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Whooooosh, and Joshua’s and Eli’s quilts
With abiding thanks…..
That great whoooshing sound you hear is time whizzing by yet again….since the last blogpost, since summer 2007 when Joshua got hit and was in the hospital, since this past summer when I finally (in the heat of July) finished both Joshua’s and Eli’s quilts. It took FOREVER to get Joshua to let me take a picture, but I so wanted to thank everyone for their kindness and support for all of us!
Within a few days of Joshua getting hit by the jeep (on July 17, 2007…posts start that week), a kind and thoughtful soul on the Janome 6600 yahoo group had a kind and wonderful idea: instead of sending get well cards, send blocks! She chose a simple one: an 8 inch (finished square) surrounded by 2 inch sashing, to finish at 12 inches. Fabrics: something a teenaged boy might like, all colors, scrappy. A friend relayed the post to the QuiltArt e-list, and eventually more than 75 blocks arrived! Many folks sent extras, including ones special for Eli, since he too was greatly affected by the accident (and he logged more miles than anyone going to the hospital up in Bangor, nearly 90 minutes each way, almost every single day for three weeks as Paul and I traded off spending the night there with Joshua or coming home to care for Eli and the animals).
Here, at long last—all healed and well, is Joshua doing what he loves best, playing guitar, on his quilt. When I asked him if he wanted to use sashing or a border he said no, I want as many blocks as possible! So his quilt is 6 feet by 8 feet, 48 blocks!
Each of the boys picked their favorites, with Joshua requesting all the musical ones, Eli wanting the one with the orca/lobster, the wolves and the soccer balls! They both love their quilts, and I am so grateful for the kindness and support these blocks represent at a time that was really kinda scary! It is a jolt when you are told your healthy-until-4 days ago 13-year old son needs a large transfusion because he is so anemic (from internal blood loss from the three broken leg bones and the consequent loss of red-blood-cell-generating bones), and then needs another one. We knew he would live, but not if he would keep his leg, or how well he would live. The thoughts and kindness of so many were a great support to all of us, and especially to Joshua who kept saying “these are for me?!?” The blocks came from Australia, Singapore, Europe, Scotland, England, Canada, all over the United States, and I mean ALL over….. If the maker hadn’t signed the block, I wrote her name and city/state/country on each block so we can look at the quilt and say, look, this one is from “xxxx.”
And here is Eli on his bed with his quilt, made from 25 blocks.
Cindy Sissler Simms is a maven at Mariner’s Compass blocks, so she sent two awesome ones, which I made into coordinating pillows, one for each boy. I love the way they turned out…. I machine quilted them simply with the walking foot, proving that sometimes simple is PERFECT!
Again, thank you (which seems so small and not enough) from the bottom of our hearts, hugs, Sarah
December 4th, 2008 at 9:25 pm
These are just gorgeous, Sarah. The boys obviously appreciate them – and no wonder! Thanks for sharing them and love seeing pictures of Josh and Eli, too.
December 4th, 2008 at 10:07 pm
Thanks for a peek at the finished quilts, Sarah….the best part is that Josh is ‘all better’. Glad to have a block in that special quilt.
Sherry
December 6th, 2008 at 7:55 pm
Great to see the finished quilts(I think I saw my block in Eli’s quilt). Glad to hear that Joshua has recouperated so well. We drove through Camden 10 days ago, I waved hello! We had just enough time to stop at “The Planet”.
Cheers
Barbara in Nova Scotia where there is no snow yet but it is coming our way…thanks!