Thursday, February 7, 2013

Billy and Eileen, Two Special People, Two Special Quilts

If you know me then you know that I spend a LOT of time with my family.  I hang with my cousins and their kids, my aunts, my grandparents, and my parents and then sometimes my friends. 

Well, it sucks when family moves but it happens, so my Auntie Eileen and Uncle Billy moved to Arkansas and we missed them, but hey it's fun to visit down there too!  Then Billy got sick and started chemo and I just had to make something for them.  Well...as you may have guessed if you saw the post about my WIPs I'm not a fast finisher but hey they got there on Monday, just as he is about to start radiation.  Thought counts I say!



So, I made Billy a quilt.  I used the "Blue Ice Quilt" pattern from Quilting Modern: techniques and projects for improvisational quilts By: Jacquie Gering and Katie Pedersen.  I made the blocks a bit bigger but that is the great thing about the patterns in their book, you can just do what you wanna do it is improvisational!  The finished size is 82.5"x59.75" after washing.


The solids I used are Lime, Raffia and Ivory Kona Cottons.  The prints for the crazy pieced centers all came from my stash and the backing is Joel Dewberry Woodgrain in Dill and Bark.  I quilted Billy's quilt with vertical lines a little less than 1" apart using Aurifil thread.  
Do you spot the elephants?  Ya he is a republican and I just happened to have some elephant fabric!

As I was working on Billy's Quilt I thought about how caregivers are often overlooked and I wanted to make sure that my Auntie Eileen had something to keep her warm as well so of course, another quilt!  The idea for this one was pulled from a quilt by Katie Pedersen and I just used HSTs and made them BIG to make a simple and fast star design using prints from my stash in aquas and limes on an Ivory Kona background.  I like how their quilts have some of the same fabrics.  The back of her quilt is Amy Butler's Passion Lily in Fern.



I quilted Eileen's quilt vertically with straight lines in a mossy green Aurifil thread like Billy's.  Her quilt is 65.25"x54" after washing.


Before I bound the quilts I called and sent out some e-mails to my family looking for prayers.  My friend Emily often writes prayers in the bindings of her quilts and I loved the idea of collecting prayers for both of these quilts.  I wrote the prayers and thoughts from their family in the inside of the bindings, I had enough to cover all 4 sides on each and then stitched the binding down by hand.  Billy and Eileen will not be able to read the prayers in the binding (though I did give them a card with what is written in their quilt) but they will always be wrapped in prayers and thoughts from their family.  
I am so happy to be able to have made them these quilts and bring them some comfort and warmth from family even when we cannot be with them.  
Today I am linking up with Sew Thinky Thursday where Emily is asking the question, "What is the most meaningful thing you've ever made?"...ya got that covered see above.  Thanks for reading, I know, long post but hey glad ya made it this far!

20 comments:

  1. Both stunning, but I'm especially in love with the "Lime" ice quilt. Fab color choice and the sentiments make both quilts even more special. Great work!

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  2. Beautiful work Emily! I know your aunt and uncle will love what you've made for them.

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  3. Beautiful work! I hope he is doing better!

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  4. gorgeous, AND meaningful. quilts are full of emotion and love and feeling...it's an amazing craft that way.

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  5. They are beautiful Emily. What a thoughtful gift. How can they not feel embraced by you when they wrap themselves in the quilts.

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  6. Absolutely wonderful Emily! And I LOVE the idea of writing prayers inside the binding! I think I'll start doing it! :)

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  7. So pretty Emily!!!!!!!!!! I love those colors and as always your quilting looks great. :)

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  8. These are so fabulous Emily!! :) I'm sure they'll be able to feel the love stitched into these!

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  9. Those are so pretty! They are awesome!

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  10. Beautiful quilts and so meaningful! Thanks for sharing.

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  11. Absolutely beautiful....and so thoughtful.

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  12. Beautiful quilts, and certainly made with much love.

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  13. These are definitely sew meaningful! They are gorgeous, too! I'm sure that your Uncle and Aunt just love them and can physically feel all the love and prayers from everyone wrapped up inside :)

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  14. Not only are the quilts beautiful, but so is your story. I read about prayers in the binding recently and I think it is a lovely idea - especially when those prayers are from the whole family - truly wrapped in love. And a quilt for the carer is a wonderful idea - they are so often overlooked at what can be the hardest time in their lives. Thank you for sharing.

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  15. This is so beautiful! Wow. I really need to buy that book. I've checked it out twice from the library...never long enough to actually complete something.

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  16. This is stunning! I love the colors.

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  17. Your quilts are amazing. I love that book too. I made a cross quilt that looked nothing like the one in the book and had a great time doing it. What I liked the most is what you liked. They are recipes, not patterns.

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  18. I love your star! I have a ton of leftover HST's I think I want to do a quilt like yours. Thank you for the inspiration.

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