Preemie quilts for the hospital

And you thought I was gone. Just busy doing some other things.   These are my August projects.   While the plan was to use up the fabrics on hand I find I'm buying fabrics for bindings as well as thread.  Downsize is the word but it keeps slipping my mind.  I'm still making preemie quilts for Brenner Children's Hospital. My goal for 2013 was 12 and I'll have to look at my notes to see where I am.  Pretty close I think.  This has been a good way for me to practice my free motion stitching, where you move the sewing machine to do what you want it to do.  Not brave enough to use contrasting threads but here I got brave with the sailboats.   I try to mirror a front design on the back as my label.  In this case, sailboat.   

#9 Preemie

  This little piece was just a cute piece of fabric with elephants.  Again, practicing my free motion around the edges.  I'm getting better.

 #10 Preemie

 Years ago someone gave me samples of fabrics that were about copy paper size and I just piece them with yellow to create this piece. 

 #11 Preemie

 Well I just love these soft colors.  My dear, long time friend, Mary Jane Burdette, Stanfield, NC gave me the center bocks and I have enough for 3 preemie quilts.  I did the rest.   Let's call this one flower crop circles.  Started out as soft fabric circles around the squares and the then I did stitches around the circles like flower petals.  Nope still not brave enough to use colored thread but look close and you can see the stitching.

  #12 preemie

 More little squares produced this one so I decided to do applique.   Humm, this might make #12.  Will have to look back at my list.  Well I still have more fabric in my stash so I'll keep working on preemie quilts.  Maybe one day we won't need so many.  This has been an on going project for my quilt , Forsyth Piecers and Quilters for years.

  #13 Preemie for 2013

Hope you like them and could zoom in to see how I'm doing on my stitching. 

Thanks for stopping by.  Comments welcomed.

March & April baby quilt finished

Well around the end of Summer 2012 I could not find the group I wanted so I started a Quilting Bee, BusyBees and we meet every Thursday at Georgia Taylor Rec Center off W. Clemmonsville Road.  Check in if interested.

Now when it comes to sewing and patterns, I fly by the seat of my pants.  As I mentioned earlier with the "Birds in Fall" piece, I'm more of a cut and sew as you go gal.  Don't do well with patterns and directions.  I for sure can't cut straight (even with a ruler) or sew straight.     Susan drew me the layout.  I'm a visual person.

My 2 new friends at the bee, Susan and Becki have been helping me along.  They may soon give up on me.  Susan showed me how to do the Diappearing 9 Patch.  So I thought another baby quilt would be a good place to start and practice and off I went.    No pattern, just cut up some fabric and put it back together. 

Same blocks with different sashing.   Yellow sashing one finished in April, 2013 and is #4.   

 

Now that I see it on the screen, with white sashing, humm, it could have been better but you only learn by practice and for my first not so bad and hey, it's not a panel and I used a bit more fabric.    Luckily I had 4 extra blocks so I can try again and make another one and change it up a bit. 

WOW, now I see that Don was right.... the bunny label should have been in another color.  Maybe I'll add some stitching around the bunny label to make it pop. 

Thanks for stopping by and letting me share what I've been up to.    I just looked over and on my desk is a quote from a magazine.....

Remind yourself that it's okay not to be perfect.

Baby quilt story...... will tug at your heartstrings

As part of my 2013 goal, I plan to try to use down my fabrics without having to buy too much to go along.  Seems I have very few solids so I might have to make a run to the store. 

Took the easy route and started with some simple panels I had.  The quilts are for the preemie's at the hospital.   THis all started with a very nice email for 2013. 

Around January 2013 I got an email from Stampin up and I thought I had a new customer.  When I followed up it was someone trying to track me down.  Seems in 2003 when I was in the local guild I was making preemie quilts.   Turns out that she received one of my quilts and wanted to send me a note to let me know what it meant to hear.   

Here is a bit of what she shared.      Better grab a tissue.

Jan 5, 2013: 
  "My daughter was a premee, born in April 2003. The tag was handwritten
with Joan Lowder 196 Ju. -Lenor Dr. I will send a pic of the tag."
 
Jan. 6, 2013
   Shes beautiful!    My daughter was born on Easter Sunday(4-20-03). I was only 17 and
scared to death. She weighed just under 2 lbs.

 The only time I left her side was when a surgeon from Baptist came to perform heart surgery. I was so scared! I was was crying, sitting in the floor of the hallway that lead to where my daughter was. Needing to be as close to her as possible.

 A nurse, Alli, came to me and took my hand. I followed her to the big cabinet where they kept the quilts. As she opened the door, she said, "here, would you like to pick one out? It might help." I found a quilt that was bright on one side and had a heart stitched to the middle of the other side.  I sat in a rocking chair beside her for a few more weeks. Using your quilt to cover myself as I took cat naps. On the day we headed home, I put her in her carseat, and tucked the quilt in around her.

 Haley Anna is now a beautiful, smart, 9 year old. She still have the quilt and is very proud of it. Thank you so much for your kindness. Your quilt came into our lives at a time when I needed comfort more than ever.  I will send a picture soon. And yes, please feel free to post it.
    Thank you and God bless!   Lindsay Smith & Haley Anna

January 7, 2013
We live .. about 40 min south of Winston Salem. Over the years, ive taught my daughter the importance of giving and volunteer work.   

 Every year at Christmas time, she cleans out her room and closet, to donate out grown clothes and toys. This year, she had a friend over,  helping her. I overheard Haley say, "no, ill never give that away". I  walked around the corner to see her sitting in her closet explaining to her friend how special the quilt was. At that moment, the thought came to me that I' d love to say thank you for it.

Jan 7, 2013
I'm so glad that we reached out to you. I will send a pic of the quilt as soon as I can. Its not frayed at all! We have taken very good care of it. Please contact me any time! God brings people together for
reasons only he knows.


And that is how the story goes when lead me back to a reason to use up my fabrics and starting making preemie quilts again.    My goal is to make at least 12 this year.    Her story is what started my year off  on the right foot. I appreciate her allowing me to share the story with you.

Haven't sewn in so long I took the easy route and started with 2 panels and now 4 pieces of fabric are in a better place.   It was a good way for me to practice my free motion quilting.   I just finished one that is pieced that I'll post shortly.