Healing Hearts for Christchurch

I’ve been working away quietly making some healing hearts blocks for Christchurch, and reflecting on the terrible tragedy which took 50 lives a few weeks ago.  While these people were in their place of worship, men, women and children were shot dead and many others left injured.  Previously, New Zealand had never experienced a mass shooting like this, and now sadly,  Christchurch joins the list of cities where such a thing has happened.

Angels in Gumboots quilt shop put out a call for green hearts, and supplied a pieced heart block pattern.  Green is symbolic in Islam as relating to heaven, restoration, hope and life.  We were asked to surround the hearts in white, symbolizing purity and peace, and is the colour most wear when attending Friday prayers.

Understandably, Angels in Gumboots has had an incredible response, both from Kiwi quilters and others overseas.  Mine have been sent on their way to join the many other parcels arriving at their shop.

Sewing this, sewing that, and some mending

After keeping warm and cosy inside while the snow came down after the last few days, it was time to get on with some long overdue tidying up.  On went a load of washing,  and out came the vacuum cleaner to pick up the multitude of threads on the carpet.  As I work on my shaggy quilt, loose  threads seem to migrate from the snipped seams onto the floor.   With DH on bathroom cleaning duties, all the jobs were soon done and I could get on with some stitching.  First job was to bind some wool flannel blankets for the prem babies in the Neo Natal Unit of the hospital.  These little blankets are wrapped around the babies, then one of the little baby quilts stitched by members of my quilt club, Pinestream Quilters, go on top of the cribs.  The Neo Natal Unit had been given a quantity of wool flannel and the club  was asked if members could bind around the edges -  I stitched binding on three to help out, two with scrappy binding and one with a blue and white print.

Wool baby blankets

Mending was next on the list.  Robin’s jeans needed mending so I placed some dark blue drill fabric under the tear and zig zagged all around it.  That should do it, and his jeans will now last a little longer.

Mending jeans

With those two jobs out of the way, I could then get on with some of my sewing.  I stitched the last few blue Healing Heart blocks into sets of threes, and made some sashing strips.  I’ll need some time to lay all the blocks out on the floor to arrange them, but not today, so all the pieces went back in the bag.  But this project is now one step further on.

Blue heart blocks and sashing strips

What next?  Oh yes, I think I’ll work on some more string pieced blocks for my “Roll, roll, cotton boll” quilt.  These blocks are quick and fun to do, and I am stitching the strips on a fine Vilene rather than on paper as per the instructions.  These are neutral blocks and the idea is to use any and every left over bit of white, cream, pale tan that is lying around, using only what is in your stash.  A bit of colour is fine and the strips can be any width.  I have a box full of left over strips and pulled out all the neutrals and was amazed when I ended up with a big plastic bag full.  The first strip is laid across the middle on the diagonal, then the other strips are added, stitched then pressed. 

  Two blocks all stitched

Trimmed blocks

This will probably be a long term project, as I haven’t worked on it for a while.  But never mind, I will get there eventually, I’m sure.  And to tell the truth, I quite like having a variety of things to work on, depending on how I feel.

Thank You for Helen’s Hearts

Helen’s Heart quilt was completed very quickly, as she was going into hospital for an op.  Even so, I was really pleased with how it turned out and Helen was unaware I was making it for her.  She sent me a lovely “Thank You” card and wrote:

“Wow, what a lovely surprise your beautiful quilt was.  I felt humbled, special, and very much cared for.  Everyone who comes around admires it very much, thank you so much for the stunning quilt”.

As quilters, we like to make Healing Heart quilts for friends and family in need.  In fact, sometimes we feel compelled to work as quickly as we can for as long as it takes to get such a quilt completed.  It defines who we are and what we like to do.  Nevertheless, it is heart-warming too when we receive such a lovely thank you.  It was an honour to make Helen’s quilt for her, and her appreciation is all the thanks I need.

Hearts for Helen

Our friend Helen has sailed through with her op following a health scare and is at home taking things easy.  On hearing her “bad health news” several weeks ago I decided I wanted to make her a Healing Heart Quilt.  Not only for warmth and comfort, but also to show that we are thinking of her during this trying time.  Her quilt was made out of some black and white squares, left over from a previous project.  I added some appliquéd heart blocks in rosy red.  It is a “shaggy quilt” and I backed it with polar fleece printed with coloured hearts.  As anyone who has made a shaggy quilt knows, they are quite quick to assemble, but then snipping all those exposed seams takes ages.

Hiding among those black and white squares are cats, sewing machines, music, spots and stripes, silver ferns for New Zealand, and all sorts of interesting fabrics.  Some of these came from SCQ 2004 Retreat in Auckland, some from my overseas pen friends, and the rest from my own stash.  My black and white squares are just about all used up now!

We called around to give Helen her quilt and tucked it around her legs.  It will certainly keep her warm and cosy when she relaxes on the couch during her recuperation.

