300 Quilts and Counting...

A little over 4 years ago my daughter gave birth at 26 weeks to identical twin boys, Ben and Liam. While in the NICU for several months, I soon noticed that there was a small supply of little quilts being used in many ways : for Moms and Dads to cuddle their newborns, to shelter them from the lights and noise, to use in the incubators and cots to cover the sterile plastic mattresses. They provided a little softness and yet brightness, a little bit of home in this uncomfortable world of the NICU.

I talked to the nurses about the quilts - where did they come from, who brought them in? It seemed as though they would just appear out of the blue. So I said "I know quilters, we can keep you in quilts for the babies, for the parents, we can do this". So a little over 4 years later and I have another pile of about 36 quilts to deliver.  That makes over 300 we have delivered so far. I get butterflies when I go there. It is a place of great joy and great sorrow for us. Little Ben, who started out life at 2 pounds, is now a healthy, happy 4 year old who has a laugh that would bring a smile to any curmudgeon and lots of love to share. He loves to sing when he thinks you aren't listening and he does a mean break dance. We had the gift of Liam for 7 weeks. He will be in our hearts forever and will never be forgotten. My daughter wrote beautifully about Liam, a gift to us all.

I hope these quilts, made with love from quilters across Nova Scotia and beyond, will bring some comfort and peace to other families.

I can't thank enough the members of the Mayflower Quilters Guild and the Mahone Bay Quilters Guild for their continued support of this project, to always have quilts in the NICU.

Two Quilts - Done!

One quilt took almost 2 years to finish, it shouldn't have but life intervened for almost a year when I didn't get much quilting/sewing done. I know the recipients understand, it is a wedding quilt signed by all the guests at the wedding. I have made 5 of these, all for very special couples, mostly for family or for friends who are more like family. I hope they like it, they haven't seen it yet!

Naomi and Nick were married on a beautiful beach, under a wedding chuppah. Family and friends came from far and near to celebrate the happy occasion.

It is machine pieced and handquilted.

I like to piece the back with fabric that reflects the bride and groom's life. So this back includes footprints in the sand, lupins and lobsters, camping and cycling, running and travel, Christmas and Hannukah. I stitch in the labels which have pictures of the bride and groom and their baby...the quilt took so long that they are now the proud parents of baby Gwen. Congratulations Naomi and Nick, may this quilt bring you memories of a happy day and warmth for many years to come!

The second quilt was much quicker, not much piecing and a brave attempt at machine quilting on my part (not my favourite pastime!). I made it for Quilts Recover, a Calgary based group that will send quilts to families who have experienced a massive tragedy. The first quilts will go out to families in Slave Lake, Alberta. I was really glad to participate in this worthwhile cause and to be able to deliver it to Cheryl in person soon.

Jungle Friends

Colour in my Neighbourhood

One of the reasons I loved living in Halifax (we last lived there 15 years ago) was the colour of the houses. No boring beige or gray, people used colour. Our last house had nine different colours, there was the basic colour of the house and trim but then there were all the accent colours on the insides of the trim and around the windows. I loved it, there was always a surprise tucked away. Then we moved to the country, to another old house in a neighbourhood where the tradition was white house with green trim. I know for someone who loves colour it is boring. We have made up for it with the colours of the interior walls, every room is different.

Yesterday we drove out the Aspotogan Peninsula, to take the car in for a service. It has been a while since I have driven out there and I was reminded that even though we have a white house there is colour in our neighbourhood.

Northwest Cove

Just around the corner from there was this display of colour...

I think that deserves the title " a riot of colour". The more I look at it the more I see surprises. Do you see the cormorant sitting on the float? I love the red on the workshop across the Cove. So even though we have a white house, there is lots of colour around me. great inspiration for a quilter. I wonder what I can do with these colours? That will be a fun challenge.