Last April, when COVID first had shuttered everything, my son was so sick, too sick even to get up for his 2nd chemo treatment. It was an especially rough time in my life.
However, a woman from my neighbourhood sent me a note of encouragement. Debbie is a special woman. Our paths crossed with our big kids in Scouts, our youngest in the same grade and with our dogs out and about in the neighbourhood. With other friends, we have celebrated some big events together. Debbie is the one who delegates the work and adds in the fun. I have composed poetry and worn feather boas at her request.
The day the note arrived I was so frightened and scared watching my son's condition deteriorate. But with her note, I could hear her voice and feel her strength. It made me ask myself if I had done everything I possibly could do. So I channelled my inner Debbie and got on the phone and pushed through. I made call after call and by the end of the day, we had a home nurse visit in place. Then new medicine and fluids arrived. And that was the day my son began to get better.
When I put the binding on this quilt, I knew that this was for Debbie. It's her colours and definitely her energy but I needed to make a label. And it's taken me I while to find the right words of thanks. And how do I fit it all on a label? I decided to keep the label brief and attach a note of my own.
It's finally done and I am dropping it off this week.
I also finished another overdue quilt this month. I told that story in my last video "This Old Quilt". I was so please with how it turned out. I often say, all is forgiven once you get the binding on, but I am truly surprised every single time.
When my book club friend showed me this old quilt top she found in her late Aunt's home, I know that she just didn't see the potential that I saw. I get to show it to her tonight and I am quite excited to see what her reaction will be. Stay tuned.
My interview with Ellen Simon gave me the nudge I needed to get the quilt top done. I had never worked with old fabrics and I wasn't sure if I should wash them or soak them. Her advice was to quilt it first, secure all the seams and pieces, then give it a gentle wash if necessary.
Together with her husband Ellen has made over 1000 memory quilts. Which is a staggering number. As so many people come to quilting to make memory quilts, I appreciated her sharing her process and tips with us all.
Last year, in 2020 my sew sisters and I made a quilt for each member of the group. They kept us busy through the worst of the lockdown and we called them our COVID quilts. This is the one made for me.
And we thought we were done. Then 2021 started and we were back in lockdown so we needed another project.
This Sisterhood Pattern is by Berene of HappySewLucky (Affiliate Link). I had previously made this in a swap and thought this would be a great project to keep us busy this past winter as are there are 8 sisters in the quilt and there are 8 sisters in our circle. I quilted this one quite differently than my first - pushing myself with a more challenging design. My sew sisters were quite happy that I gave them all halos. The last one became a pillow but this one I made into a wall hanging. And it's now beside my desk in my studio.
I think finishing my #100day100blocks2021 Kinship Fusion Quilt is my next project. Stay tuned.