We’ve all heard that quilting makes the quilt!  – It’s so true!  When I sat down to machine quilt the Hopes and Dreams Quilt Challenge for ALS, I had intended to do some meander quilting, but

Quilting motif

the quilt definitely needed  something more.  Hearts!   The  intent of the project is to ‘warm the life, the heart and the lap of an ALS patient…”- so what better quilting design.

In addition some of  the quilts will be used to raise awareness and research money for ALS -’Lou Gehrig’s’ disease.  They will be photographed, displayed, auctioned and/or raffled.

This Consortium charity project will also

Pocket Label

have a pocket label.

It was suggested that we write a  note to the recipient to put into the pocket.  I thought that this extra block would be a perfect candidate for the label.

My quilt is finished – and now just has to have the border sewn into place.

We arrived here on Sunday night and decided that not to wait until New Year’s eve to open our presents.

My son was very surprised and pleased with his Adirondack quilt.  I was happy to see it on his bed. 

A king size quilt just does not show on a queen size bed.

The original pattern was for a double bed and was square.  I enlarged it to make it a king size rectangle by adding pieced and Seminole patchwork borders along with plain borders.

I named the quilt Adirondack Dreaming and printed the label with one of Tom’s pictures of the Adirondacks.  I found the perfect sentiment to use for the label:

Adirondack Dreaming

“You can kiss your family and friends good-bye and put miles between you, but at the same time you carry them with you in your heart, your mind…because you do not just live in a world but a world lives in you.”

Frederick Buechner, Telling the Truth

It seemed appropriate for someone who enjoyed the Adirondacks so much when he lived in upstate New York.

As we’ve heard a thousand times, the label is very important for any quilt we make.  It’s a record for future generations.  Many families have quilts that have been handed down generation to generation with no record of who or when the quilt was made.  There is no history of the occasion or thoughts of the quilter who made many of these antique quilts.  What stories they could probably tell!  Most of these quilters didn’t think that it was important to sign the quilts since they were normally made to keep their family warm and not as a way to show off their creativity.

I designed this label for the wedding quilt given to my daughter and son-in-law on July 25, 2009.

This picture was taken by my husband.  Marianne and Dan had wanted to use it on their wedding invitation, but changed their minds when they found an invitation they liked with a pre-printed design.  the verse is from  A Patchwork Collection of Inspirational Stories by Kathy Lamancusa.  The author is anonymous.  I think it is the perfect sentiment for a couple who is just starting their life together.

There’s always time to quilt!