Monday, November 14, 2011

Blog Give-Away Winner! The Wedding Quilt

It's time to announce the winner of The Wedding Quilt, the latest in the Elm Creek Quilts series by Jennifer Chiaverini!






I used a Random Number Generator on the Internet, which picked the number 12.  The lucky winner is Linda Creech!  Here is Linda's comment about her quilting friendships.


Jeanne,



I have been a member of the Capital Quilters Guild and the Undercover Bee for at least 15 years but until 2010 I was just a group member. In 2010 I was diagnosed with breast cancer and the ladies who were just part of the group became true friends. They created a beautiful inspirational wall hanging and the many cards and hugs that I have received for the past almost two years now has really uplifted me to show me how supportive we all are to each other.


Linda


How perfect is that!  Congratulations, Linda, and thanks to everyone who shared the special relationships and friendships that quilting has brought to their lives.


While The Wedding Quilt is today's topic, I thought I would share the story of a wedding quilt that I made for my son Dave and daughter-in-law Emily.  Emily asked for a quilt in all whites.  Smart girl, because that is a quilt that could be used in any decor or style.


Only problem...I like to work with color, and get bored easily.  It took me over a year to finish this quilt.  I decided to make the quilt with squares of white, cream, ivory, and even beige in a variety of fabrics.  Cotton, satin, Fairy Frost...I collected many beautiful fabrics and got them stitched together in a queen-size top.


Still, I was not very interested in this project.


Then, I put it on the longarm, started to quilt...and the magic began to happen.  I used Nichole Webb's Floribunda Feathers, and by the time I was finished I could hardly stand to give this quilt away!




Almost one year after their wedding, the quilt was finished...but they had to wait until after the Capital Quilters Guild show to receive their gift!  I snagged a third place ribbon in the bed quilts category.



And then they finally got their wedding gift!  Emily looked pretty happy!


But that is not the end of the story.

Six months later, Dave and Emily were awakened from their sleep on a Sunday night by someone banging on their door to say that their apartment building was on fire.  They got out quickly without grabbing anything, even car keys or eyeglasses.  The next morning, this was their building.



The fire started on the third floor.  Dave and Emily's apartment was on the first floor.  It was not consumed with fire, but was totally damaged due to smoke and water.  Everything was covered with soot, broken glass, and water. They were able to retrieve most of their possessions the next day.

I started pulling out my white fabrics to start all over again...but a specialty cleaner saved the day.  The quilt that I thought had been totally damaged came out looking pretty darn good!  Only a small yellow stain remains to tell the tale of that horrible night.

Everyone in the building survived, Dave and Emily's marriage has survived, and the wedding quilt has suvived to tell its story.

God is good!







2 comments:

Katie said...

That's an amazing story!

Na Na said...

What a wonderful story. Thanks for sharing it.