I have been part of this wonderful online community for a little less than 2 years and actively on Twitter for about a year now. Through this community I have made so many wonderful friends and connections. These friends have brought such joy to my life, and this past week I was blessed enough to work with 2 friends to bring some joy to another friend’s life.
I met 3 wonderful ladies on Twitter, @h2ogirl76 (aka. fiberofallsorts) – real name Shanna, @sewhappygeek – real name Jenna, and @HQSuz – real name Susan. Earlier this year, Susan wrote a heartfelt blogpost about losing her father. It is never easy to lose someone you love and Shanna, Jenna and I teamed up in the hopes of doing something that would honor her father and show her how much she is loved and supported. Thus a quilt was born.
- Photo courtesy of The History Quilter (Susan)
The ever talented Jenna from Sew Happy Geek, took the Navy Star block and enlarged it giving Shanna and I this amazing pattern to work with. Shanna was the guiding force behind the colors and figuring out how to assemble the extra large blocks, and let me tell you that lady has an eye for color! My role was to stitch a couple of the blocks and quilt it. I also needed to figure out how to send it and keep it a surprise, and in walks another wonderfully talented lady, Jaye from Artquiltmaker. She was the essential link in getting this quilt mailed and keeping it a surprise. She is friends with Susan and was willing to package and ship our quilt for us, putting the wonderful final touch on this quilt of love.
Susan has since named this quilt “The Navy Quilt” and I have first hand knowledge that she has already spent some quality time snuggling underneath it. Being part of something like this just solidified the importance of this community and the connections we make in my mind. Sometimes it is about stepping outside yourself and doing something for someone else in need. Thank you Jenna, Shanna and Jaye for letting me be a part of this, and Susan, I truly hope you enjoy your quilt.
If you would like to read Susan’s blog post about the quilt, please go to History Quilter and read all about it. If you would like to read Shanna’s post, please go to Fiber of All Sorts and read all about it there.
This quilt is a monochromatic design made in American Made Brand solids, which are so awesome to work with! It’s a new take on the classic pinwheel design using half rectangle triangles. I quilted this beauty on Spike with double batting, so it is thick and luxurious.
So the next time you are at the bookstore make sure you pick up Issue 21, some of my favorite designers are in this issue, including Vicki of Orchid Owl Quilts.
