quilt from fabric donated by Diane, who blogs over at Life Scraps.

The front of the quilt...

...and the back.

This quilt has the most adorable goldfish on it, and lots of bubbly dot fabrics - I've named it Goldfish Bowl!  It was delivered yesterday to an 11-year old girl who was in a serious car accident - possible brain damage and two broken legs.  It was wonderful to have a quilt on hand that we could get in her hands right away - a goal we've been working on for a while now!  

And now I have a very special quilt to share with you.

My sewing sisters made this beautiful quilt for me.

You can see just a few of them in this picture - lots more worked on the quilt, but weren't able to be there when

they gave it to me.  (That's me in the bright pink shirt right next to the quilt...)

You see, about a month ago, I was diagnosed with breast cancer.  I wasn't going to mention it on my blog,

because I always want this to be an up-beat,

positive place, plus it was going to be my 

"cancer-free" zone - where I didn't have to have cancer.

Miss Lilli couldn't miss being in this picture!!

But then the ladies gave me this beautiful quilt,

and I couldn't possibly go without sharing it with all of you.

They put so much work and thought into it---

Each lady chose a block pattern and made their own block. 

One even chose a pattern called "Sarah's Choice"!

There's some machine embroidery on it, too -

One block says "Hope"

Another has the name of our ministry - 

"Piece*Love*Quilts"

(my hubby came up with that - isn't it smart?)

Diane Wingo, who blogs at DEW Quilting, quilted it.

See the back?  There are blocks signed by 

the ladies in the sewing group,

by the ladies in my bunco group,

by staff members at the church,

and by people that we've made quilts for through the 

quilt ministry.

They did this all in a week!

And I love it.....

So - this won't be turning into a cancer blog - 

I'd rather it stays a quilting blog.  But at least you'll 

understand if I don't get as much done in a week

as I usually do!  I'll be doing chemo for about 18 weeks, 

then surgery and radiation.  So hopefully things will

stay pretty normal for a long time.  I had my 

first chemo treatment Monday, and so far, so good! 

Positive attitude and all that, you know?

It's strange to be on the receiving end of our quilt ministry, but I can definitely testify how much it means now!  It feels good to know that we are able to do something that can mean so much to others.  And I'm going to meet with the clinical psychologist at my oncologist's office to ask her if she will let me know if there are people she treats who really need a quilt from us - people with no family support, or who are going through a really bad time.  I figure there must be a reason I'm going through this - maybe that's it!  

When I was there for my first treatment yesterday, one of the gentlemen we made a quilt for came in and immediately said, "There's my quilt ladies!"  (One of my quilting friends went with me to keep me company...)  I didn't know he went there, too, and it was nice to see him and know that's how he thought about us!  Ann of Renegade Quilter donated the quilt that went to this gentleman.  He loves it, and says he sleeps under it every night!

So - enough about that!  From now on, Tuesdays will be ministry quilt updates (although I'm sure you'll see many others on other days...) and while we won't be seeing Lilli quite as often, I'll make sure she shows up sometimes!

Hugs!

Sarah

PS - Be sure to check out Qubee Quilts on Wednesday (7/20/11) - Charlie's going to be featuring my blog!!  I'm so honored and excited!!

  

Toddlerless Tuesday #27! The Calm Before The Storm...

Hi, all!


We had rain this morning here in Middle Tennessee - but nothing compared to what's expected here in the next 36 hours.  They're expecting the most severe weather of the year to hit during that time.  So today has been very much "the calm before the storm" - and I worked hard to get some things done in case we lose power!

First up was to get these two flimsies turned into quilts.  Thankfully, with the quilt frame and the tons of practice I've had on it lately, I was able to get both of these done by a little after noon.  They're not fancy - just a random meander - but they're quilted and ready for binding.  These will be delivered to our pastor to be available if he wants to give them out at our monthly prayer service (a time when he does very individualized prayer with people who choose to come.)

I also picked out these fabrics for a quilt for a woman undergoing chemo for breast cancer.  They told me she is really into pink these days, so I hope these will tickle her fancy and cheer her up!  That's tomorrow's project...


And look what I got in the mail - my second set of Hands2Help fabrics, this time from my partner Robyn!  

Aren't they pretty?  I can't wait to figure out what to make with them.  Cheerful fabrics are so much fun to sew with!!


So that's what I did with my toddlerless time this Tuesday.  