Helen with her “Hearts for Helen” quilt

Snip, snip, snip

That’s what I was doing over the Easter break.  We were away at a caravan rally at Poroutawhao School, Levin, and I took my black and white shaggy quilt away with me, and my pair of sharp scissors,  to snip away at all the seams.  I couldn’t do too much snipping at a time, as it was a bit hard on the hands, so spread the job out over the weekend.

Snipping away at the seams

It is only a lap quilt, but it still took quite some time.  Finally I was on the last row, thank goodness.  The next step will be to wash the quilt, and dry it, to fluff up all those snipped seams. 

All finally snipped

There was a Decorated Hat Competition in the weekend.  I decided to make use of my lilac sun hat and spent a little time adding decorations.  A length of lemon lace was tied around the hat, then I stitched tiny little yellow Easter chicks, purchased from the  $2 on top of the hat.  It was then finished off with a bunch of Easter Eggs (on wire) tucked jauntily through the lace, and I used another wired egg as a brooch.

My Easter Bonnet

If you would like to see what other high-jinks we got up to over Easter, do check out our other blog on http://www.romanyrambler.blogspot.com/

Another Black and White

When a friend is facing a major health crisis, what is a quilter to do?  That’s right, make a healing heart quilt, as quick as you can.   My friend wears a lot of black and red, I’ve noticed, and as it just happens, I had a whole pile of black and white four patch blocks left over from my daughter’s quilt.  It took me a whole afternoon with my handy unpicker to separate the blocks.  With the loose threads of cotton picked out, and a good press with the iron, those squares looked as good as new.  Now what else?  I cut  a pile of white cotton squares – they will go with it nicely,  and found some pretty red fabric in my stash to use as well.  Then I needed a trip to Spotlight for some backing.  Having decided on making a raggy quilt, I was looking for something soft, preferably red flannel.  Unfortunately the flannel supply was well picked over, and there was nothing remotely suitable.  In the end I purchased red polar fleece patterned with hearts, got it home and washed it.  Can’t help myself, I have to wash all fabrics before I work with them.  Then I cut some more squares and the whole pile looked like this.

All cut and ready to sew

Healing hearts were next,   and these I machine appliquéd onto the white squares.  How many to make?  Who knows, sometimes these quilts just seem to evolve by themselves.  I just stitched what I thought was right, and if needs be, I will make some more later.

Heart blocks all stitched

The next step was to stitch the black and whites onto the polar fleece squares and lay the whole lot out on the floor.  Then I rearranged them till I liked what I saw, and stitched then together in rows. Just as well Robin is a patient quilter’s husband, he is well used to stepping over partly made quilts lying all over the sitting room carpet.   Just a bit more to do, then with any luck I’ll soon be ready to sew the binding on.  I’ll bundle the whole quilt into the caravan over the Easter holidays and hand stitch the binding down, and hopefully get all that snipping done with my scissors to turn those seams into a “raggy” quilt.   

Warm Fuzzies

Last night I attended a Mid Winter Pot Luck Dinner with a lovely bunch of people, members of my Cancer Support Group. Some of you may know that I was diagnosed with bowel cancer about three years ago and after treatment I started attending the local support group. The facilitators, the ladies who attend the meetings, and one lone fellow, make this a wonderful support group. Belonging to this sort of group makes you realise that you are not alone when you face this dastardly health hurdle, all these other people have faced it too. The meetings are in no way all doom and gloom. We have speakers on all sorts of subjects, and lots of laughs together. This wonderful spread what was on offer last night. Everything from home made tomatoe soup, curried eggs, fish tarts, chicken salad, fried rice, and lots more.

Some of the desserts had yet to make an appearance, pavlova, ambrosia, and a wonderful berry cheesecake. One of the ladies brought along this lovely stem of orchids to grace our table. We ate, and chattered, and had a lovely night, full of cheer and warm fuzzies.

A stem of orchids for our table

This reminded me of the warm fuzzies I got from the healing heart blocks I received from the members of Southern Cross Quilters, one of the Internet quilting groups I belong too. While I was undergoing my two weeks chemo in hospital, Robin would call in daily with lots of exciting mail for me. It was such a boost to receive my blue healing heart blocks that so many strangers had taken the time to stitch for me. The cards and messages of encouragement were truly appreciated during those dark days.

A few of my healing heart blocks

I have decided that when I get my two major projects completed, the black and white quilt for my daughter and the burgundy and cream quilt for my niece, this will be my next big project. (Just get on with it, I hear a little voice telling me, you are running out of time). There are lots of lovely blue hearts in all sorts of sizes and shades of blue waiting to be stitched together. And what do you think of this Bali fabric I have chosen to tie them all together?

Bali fabric for the slashing

Since I’m busily counting down to retirement (end of October) I think I should have cleared the backlog by then and this quilt will make a lovely first retirement project. That’s the plan, anyway!.