A whirlwind of love.

The tsunami in Japan and the series of tornados in the midwest have left me feeling helpless and faraway from those in need. (Light bulb!)Time for another fundraiser!
We did it before, when the earthquake devastated Haiti, raising almost $4,000.00.
We whipped up 8 Quilts For Christmas for the homeless shelter in Bridgeport with no time to spare.
So, now we are challenged with two different disasters in two different hemispheres.
My friends have come out like gang buster to pitch in. Jennifer Paganelli has donated her perky Sis Boom fabric for some of the quilts. We raffled one off at her sale this week, raising funds for the folks in the midwest.
A new friend in Seattle, Washington, Pat Belyea, has been oh os generous and donated a few quilts worth of rare vintage yukata cotton that she imports from Japan. This fabric is such an honor to work with- hand dyed and traditionally made for kimonos.
Last but not least, my dear friend, James Bosco who is creative director at McCalls patterns has sent his own quilt, an amazing 80'' x80'' quilt with the Japanese fan pattern. He also got his co-workers to involved, donating about 40 squares
to be assembled and quilted. Many , many thanks.
The plan is to send the "care quilts" that we make to Red Cross in the Mid- West, as shipping to Japan is hundreds of dollars. Then, we are going to raffle off James' quilt and the one that I made with the Yukata cotton and send the funds to Red Cross Japan. Each ticket is $5.00 and checks can be made payable to "Red Cross". Specify which quilt you want tickets for-
QUILT A:"Fan Quilt"
or
QUILT B:YUKATA QUILT:"Yukata Quilt"
A week from Friday, July 29th, we will be having the Quilt Event at my house,(email me for info) 10-3, stop, stitch and have a glass of herbal iced tea and some special treats made by Robyn Eads of Peace Tree FDesserts- all local, organic, sustainable.
Send checks to:
Nancy Geaney
206 Sharp Hill Rd.
Wilton, CT 06897
Make checks out to RED CROSS or I can accept PAYPAL.
I will send you a ticket stub in the mail or email you the stub numbers.
THE RAFFLE WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED AUGUST 2OTH.
Please spread the word!

'70's remix.

This vintage quilt top, found on ebay for a song, was made in the 1970's, and left for me to finish in 2011. I love the odd fabric choices and the giant log cabin motif. My kind of quilter... whoever you are. New life for a great piece.
The fabric for the backing is from British designer Cath Kidston
The "David Bowie" chair I shot it on was given to us by our great friends, Ronnie Stam and Jan Eleni. They call it that because he was photographed on it a few years back. A Glam rock chair for a '70's quilt top with a fab UK backing. Jennifer Paganelli's Sis Boom fabrics, always with a retro flair, were perfect for the binding.

Quilt Market or bust!

Jennifer Paganelli had me make a piece for them to display at Quilt Market in Salt Lake City representing her newest line, Honey Child. I am particularly fond of the hot colors- pinks and oranges- and love the East Indian feel of the Dana line.
Forgive the many pictures of Ollie, but it has been awhile since I have photographed a quilt, and he became very excited. Nothing worse than an out of work model trying to hog the camera...

It's always greener on the other side.

In this particularly white winter, I find myself longing for something green and lush. While Puerto Rico is out of the question, this whole cloth quilt made form Queen Streets "Maddie" and "Dolin" in jade and aqua is just what the doctor ordered.
"Dolin" is a whispy green and blue floral on a white background, and "Maddie" is decidedly greener on the other side- and more mod.
This quilt followed by a regimen of wheat grass shots should get me through to Ground Hogs Day. Or maybe a Mojito?

"Hail" to the Queen Street!

All hail to the Sis Boom Queen Street line! This simple block on block action simply amplifies the beautiful prints and colors that Jennifer Paganelli used to create this latest line.
Give me a day or to to post the pattern... if you are interested!

Promise kept.

I promised my friend, '70's and '80's super model Nancy Donahue, that I would make her a quilt back in March 2010. It took me way too long! However- i was aiming for a perfect interpretation of her infectious laughter, sunny disposition, resemblance to Doris Day, and faithful friendship.
This quilt, made from 2 packs of "jellyroll" strips from Kate Spains "Verna" (moda) line, holds hands a sunny, butter yellow print from Jennifer Paganellis Sis Boom "Poodle" line. Quite fitting, since these fabric designers are good buddies, too!
The jellyroll pieces were "braided" together- Hence, the "Friendship Braid Quilt". It is an over sized queen, which was a bear to quilt- but with lots of trimming and measuring i was able to square it up. This often happens when quilting long, narrow strips together. The pretty daisy quilting is a nod to Doris Days, "Please don't eat the daisies!" song. I hope she likes it as much as I liked making it for her. She's the one on the left.

Merry Christmas, babies...

And so, the 100 Quilts for Christmas Challenge has been a huge success. By Kate's account, over 120 quilts were donated to shelters for babies and children around the country- and that's not including the 7 we made at Musical Squares Night! The tops are done, thanks to family (including my daughter, husband, niece and nephew!), friends, friends of friends and neighbors.Even star designer- and dear friend- Jennifer Paganelli of Sis Boom fabrics came to sew! What an honor.
Some of these folks had not sat behind a sewing machine since middle school home ec class, and some like my husband Tim,(in hat) and his friend (award winning musician) Chris Brown had never sewn before. I cut the fabric ahead of time so that part was done. I had different bags filled with fabric for different quilts just waiting to be sewn together and thrown on the design wall for completion. There were also 3 quilts constructed of squares made by my friend James Bosco (fashion Editor at Vogue and Butterick Patterns) and his colleagues Pam Brooks and Laurie Jackson- Murray. They were so beautifully made- maybe I should take a few lessons from them!
It was a mad dash to get these done with wine and cheese and really great music- I can't wait to do it again in February for Valentines Day, and in the Spring with Denyse Schmidt and her Greenfield Hill Collection.
I go off to quilt and bind on Tuesday, so check back before Christmas eve to see them all finished, and before they go to find a place with a child at The Bridgeport Center for Women and Families.
Special thanks to Mark at Trackside Teen Center for letting us use their "Big Room" and for Brett's help preparing for the musical event! Looks like we will be coming back!