Two and a half to three weeks ago, when I made some blocks for the Quilts of Valor block drive, a moment of realization hit me pretty hard. I exercise almost every day at a local gym and over 8 years have become close friends with a woman who used to instruct strength training classes. Almost exactly a year ago, she had to retire early and started the journey of supporting her husband through cancer. Her husband is a veteran, and as I was making the Quilt of Valor blocks, I could not believe I had not suggested they request a quilt for him sooner. And then I could not believe I thought that; why have a complete stranger give my friends a quilt? I could do that. So I reached out and asked if he would be interested in receiving a quilt.
My friend’s husband doesn’t have just any kind of cancer. He has been diagnosed with Pleural Mesothelioma, and after going through a 14 hour surgery last January, the cancer has recetnly returned in a different and harder to treat location; he will be starting chemotherapy soon. Not wanting to wait any longer, I asked my co-hosts Cheryl @Meadow Mist Designs and Stephanie @Late Night Quilter if they though it would be OK if I took the 2016 Paintbrush Studio New Block quilt top I had pieced together, finished the quilt, and gifted it to my friend. As the blocks were meant for charity and I was probably going to donate the quilt to Project Linus, we all agreed that in this case I just happened to know the recipient.
The blocks in the quilt are all available as free online tutorials and were designed and pieced by:
Top Row (L to R):
Abby @Hashtag Quilt
Renee @Quilts of a Feather
Yvonne @Quilting Jetgirl
Jayne @Twiggy and Opal
Second Row (L to R):
Kim @Leland Ave Studios
Tish @Tish’s Adventures in Wonderland
Renee @Quilts of a Feather
Mary @Quilting is in my Blood
Third Row (L to R):
Carrie @The Zen Quilter
Jess @Quilty Habit
Silvia @A Stranger View
Dena @Living Water Quilter (I needed one extra block, so I used Dena’s tutorial to make this block!)
Fourth Row (L to R):
Sarah @Smiles Too Loudly
Dena @Living Water Quilter
Josi @Avocado Quilts
Sharla @Thistle Thicket Studio
Bottom Row (L to R):
Jan @The Colorful Fabriholic
Cassandra @The (not so) Dramatic Life
Chelsea @Patch the Giraffe
Jane @Jolly and Delilah
Because I knew I had an opportunity to deliver the quilt on Thursday afternoon before their next oncologist appointment in Los Angeles on Monday, I wanted a quick quilting design that would hold up under heavy use / wash. After talking it over quickly with Renee @Quilts of a Feather, I hit on the idea for something similar to my Star Light Star Dark quilting: dense, industrial, organic straight lines (which are fast to do on my longarm) with occasional free motion quilting motifs. I chose to use stars, wishbones, and hearts to represent his service to our country and the wishes and love I was quilting into the quilt. I used 50wt Aurifil 2021 (Natural White) for the quilting and 50wt Aurifil 2784 (Dark Navy) for the binding.
Detail After First Wash
Paintbrush Studio generously donated their Painter’s Palette solids in the Ocean Sunrise Colors (Midnight, Daydream, White, Peach, Coral, Bordeaux) for the blocks, quilt backing (Daydream), and binding (Midnight).
Ready to be Gifted
I used Quilter’s Dream Dream Orient batting, and the quilt statistics are:
- Finished Flimsy: 48.5 x 60.5
- After Quilting and Binding: 48 x 59 (~2.5% shrinkage)
- After First Wash: 44.5 x 55.5 (~8% shrinkage)
He loves the quilt, and I hope he gets as much joy and love from using the quilt as was put into its creation. Thank you so much to everyone involved.
Linking up with TGIFF, Can I Get a Whoop Whoop, and Finish It Friday.
Yvonne, one of the greatest delights in life is to be able to make and give a gift, and here, with so many contributing, this is from many hearts and hands. Lovely fabrics, super designs, and the quilting suits it so well. I am sure this will be a treasure and comfort .
What an awesome gift to a well deserving veteran! Beautiful job!!
Such a lovely gift to give someone. Hope a miracle happens for the recipient.
You did a great job quilting this one and bringing all of our blocks together. I hope that he is able to feel all the love that is sewn in to each block.
I love the quilt and it is a perfect gift for your friends.
I love how this quilt turned out, Yvonne. Your quilting is awesome. How did you baste this one? Spray baste? I really need to master some fun FMQ. It would probably help if I created smaller quilts (having 4 kings needing quilting). Do you think that amount of shrinkage would be typical for that fabric? I hadn’t worked with it before creating my block. What an honor to be able to present your Veteran friend with this quilt. I thank him for his service and he and his family will be in our thoughts and prayers while he continues with his cancer treatments.
Giving from your heart and hands is one of life’s great joys. I know that your friend and her husband felt blessed to receive your gift and you and everyone who contributed blocks feel the joy of giving. Be sure to register your quilt with the Quilts of Valor organization for their records. Yours was a special and timely gift.
Don’t wait to give a QOV! It dawned on me that my brother deserved one, and he was 87 years old. I made one right away, he was so grateful, and thankfully has been able to enjoy it, and he’s now 89.
Lovely quilt and great decision-receiving this quilt with a personal connection is very meaningful.
I couldn’t be happier to see this quilt going to your friends. The thought that something like this could bring him warmth, comfort and a little joy during a hard time like this is amazing! The quilting is wonderful!
Makes it even more special when you know the recipient! Well done!
This is a very touching post Yvonne. The quilt is beautiful and I know it will bring both him and his wife comfort as they deal with this next stage of treatment.
Lovely gift for your friend Yvonne. I hope he receives the best possible outcome with this next round of chemo. I am sure the quilt will bring comfort to him.
Amazing collaboration!! And I just adore that it went to someone you know and it’s sure to bring comfort and joy in a time of need. Perfect example of why I love being part of our quilting community. Well done everyone!
Beautiful quilt. It will bring comfort to your friend.
How wonderful to be able to support a friend this way. I suspect she’ll enjoy snuggling under it, too.
Where can we get the other three blocks from Quilts of a Feather? They’re not coming up when I open her link.
This is a wonderful quilt and love how you quilted it. A lovely gift that so many contributed to and I hope it brings comfort to the recipient during his treatments.
This is a splendid way to gift the quilt Yvonne. It is very beautiful and will communicate much love. The way you quilted it is perfect and will hold up well. I wish your friend’s husband complete victory over the cancer!
The finished quilt is beautiful, from the lovely colours of the fabrics to the perfect quilting, you did a great job of putting it together. It will be all the more special because it comes from you. Loving thoughts and healing wishes to your friends husband and family.
Smart thinking to look for deserving recipients close to home.
My dad had his home-made quilt with him during his cancer treatments. I am sure your recipient will love his quilt too.
I love your quilting! Just like your SLSD quilt but with different details. I’m sure it will be well-loved and I’m so honored to be a part of the project in a small way.
What a beautiful and meaningful gift, Yvonne!
Oh well done, Yvonne,for both the thought and this lovely, inspiring post.
This is such a beautiful finish. I love the meaning behind the quilting designs you chose. I am sure this will be a comfort and a treasure for him.
How great that you were able to gift it to someone you knew. You did a great job on the quilting.
Being able to gift such a wonderful gift to someone personally is such a great thing. Anyone dealing with cancer and all the ugliness that goes with it, deserves to have a warm quilt to comfort them.
Oh my gosh! You just made my heart so happy!!! What a great thing you did, and that he loved his quilt is just the icing on the cake!!!! Thanks for sharing your story!!
A beautiful quilt and wonderful gift!