Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
In two short days I have met my goal of 40 volunteers to help make this incredible quilt.
(If any others would like to join in, it's not too late. I would LOVE it!)
I sincerely am blown away by the response that I have received from all of you.
I wanted to let you know that I met with the Founders of The Heroes Foundation tonight and they were thrilled (we're talkin' goosebumps) to hear about this quilt! They are thinking about putting it up as The single raffle item at the Gala. This will bring in much much more money than just putting it up as an item at the silent auction.
I would like to bring more of this quilt's story to life at the Gala. Would it be too much to ask each of you to send a 4"x6" card with your name/city/state/country on one side and on the other side write a note about who you are making the block in honor of? Even a little note about that person if you wouldn't mind. It seems like so many of you have been affected by this disease and I think these notecards will make the quilt that much more special. You could even put a picture of the person on your card if you'd like! The cards can be created out of pretty scrapbook paper or on just a regular old notecard. Not a big deal, since it is what you write on the card that matters most!
Ok, now let's talk about the quilt block.
The blocks are to be 10" x 10" finished. It may be a good idea to cut your original paper a little larger (like 10 1/4" x 10 1/4") and then trim it down to 10"x10" after it is all sewn together.
Please use bright, modern fabric scraps like I used in my sample block. The blocks should not be monochromatic, just full of color and life. If you need ideas of fabrics that I lean towards, I love all things from these designers: Amy Butler, Anna Maria Horner, Denyse Schmidt, echino, Erin McMorris, heather bailey, heather ross, Joel Dewberry, Laurie Wisbrun, Lizzy House, Mo Bedell, momo, Ann Kelle, Patty Young, Sandi Henderson, Tula Pink, Valori Wells. Feel free to avoid plaids and pastels.
Just like in the tutorial, I ask that you cut the middle white strip to 1". Please just use a solid white piece for the middle (not white on white). Gluestick it onto your paper and then start sewing strips onto it that vary from 1" x 2.5". No particular order in which size you sew where. I ask that these strips not be wonky but the same width all the way across.
Please leave the paper on the back of the block when you mail it to me. This will keep the strips from coming apart and makes sewing the blocks together easier (so I've been told) :).
A few extra tips: I used a piece of wax paper to sew my strips onto. This tears away easily when the time comes to remove the paper. I've used other paper before and it was really hard to tear away and tended to take the stitching out when I tore the paper away. You don't have to use wax paper, it just worked for me. I also backstitched at the beginning and ending of each strip to lock them into place. If you don't do this, they have a tendency to come apart when you tear away the paper from the back.
After you make your first block, if you are feeling frisky and would like to make another, I will not turn it away. It will just allow me to make a larger quilt. The one I had originally planned was a lap quilt, but I'd love to make a larger one if I receive more blocks.
Tammy Lawson has generously offered to donate her quilting services. Thank you, Tammy! She asks that I get her the quilt by mid-January
I sincerely am blown away by the response that I have received from all of you.
I wanted to let you know that I met with the Founders of The Heroes Foundation tonight and they were thrilled (we're talkin' goosebumps) to hear about this quilt! They are thinking about putting it up as The single raffle item at the Gala. This will bring in much much more money than just putting it up as an item at the silent auction.
I would like to bring more of this quilt's story to life at the Gala. Would it be too much to ask each of you to send a 4"x6" card with your name/city/state/country on one side and on the other side write a note about who you are making the block in honor of? Even a little note about that person if you wouldn't mind. It seems like so many of you have been affected by this disease and I think these notecards will make the quilt that much more special. You could even put a picture of the person on your card if you'd like! The cards can be created out of pretty scrapbook paper or on just a regular old notecard. Not a big deal, since it is what you write on the card that matters most!
Ok, now let's talk about the quilt block.
The blocks are to be 10" x 10" finished. It may be a good idea to cut your original paper a little larger (like 10 1/4" x 10 1/4") and then trim it down to 10"x10" after it is all sewn together.
Please use bright, modern fabric scraps like I used in my sample block. The blocks should not be monochromatic, just full of color and life. If you need ideas of fabrics that I lean towards, I love all things from these designers: Amy Butler, Anna Maria Horner, Denyse Schmidt, echino, Erin McMorris, heather bailey, heather ross, Joel Dewberry, Laurie Wisbrun, Lizzy House, Mo Bedell, momo, Ann Kelle, Patty Young, Sandi Henderson, Tula Pink, Valori Wells. Feel free to avoid plaids and pastels.
Just like in the tutorial, I ask that you cut the middle white strip to 1". Please just use a solid white piece for the middle (not white on white). Gluestick it onto your paper and then start sewing strips onto it that vary from 1" x 2.5". No particular order in which size you sew where. I ask that these strips not be wonky but the same width all the way across.
Please leave the paper on the back of the block when you mail it to me. This will keep the strips from coming apart and makes sewing the blocks together easier (so I've been told) :).
A few extra tips: I used a piece of wax paper to sew my strips onto. This tears away easily when the time comes to remove the paper. I've used other paper before and it was really hard to tear away and tended to take the stitching out when I tore the paper away. You don't have to use wax paper, it just worked for me. I also backstitched at the beginning and ending of each strip to lock them into place. If you don't do this, they have a tendency to come apart when you tear away the paper from the back.
After you make your first block, if you are feeling frisky and would like to make another, I will not turn it away. It will just allow me to make a larger quilt. The one I had originally planned was a lap quilt, but I'd love to make a larger one if I receive more blocks.
Tammy Lawson has generously offered to donate her quilting services. Thank you, Tammy! She asks that I get her the quilt by mid-January
.
If you could please have blocks shipped to me by January 1, 2012, I will have enough time to piece the quilt together. (Also, Tammy finished her block already and she said it only took her 30 minutes from start to finish, so if you've neve made this block, no need to be intimidated! It is a piece of cake.)
If you could please have blocks shipped to me by January 1, 2012, I will have enough time to piece the quilt together. (Also, Tammy finished her block already and she said it only took her 30 minutes from start to finish, so if you've neve made this block, no need to be intimidated! It is a piece of cake.)
If you didn't get an email from me with my mailing info, please send me an email with a request for this. My email is val dot campbell dot 4320 @ gmail.com.
I will be posting pictures of the blocks as they come in. If you'd like to upload a picture of your block to my PinkPlease! Flickr group so everyone can see them before you ship them, please feel free to join my group and add the pictures there.
Thank you so much for being amazing, ladies! Your efforts have not gone unnoticed!
xoxo,
Val