But one other thing I came across today, while looking at blogs, was the ongoing conversation about being "real" on your blog.  I don't know if you've seen Rebecca's post, or Deborah's post, or Rachel's post - all offshoots of a post recently about the dumbing down of quilting.  (I'm not going to link to that post here - I did not find it to be very constructive, just argumentative.)  One of the things I noticed in the comments, particularly on Rachel's posts, was that people feel intimidated by bloggers who constantly show lots of quilts they have finished, without telling about all the trauma they went through to get there.  So I wanted to clarify a few things about my blog and my quilting...


1.  I make a lot of quilts in a hurry because (a) I make quilts for a quilt ministry and can't bear to think that someone who needs a quilt is without one because I don't feel like quilting that day and (b) because I have help - lots of ladies who put together blocks that we incorporate into the quilts, and others who donate their UFOs for us to finish.  I post them on the blog because it's a way to keep a record of what we've done in the quilt ministry.


2.  It's a rare day when I don't make a total blooper on something I'm sewing - whether it's sewing the pieces together wrong side to right side, or just totally missing the seam matching, or put together fabrics that just look awful! Stuff like that happens to everyone!  And just like everyone else, sometimes I'm "frog-stitching" (rip-it, rip-it) or embracing the error and turning it into something else!  But usually by the time I've gotten around to blogging about it, the bloopers have disappeared in the joy of the finished quilt.


3.  I love making simple quilts because I can create more of them in a hurry - and I love designing my own, or making variations on others that I've seen out there on other blogs.  Sometimes we make the same quilt repeatedly because we can make them quickly.  That's a pitfall of making ministry quilts. But we try to add to our design pool and use new patterns as they are learned!  Sometimes I'd like to make more difficult designs  - and someday I might have time. But for now, I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing!


I hope my blog doesn't intimidate any of you.  That's not my intent at all.  Please, if you have a question about anything I've done or shown on my blog, feel free to e-mail me and ask - I love to help others enjoy quilting as much as I do!  However you choose to quilt - traditional or modern, by hand or machine, fast or slow - you should enjoy it!!


Quilt on!


Sarah

Toddlerless Tuesday #20! Valentine's Day is Coming.....

Hi, all!

It's Tuesday again, and I can't wait to show you what I made today!  First of all, let me tell you that this pillow was inspired by KarrieLyne's adorable new design for The Quilted Fish.  I would have made an exact copy of hers, pinwheels and all, but I was short on time and didn't have the patience to carefully match up pinwheels!  So here's my version.....

This is a gift for my granddaughter for Valentine's Day - I've still got to find a cute book to put in the pocket (I found a red sock monkey today at the store!) but other than that, it's complete!  The front is made from a charm pack of Lila Tueller's Isabella line that I won recently, and the back and binding is made from a piece of Heather Ross's Lightning Bugs and Other Mysteries that I picked up in Hawaii.  My version came out smaller - only 15" square - but I think for a 3-year old, that's a great size!  Straight line quilting on either side of the diagonal seams on the front, and a 2" grid on the overlapped back, and it's done!  So much fun to make, and really pretty quick.  I really recommend this pattern!

And then, to finish off my toddlerless time, I got started on a commission quilt I'm making - - -

- - - - - cutting lots of strips to border some photos printed on fabric for a memory quilt!  I can't wait to start sewing these together tomorrow during nap time!

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One final thing I want to share tonight - last Friday I showed you pictures of these two quilts....

This one went to a 60-year old man with leukemia who is currently undergoing chemotherapy....











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......and this one went to his wife, because we thought she might be in need of a little comfort, too!

Today I got an e-mail from the woman in our church who brought this couple to our attention.  

"Just got off the phone with Pat about the quilts. I dropped them off at 

the oncologist office yesterday morn and they must have gotten them 

after that. She said the timing couldn't have been more perfect. 

They had been looking for someone in the family who had a quilt 

they could use for him during treatments, but were unsuccessful. 

She said last night they were all wrapped up in them 

and looked at each other and just couldn't stop grinning!

The card was perfect as well. She said no one in the office told them how they got there but when they started reading the card, they just had tears streaming down their faces. 

They were both so touched and are amazed 

at the love that was being sent to them. 

I feel so privileged to be able to share in this time. 

Thank you so much for what you do and the ministry you have created. 

God is truly being felt by your warm quilts!"

This is why I quilt!

So tell me - what motivates you??

Later!

Sarah