Showing posts with label grief quilt. Show all posts
Showing posts with label grief quilt. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 28, 2017

All White Cuddle Quilt - Baptism Quilt - Wedding Quilt - Baby Blessing


As a quilter one of my favorite ways to commemorate a milestone event is with a quilt.  So when our daughter turned 8 years old and chose to be baptized a member of the LDS Church  a couple months ago, I made her this All White Cuddle Quilt to help her remember the special day.  (Note: Fairfield World and Shannon Fabrics sent me supplies and compensated me to make this quilt and write about it on the Fairfield website here.  This personal blog post is entirely my own.)


In the LDS Church we believe that the Holy Ghost (or Holy Spirit) is a member of the Godhead and helps lead, guide, and prompt our decisions.  He also acts as a Comforter in times of grief, pain, and/or anxiety.  Since this special girl suffers from severe social anxiety (selective mutism), I thought this physical reminder of comfort would help her remember that the Holy Ghost can also help comfort her soul.

Wednesday, June 29, 2016

Dorothy's Flower Garden Quilt

When tragedy strikes, we all have different ways of dealing with it.  For me, one of my first instincts is to make a quilt.  (Remember several years ago when my Granddad died, and I made memory quilts for my nana, mom, and uncle with his old shirts.)  I also love making quilts for friends and family on happy occasions.  I just love the idea that something hand-made by me lives in so many of my friends' and family's homes.

So when I received the news my mom's best friend (and mother to one of my best childhood friends) had been diagnosed with terminal liver cancer, I knew I wanted to make something for her.  Dorothy has been my mom's best friend ever since I can remember.  They had kids the same ages and every one of my siblings was good friends with at least one of her kids.  She supported my mom during quite a few of our family crises and even years later as an adult, she was there for me and my own family at some important times.

I found the "Friendship is to people what sunshine is to flowers," quote online.  Turns out the original quote was about smiles to humanity...but the friendship idea fit the quilt better.

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Wee Wander Easy Quilt-in-a-Day

Sometimes you need a quilt on really short notice, so you need a go-to simple quilt pattern.  Simple blocks can be used to make some of the fastest quilts, and if you choose your fabrics carefully, they can still be fun and interesting.  And a big thank you  to Fairfield who provided me with the batting and compensated me for writing this post.  All ideas and opinions are my own and I appreciate the creative flexibility they give me to create beautiful things to share with others.

One of my husband's cousins recently lost a baby to stillbirth, and the cousins sister asked if I could make a quilt for them.  As with most tragedies, this was totally unexpected and we wanted to get the quilt to their family as soon as possible, but still make sure that it would be special.

This quilt was so fast to do that I was able to get it done in less than a day, including the embroidery on the corner square.

Monday, January 26, 2015

Puzzle Quilt with Cuddle Fabric - Free Quilt Pattern

This puzzle quilt isn't nearly as hard to make as you might think.  It's all just a bunch of squares with the "knobbies" as I call them appliqued on.

Our family is a big fan of puzzles.  We have more puzzles in our house than I would like to admit, and my almost-three-year-old does puzzles ALL-DAY-LONG.  In fact, his baby blanket is the first puzzle quilt I ever made.

I was asked to participate in the Great Cuddle Cake Challenge being put on by Shannon Fabrics and Fairfield to celebrate their 20th and 75th anniversaries respectively.  Each Fairfield Master Maker was sent several packs of Cuddle Cakes and asked to create something unique and inspirational.


This project took on special meaning, when I received news that a friend from high school had passed away very suddenly, leaving a wife and young daughter behind.  When someone is grieving, quilts and blankets are one of my first thoughts because it's almost like sending a long distance hug.

I wanted something that could be symbolic to the girl of her dad, but at the same time be bright and cheerful and not be overtly obvious as a memory of a passed loved one.  (I didn't want the girl to have to explain what it meant every single time someone saw the blanket.) I also added a cross as an accent to the back because his faith was so important to him and his family.

So I decided a puzzle quilt with one white piece would be appropriate.  The white piece is to represent the piece that her dad will always be in her life, even if he's not physically present.

I'd like to thank Shannon Fabrics for giving me the Cuddle Cakes (packs of 20-10 inch charm squares) and cuddle fabric for backing. They are SO SO thick and soft...absolutely perfect for this pattern and the purpose of this quilt.  Also, thank you to Fairfield for contributing the batting and compensating me for this post.  All opinions and ideas expressed here are 100% mine, and all compensation I received for writing this post was donated to the family who lost their dad.

And with that...on to the project.