The Color Purple

Sisters on the Runway, an organization that seeks to raise awareness and funding for women and children affected by domestic violence, recently added a new chapter at my daughter Alison's university. As a member of the UMass chapter, Ali asked if I would be willing to make a quilt for the silent auction accompanying the fashion show. All of the proceeds from the evening would benefit Safe Passage in Holyoke, MA. The color purple has symbolized domestic violence for more than twenty years so it only seemed appropriate to use that as a starting point for the quilt.

At first I pulled out every purple I owned but it was not what I had envisioned at all. Instead I opted for the Larkspur line from Alexander Henry as the base and then mixed in some Kona solids and various other prints (Tufted Tweets in Orchid, Hypnotize by Kathy Davis in Raspberry, Dan Bennett Eggs in purple and Stone Ta Dot). The left over pieces were used to create the backing. The binding is Cobblestone by Paula Prass, one of my all time favorites.

It was with mixed feelings that I delivered this quilt to Alison. While I was more than happy to make it, I am more than saddened that there is a need. As a Mom, I am so proud of her for getting involved and working to make a difference. I do love that girl....

Becca

Brrr... It's Cold Out There

-4.7°F in Massachusetts this morning. Ouch. Luckily that won't stop Becca from delivering these goodies to the post office today. Scrap bags are going out! Thanks for braving the cold, Becca.



Also, be sure to go over to AnneMarie's blog Gen X Quilters to join in her Love Nest Quilt Contest. We're sponsoring one of the giveaway bundles of Anthology fabrics - seven half yard cuts.


Stay warm!!

Won't You Join Us?

We have scraps. Lots of scraps in fact. Many are in strip format from trimming the beginning of the bolt. The rest are left overs from the end of the bolt, too small to sell as is but plenty big enough to sew with. We thought about selling scrap bags, but thought again. You've got your own scraps to deal with, right?

Here's what we've decided to do instead: a Sew Fresh Scrap Quilting Bee. We'd like 16 people to join us. We'll send an assortment of Sew Fresh scrap fabric to you. More than enough to complete a 12.5 x12.5" unfinished block. You make a block (we'll give you a month to complete), send it back to SFF and keep the rest of the scraps. Beginners are welcome, block can be the style of your choice and your commitment is to only one block, one month. We'll assemble the blocks and quilt them then donate it to a charitable organization such as Project Linus and Hopes and Dreams Quilt Challenge for ALS. We'd like to do this several times this year starting in February. Sound like fun? Want to play along with us? Send an email to info(at)sewfreshfabrics.com if you're interested.

* First round is filled. Please continue to email if you'd like to be on the list for the next round. It may start sooner than we think if we continue to get such a great response. Quilters are awesome!! :)

** Wow! Second round is filled too. We'll keep taking names as long as we have willing participants. Thanks for your patience. Please make sure we can get your email from Blogger or send an email to info[at]sewfreshfabrics.com. There are a few volunteers that we can't get a hold of. Thanks again!!