The end of each month is community quilting donation time. No matter how busy I am, I try to finish some quick comfort quilts and pack up the one's I've previously made and not yet donated, and head off for my local quilt guild's meeting.
This morning, I loaded up the car with all of my quilts, made a stop at a friend's house to grab some of her quilts to include in today's donations and to admire all of the others she had in progress, and then headed off to my group meeting. Turning in 16 quilts at once was such a good feeling...so what if some of them were tiny little Angel Wraps and Preemie Blankets. I loved having such a fun pile to donate :)
Our Mid-Valley Quilt Guild has some where between 325 and 350 members join during the year and every month dozens and dozens of us turn in completed comfort quilts and pillowcases that go to a variety of local charitable donations.
Each month we have a speaker, today we had the celebrated Nancy Lee Chong, known for her design, creation and hand quilting of intricate Hawaiian applique quilts.
Nancy is an amazing and humorous speaker and her quilts are so detailed and use beautiful hand dyed fabric that she also offers for sale.
I was sitting about 1/4 of the way back in our meeting room but when you are among 75-100 women (and one very talented manquilter) you end up holding your small emergency camera over your head (and no doubt in front of other's faces) and trying to take at least partial shots of quilts. These are the best photos I could manage once I cropped out all of the heads of ladies seated in front of me....this collage puts a new spin on the term 'quilt tops' !!!!
Nancy Lee Chong's quilts under her label Pacific Rim Quilts and you can view much better versions of her quilts at her website! So, do go back and click on my link and check them all out. Nancy offers a variety of patterns for sale ...both traditional and her some of her own more modern creations....and if you'd seen her quilts in person..you'd want to at least try a table runner, trust me. Her work is gorgeous!
Amid quilt guild, yard work, quilting, cats, chickens and kids...life gets busy and challenging. But being able to make and donate quilts for good causes and seeing the beauty of others quilts, not only lifts the spirits.... but add such color to life!
Links:
Nancy Lee Chong's website:Pacific Rim Quilts
'Quiltessential': Urban Speak: Quiltin' and Needl'n the Patchwork
LAST MINUTE MEMO:
If you haven't watched Stitched: The Film ..it is available for FREE viewing ..but that ends today. You may have to go back to the beginning of the link here:
http://www.ctpubblog.com/
If you're too late, you can still order the DVD. It is SO good, I just loved it..the absolute 'quiltessential' ending of my gathering of the quilts around me day!!!!
And of course...
don't forget that I quilt for the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative (AAQI) With Heart and Hands at www.with-heart-and-hands.com and always have a number of those quilts in progress :)
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4 comments:
Doesn't it feel good to donate quilts. That's why we are kindred spirits. There is nothing quite like the feeling of knowing you are giving to others. Great job Michelle. Hugs
What a wonderful your guild does EVERY month! WOW!! You are amazing. I love to make quilts for charity, too. It's fun to wrap someone in love that you will never know or meet.
Hugs, Deborah
Michele, you are such balm to my soul. I've been with one of my sisters again last week/end (for 5 days) helping her come to terms with letting her 12-year-old 'forever' furbaby, Snuggles, cross the Rainbow Bridge. My heart is heavy, and I want to cry a lot now that I'm back home. I had Bayley with me. It was such a special gift for me, as sad as it was, I wish I could put it all into words...maybe I'll give that a try on my blog. I desperately want to use up all of this fabric that I have piled up around here but I just can't seem to set aside the time to do it. I long to give of myself (and fabric) like you do, but how do I get there? You are my inspiration.
LOL - I absolutely love your collage of quilt tops! It looked very intriguing. I wouldn't have guessed you were cropping for some other reasons.
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