One Thousand Paper Cranes

A Little Bit of Home

24 Nov 2009 1 Comment

by jmommy08 in Care Quilts, My Mama, Swapping, The Juice, Threads Thursdays

This is going to be a long one.  Hope you’re ready for it.

One of my favorite blogs, House on Hill Road, is doing a giveaway to coincide with Erin and her girl’s adorable Softies for Softies for Mirabel (and some great mommy daughter time).  I used her giveaway as my kick in the pants.  I have been meaning to get this going for a while and just haven’t gotten around to it.  I did try once, earlier this year, but didn’t get anywhere with it.  So, hopefully this time around is more successful.  So here it is:

I hope that, whoever you are reading this, you have never had to be in the hospital.  If you have, you know that it is a cold, dreary, unwelcoming place.  So here is my thought…

Nothing says home like a quilt.

My mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in early 2006.  Less than a month before our wedding, she underwent a full mastectomy.  When she gave me away at my wedding, she was wearing softies for shape and still had her drains in.

I had the opportunity to go with her one Saturday for, what I deemed as, my crash course in breast cancer.  We visited the local chapter of Gilda’s Club, where I had the great fortune to meet a woman who was very proud of her new boobs and wasn’t afraid to show everyone. 

We also went to Susan’s Special Needs where Susan herself greeted us.  I don’t think up until that point, what was going to happen to my mother really set in.  I remember looking at the pajamas they have that went in the freezer to help with hot flashes due to hormone treatments thinking, “What does this have to do with Cancer?”

My mother is strong – stronger than she’ll ever know.  But she is a quiet kind of strong.  She deals with the things that happen to her with a stability I could never muster.  Life has thrown some hairpin turns in her road and, somehow, she has managed to stay on the road.

I know that there is a huge support for breast cancer as it is, but because of my close connection with it, those who are battling it have a special place in my heart.  I want to do this in living memorial to her.

So for women who are going through chemotherapy or have just had a lumpectomy or mastectomy, we are going to make quilts.

“We?”  You ask.  Yes…we.  The requirements for the squares are below.  These might change as it goes along and I realize somethings might need to be changed, but so far, here they are.

• Care Quilts will be pink themed.  Somewhere in the square, there should be some pink - and not magenta colored pink.  You know the pink I’m talking about – breast cancer pink.  There can be other colors in the square, but make sure there is some pink.
• Each round will have a designated square.  The details will include style, size, etc.
• Squares must be mailed to me.  Please email me to get shipping information.  Make sure to include your name and email address with your squares so that I can send you confirmation that I received your square, pictures of the completed quilts, and anything else I might forward onto everyone who participates.

Get involved even if you aren’t the most crafty person in the world.  It’s good for you!

I am going to designate February as my month to assemble the first round of squares.  That gives people time to get through the holidays and still have plenty of time to assemble a square or two or ten.  However many you want to try is up to you! 

February will be 10 1/2 – inch pieced blocks.  However you want to piece them is fine with me, but they need to be 10 1/2 – inches unfinished so that when they are assembled in the quilt, they will be 10 inches.

Lastly, if you know someone who is going through or is about to be going through this difficult time, please feel free to nominate them to receive a quilt.  OR if you have an area hospital you would like to have Care Quilts donated to, PLEASE email me and we can definitely work out something. 

Have fun with these!  And thank you for your participation!  Please feel free to comment with any questions – someone else may have the same question and be too afraid to ask.

Thanks again, in advance.  I cannot wait to see what we all come up with together!