More Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving week included more bounty. Here is a batch of eight adorable fleece blankets which were generously donated by our neighbor, Cami, who is a great supporter of our guild.

Soft, cozy & fun

Over the weekend following Thanksgiving, Gregg and I made a trip up to Port Townsend. I called Lucile & Noble, whose home is on the way to P.T. They welcomed us to stop by, so we delivered a batch of satin blanket binding and fabric to them, and they gave us a dozen beautiful quilts!

Yummy colors

Cheerful, fun fabrics

Soft flannels and cotton, satin blanket binding and fleece - all add up to comfort for sick children!

Thank you, Cami, 

Lucile & Noble! 

We are truly thankful for you!

Thanksgiving

Just before Thanksgiving, I received a package from a generous woman whom I've never met in person.

Aren't these adorable?

Heather N. is a blogger who I met online through another dear blogging friend (Elizabeth). Heather and her family live in California, and she is very familiar with the pediatric cancer journey, because her adorable youngest child, Zoey, is a survivor. Even though she leads an extremely active, demanding and busy life, Heather took the time to send us a box of adorable fleece blankets (photo above), and some soft, bright quilt tops which are ready to finish (see below).

 What a blessing, just in time for the holidays.

 Thank you so much for your kindness and generosity, Heather!

Thank You, Alma Mater!

Last summer, I had the privilege of being interviewed by Sally James (a Seattle writer) for the alumni magazine of Pomona College.  I spent my freshman and sophomore years as a Sagehen, and there are days when I seriously regret transferring to another college. When we took David to Pomona for a visit, I looked at it from a completely different perspective – and wished I had stayed on to major in English or journalism.

After “Because of Katie” was published, I contacted the magazine’s editor, Mark Kendall, to let him know that I had written a book. The magazine has a page devoted to alumni publications, and I hoped my book would be included there. Mark went beyond that, to ask me not only about the book, but also about our journey with Katie, and what I have been doing since that time. He kindly decided to tell the story of Katie's Comforters Guild in an article in the alumni section, including photographs, rather than in a paragraph on the “book*marks” page.  The result arrived in my mailbox yesterday.
You can read it here:
http://magazine.pomona.edu/2012/fall/sewing-comfort/ ,
and here is one of the photographs from the article (courtesy of Larry Steagall of the Kitsap Sun newspaper).

The article even mentions Lucile!

I'm deeply thankful to Pomona College, Mark Kendall and Sally James for publishing this article about our guild.

Calling Experienced Quilters!

Calling all experienced quilters/sewing friends:
we have been given a collection of absolutely lovely quilt tops that need experienced hands to finish them. If you or someone you know is willing and able to do this, we plan to auction these beauties to support our work, once they are finished.

Here are the gifts we've received from Kathy W., from her late mother's incredible "stash:"

Three lovely quilt tops

The quilt on the right is made of these elements. Check out the chicken mash bag! It's from Kansas. I think this quilt top may be something historic - and really special.

This quilt is made from hexagons - individual hexagons, each one made of two pieces of cotten, filled with a piece of flannel, and then sewn to six other hexagons - then incorporated into the quilt top. Kathy donated several assembled hexagon flowers, along with some of the individual pieces, cut and ready to sew. Complex and original - just waiting to be finished!

Part of a fan type of quilt. It's even signed in embroidery in the center, with more pieces ready to finish.

Beautiful squares - unique.

This photo doesn't do justice to these squares. They are super soft, and I've never seen a pattern like it before. There are quite a few of these.

More assembled squares, waiting to be made into a quilt

A top and some individual pieces; very interesting patterns!

Awesome Alaska scene on the left; beautiful diamond/squares on the right

Close-up of the Alaskan quilt

Close-up of diamonds

If any one of these quilts takes your fancy, leave a comment or email me and you are welcome to finish it! This bounty deserves to be finished and enjoyed.

Thank you, Kathy W. and family, for the gift of your mother's beautiful handiwork.

Thank you, Liberty Bay Knitters!

Our guild's friend, Suzanne Droppert, owner of Liberty Bay Books, sent a message last week that she had some new blankets for us, donated by the Liberty Bay Books knitting group. These kind ladies work quietly and with no fanfare, donating blankets here and there through out the year to comfort children. This batch, delivered by friend and neighbor Cami, is sure to please.

Those three fleece blankets are cozy as can be, and will be perfect for little babies in the NICU. The crocheted blanket is so soft, it feels like cashmere!

Thank you, Liberty Bay Knitters!

REMINDER:  I have boxes and bags of beautiful, brand-new fabric for those of you who wish to sew. Please contact me so that together, we can turn it into comfort for patients at Seattle Children's Hospital - the need is great!
 Thank you!