Skagit Valley Sprint

Skagit Valley Sprint

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Blogger's Quilt Festival time again!


The story behind my entry in this round of the Blogger's Quilt Festival is a dedication to Abi, a local teen who was diagnosed with leukemia more than 2 years ago after she came home from a volleyball game, not feeling well. She went to bed early and began to have difficulty breathing. Her parents loaded her up for a trip to the ER where blood tests and x-rays were ordered and then the devastating news was delivered. She was promptly whisked away to Children's Hospital in Seattle to immediately begin treatment.
Treatment seemed to be working and hopes were high when it was announced that she was in remission. Unfortunately, that was short-lived and another stronger round of treatment began again with a vegance.  All the while Abi and her family maintained a sunny disposition in the face of all that comes with chemotherapy and its side-effects. She lost her hair, but still she smiled, her kidneys shutdown and still she smiled. She was even a part of a YouTube video set to the tune Stronger, that went viral amongst locals here (The first young lady featured in the beginning of the video is Abi, she is also seen dancing later on).  When all was said and done, it finally boiled down to the realization that Miss Abi needed a bonemarrow transplant. A donor was located and after a couple of setbacks, was performed and it was recently announced that the donor cells have taken and she is cancer free! I so admire this young lady and her family and all that they have endured on this long, arduous journey. The local community, classmates and faculty have rallied around Abi, many, many prayers have been offered up for healing on her behalf.  I work with the Student Resource Officer that maintains the peace amongst the students of Riverview High School, his name is Joe and the kids adore him.  He has a heart of gold, cares deeply and often speaks fondly of "his kids".  Deputy Joe (as he's known to his kids) not only once, but twice, organized a benefit golf tournament and auction to raise funds to help Abi and her family while they lived four hours away in Seattle during her treatment. I was honored to play paparazzi for both tournaments, snapping photos of all the teams and various activities, a fun bunch of folks turned out to participate and I had a great time documenting the event!
That's where my quilt comes into the story...it's inspiration and creation were soley to add to the list of items needed for the silent auction for this year's golf tournament. I chose dresdens, because I love them and enjoy the hand-sewing that's involved in attaching them to the background.  The (predominant) color orange is the ribbon color that represents leukemia, the fabrics are a mix of what I had on hand and a few that I purchased for the project. It measures 56x60, so it's lap-sized and was machine pieced and quilted by myself with the binding being hand sewn the night before the tournament!
I hope you all enjoy reading the stories about the entry quilts for the Blogger's Quilt Festival.  I know that I am constantly in awe of the talent and love that goes into everyone's quilts, of the work and dedication that Amy who hosts the festival twice a year puts in and of those who donate prizes for those lucky enough to be drawn.

11 comments:

  1. Just gorgeous! So bright and sunny.

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  2. What a great story. So glad everything is going well for Abi. This quilt is absolutely beautiful. I love dresdens, too. Especially love how happy this quilt is!

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  3. Beautiful quilt and heartwarming story, a cousin recently lost a grandson 14 months old to that same cancer. prayers for her.
    ann

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  4. I love it! Orange is my favorite color. Such a nice story. I'm sure the person that bought it at the auction loves it.

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  5. What a story and a beautiful quilt. The orange dresdens are so striking.

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  6. Emotional story and gorgeous quilt.

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  7. Great story H1, I was wondering what you were going to do with your latest creation. I know how much love and time you put into this.
    Your words.. made me cry... again.. when reading about Miss Abi.
    Keep up the good work.
    Love ya girl
    H2

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  8. Such a bright and cheery quilt. Thanks for sharing the story behind the quilt.

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  9. simply gorgeous! so bright and happy! just like your story's ending:)thank you so much for sharing both!

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  10. Beautiful! Bright and cheery! Thank you for sharing!

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