"100 Quilts for Kids"

Cosmos Blocks

 

Isn't this fabric loverly? It is the new Cosmos Collection by Laura Gunn, produced by Michael Miller. Paired with her awesome Painter's Canvas.

I must admit that while I've always loved Laura's fabric and have purchased bits and pieces before, I've never used it. It is just so different from the rest of my stash that I felt unsure what to do with it. There is a clear painterly quality to the prints that set them apart. Not surprising considering Laura is an artist! So this time, when Laura sent me a charm pack of her latest collection, I decided to stop fighting my stash and use Laura's fabrics with Laura's fabric. And what a smart decision it was.

Such a simple quilt. The charms, in both the Painter's Canvas and Cosmos Collection, paired with big chunks of Painters' Canvas in vibrant colours. I think it is a rather modern bit of piecing that really does highlight Laura's fabrics. Admittedly, it felt kind of lazy to do something so simple. But I don't care. I love the big blocks of colour, the texture of all the prints, and the final result.



Once quilted, this one will also be destined for Camp Kindle through the 100 Quilts for Kids blog drive.

Laura graciously shared the charms with me. I purchased the additional Painter's Canvas from Hawthorne Threads.

100 Quilts for Kids - The Donation

The wonderful Katie at Swim, Bike, Quilt is hosting the 100 Quilts for Kids blog hop and quilt drive, along with the DC Modern Quilt Guild. Have you heard about it?

Swim, Bike, Quilt

A series of posts from a tonne of bloggers highlighting great, and easy quilts. Perfect for easy construction or group work. In other words, perfect for quick, gorgeous quilts. Perfect for donation. Rather than a central quilt drive and delivery, however, she encourages us to make and donate a quilt locally. (After having done the work for Quilts Recover, I completely get this!)

Today, rather than highlight a specific quilt, I want to highlight the giving portion of this project.

Recently, my husband and his crew had the muddy pleasure of working on the new buildings at Camp Kindle. Camp Kindle is the summer camp built and run by the Kids Cancer Care Foundation of Alberta. Nestled in the foothills, surrounded by aspen and spruce forests, the camp is a refuge for kids and families living with and surviving cancer.

We look at our own kids and know that we are tremendously lucky. We also know that should we face the challenges of cancer so directly that a place like Camp Kindle would be a lifesaver for all of us. As one family shared with us, camp is where you can go and not have cancer.

The camp ran all summer, even as the finishing touches remain. As Hubby and his crew grumbled about the mud and hour long drive to get to work each day the first campers started to arrive. And when they saw the first kids, some with IVs and chemo treatments, they immediately shut up. That's when Hubby came home and informed me that I needed to donate some quilts to the camp. He well knows the comfort of a quilt, of something handmade wrapped around you.

Today we were able to visit the camp. We gathered the kids, the rest of Hubby's employees and their families, and journeyed to the gorgeous fall vistas provided at Camp Kindle. The camp, Foundation, and many volunteers were hosting the trades that worked on the camp for a BBQ. It was merely wonderful to finally see the place and more importantly, speak to families and counsellors who truly make the camp what it is. Hubby and his colleagues may have used their tools to put the buildings up, but it is the campers and counsellors who make the camp what it is.

And I took a quilt with me. The camp staff decided that it would be best used in the Rekindle Clinic - the on-site medical facility. Luckily for the camp they do have 4 quilts for the 4 hospital beds - donated by the wives of a local fiddle group! But when they have to change over beds the quilts aren't available.  And having extras to cuddle are always welcome.

It is such a small thing, really, to make a donate a quilt. Early on in my quilt career I gave everything away - baby quilts, wedding gifts... Then I started hoarding the quilts because I couldn't pick a favourite. But now is the time to pass on some creations. And to keep doing so. Such a small thing.









The quilt I donated is the bold and rather easy To a T quilt
Made from a pattern I drafted for the Modern Blocks book.