“Who did what”

The 2007 summer challenge blocks have been put together and quilted! Have a look:

A big thank you to Cynthia Leonard who designed the layout and assembled the quilt blocks. Thank you to Jan Kittle for the beautiful machine quilting. And, many thanks to the guild members who participated in the 2007 summer block challenge. It is astounding what we can do when we work together!

Joyce Collins Diamond Quilt

I am very pleased and excited to let everyone know that Joy Collin’s beautiful hand-pieced diamond quilt, which she donated to The Quilt, has been selected to be the showcase quilt for the 2009 campaign! My warmest congratulations to Joy and I know that everyone in the Guild is proud that Joy’s wonderful generosity in donating such an heirloom project has been rewarded with this honour!

This is yet another amazing accomplishment in the ongoing success of the Country Quilter’s and the RAQG’s support of the Quilt Marathon in support of The Quilt project. Many of our members have participated in all four of the Marathons at the Country Quilter and are gearing up to join in the fifth this September. There have been many individual and group donations of quilts as well. I am humbled by your dedication and generosity and am so proud to be a member of this happy and bighearted group of women!

Congratulations Joy, and we all look forward to seeing your quilt highlighted in publications and posters for the 2009 campaign!

Best wishes,

Nancy J Sprules

President, Richmond Area Quilter’s Guild

Diamond quilt

What began as a class in hand stitching became a healing quilt for me.  I could sit and stitch or trace at any time of the day or night.  With M.S. I go weeks sometimes when I can’t sleep or weeks when I can’t wake up.  My quilting became a life line for me and after an attack that took some of my mobility and put me in the hospital for a week, my concern was that I would not be able to get into the quilt shop.  After the attack I started to get pain attacks that dropped me to my knees and made me a little afraid to go anywhere because I never knew when the pain would strike.  But I could stitch at home and then when the attacks became less often I went to classes to enjoy the people contact.

Joy Collins

After I had made 95 pieced diamonds from a book called Quilted Diamonds, by Linda Frantz I knew that I wanted to donate the quilt to charity but I would need some help in getting it finished. The girls in the class were willing to make a diamond or two for me and finally I had over a 160 or so and I needed 180.  Unknown to me, my friend Melody and the instructor Donna sent my fabric choice to Linda Frantz and told her what I was doing.  God Bless her she made me a diamond for the quilt and Donna presented it to me at a tea party we had at The Country Quilter in the back yard.  I was totally blown away.  When I thanked Linda she said that each stitch was made with healing wishes and she was very happy to make a diamond for my quilt.

When I had the 180 diamonds made, I was unsure where to go from there, still so much work to do.  Susanne Elder came to my rescue and offered her help and I was very happy to accept quickly, before she changed her mind.  Ann McLean offered the quilt shop if I wanted to call people and have them come in to the shop and hand stitch strips together and we had a quilting bee, the quilt was starting to come together.

In 2008 I decided the quilt would go to “The Quilt”  and I would call it Healing Wishes.  There is over 4000 pieces.  Hand stitched, hand quilted.

During the time I was working on the quilt, 2 of my brothers passed away and 1 sister, my sister of cancer.  On the other end of the journey, I became a Great grandmother 3 times.  The quilt was passed over to Carol Miller by Ann McLean on Jan 2009.  On Jan 17th 2009 I have a new Great Grand daughter.  I am so very lucky.

I took up quilting three years ago and am absolutely HOOKED on it. I have turned that passion into an avenue for community fundraising.

Kaleidescope

As an active volunteer for the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada participating in the annual Rona MS Bike Tour and holding the position of TeamMS Co-ordinator on the Bike Tour Committee, in 2008, I offered up a King-size quilt for raffle. This sampler quilt (in beiges and reds) raised over $1200 to the MS Society; funds that remain in the greater Ottawa area supporting families living with MS. The quilt was named “Kaleidescope” (jpg file attached).

Green Grass Through Stained Glass

After the bike tour I was looking for a project to work on during my two week vacation from my full-time position in Canada Revenue Agency. My church was initiating a Stained-Glass Project so I offered a Queen-size quilt for raffle. The sale of tickets and raffle has yet to take place. It should be started shortly if the Parish Priest does not keep it for himself, as he kiddingly said when he took possession of the quilt. A fellow colleague named it appropriately “Green Grass through Stained Glass” (jpg file attached).

I am currently taking part in a “Scrap Club” at The Running Stitch and a few months back won the “block of the month”s turning it into a crib-sized quilt that will be donated to CHEO or Queensway-Hospital later this month and as I finish writing this email to you, I have just received approval from the MS Society for another quilt to be raffled at this year’s bike tour. It took no effort to have them accept it. I am just finishing the binding and labeling and then it’s off to the races with selling raffle tickets.

My husband is awe-struck at the effort I put into these quilts that I so readily give up to charitable and non-profit organizations. I do not consider it laborious or an ‘effort’; it is very rewarding to share my “passion for the stitch” with my community and feel blessed to have the ability to give back in such a relaxing way.

Thank you for letting me share this with you,
Irene Lafleche