My deepest apologies for my lengthy absence.

I am so incredibly sorry for my prolonged absence. sometimes things become overwhelming and we back away from alot of non necessitys, even those things that we love and are passionate about. This describes how I have felt about quilting and crafting, in general, the past few months. I know many of you have probably wondered and some of you have asked, how things are. Thank you for your patience and concern. I really am so very grateful. I am now rekindling my love and mmaking time for those things that mean a lot to me. This includes KidsQuilts. However, I am also recognizing that I am unable to manage the production on quilts on my own. I am one of those people, that if they feel overwhelmed by what they have to do, they just back away and don’t get it done. Thus, my delay. I am also the type of person that finds it so very hard to admit they are overwhelmed and to ask for help. ……..but I am going to.

The very first two quilts we made for Braeden and Tyler are so close to complete it isn’t even funny. The were quilted, have the binding sewn on and partially hand sewn down. The just need to have the last of the binding sewn. It should literally take about an hour of time. I am commited to get this done ASAP. Then they will be mailed. .

Now Aron’s quilt: I have all the bug squares that you all so kindly made and border fabric (and I think backing too). I want to ask this of you. Is there someone who would take on putting this togetherr?? I will send you the squares, border, backing and can send money for the batting, if you would just sew everything together?? Please let me know if you would be willing and I will get everything organized and in the mail ASAP.

I want you to know that KidsQuilts remains close to my heart and mind and that I plan to make it an active and relevant outreach again. I want to do this in baby steps so I don’t feel overwhelmed again.

I may also move this site to blogger as I have two other blogs there and find blogger easier to maneuver on. I will put a post here with the new directions when I get that set up.

Blessings to you all……..Alison

Sharon, your blocks arrived.

Wow, mailed August 24th and arrived October 6th!! I think it came the pony express!!! So glad that they got here and I hadn’t started putting the blocks together as I had spent the weekend finishing the hand stitching on the other two!! I had thought I had previously received them but I didn’t~

Flying in with a quick update

First, Jacquie, the labels arrived two days ago, thank you!! I am going to give them a try this afternoon for the two completed quilts!! Yes, thats right, just the hand binding to do and then the quilts will be ready for mail. I think I know that, with my busy schedule at home, that a three month start to finish is my goal now, not 1 month!! I will share photos when the hand binding is complete but should be by the weekend. Please don’t think my lack of updates the past few weeks shows a lack of interest in this, it doesn’t at all, it has just been crazy with back to school, illnesses etc. Pieceing  of Aryn’s quilt is imminant!

An overdue update

Hello friends!

Please don’t think I have disappeared I really haven’t. I am here and now, all the bug jars are all here!! Aryn’s quilt should be pieced by next week. How exciting. Braeden and Tyler’s quilts are basically done. I can’t post a photo tonight but will by the weekend. Jacquie, did you do up some labels?? No worries, if you didn’t I just want to make sure before these actually go in the mail this weekend. I have been so very busy with back to school stuff and a sick child etc. Time is just passing so quickly. So I wanted to let you all know that things are progressing with the quilts. Here is a link to Andrew’s new site (my son) for those who are interested!

www.andrewsbravejourney.blogspot.com

We dropped a jar!!! ……..actually a few jars!

The jars  were all piled so nicely on my sewing table, with the envelopes that they came in with them, so I could come on today and post an update. My lovely 14 year old daughter is making her first quilt and spent some time in my sewing room yesterday. As she was trying to place her rather large quilt on the cutting board she inadvertently knocked all the blocks all over the floor. Then, trying to clean up her mess, threw away all the envelopes that were with them. So, I am posting photos of all the blocks that I have received to date. Please please. Just let me know if yours are there and if I am waiting for anymore!!!! This quilt is going to be so incredible cute!!! Stephanie, thank you so much for the help with the backing, shipping. That is very appreciated. Seeing as I live in a border town, it is often more economical for me to purchase fabric in the US in Washington, so that works out wonderfully. Thanks again. I received a collection of orphan jar blocks also, that if not used in Aryn’s quilt, can be used in another. Thank you. I included photos of those. Also, while on vacation in Oregon in August I found some wonderful bug fabric on clearance. This is going to be the border of our jar quilt. You can see a photo below.  I have been frustrated with my inability to get to quilting the final steps on Braeden and Tyler’s quilts. This week is my goal! With 4 kids starting school and some bumps in the road with Andrew’s health and trying to spend some time with the kids before the weather turns bad, time slipped by. I am on track now and will show you completed photos of at least the two quilts by Monday! As soon as I figure out if I have all the jar blocks then they will start to get assembled. Then when that is at the quilting stage I hope to open another quilt soon.

Thanks for your comittment to KidsQuilts. It means alot to me.

 

 

Had to pop back over to add: If you don’t already visit crazymom quilts blog, make sure you do. I was just over there and she is offering some amazing tutorials. Check it out:

KidsQuilt logo as a label?

As you know, Nicolette created a wonderful logo for KidsQuilts. I still have to put one on this site! I see some of you have them on your blogs and I thank you so much for displaying them and supporting KidsQuilts. I was thinking yesterday, when I was starting the quilting on Braeden’s quilt, that it would be great to create quilt labels with the Kids Quilt logo with room to fill in details on it. Does anyone have any idea how something like that could be done?? I am really bad with labeling my quilts anyhow so I think this would be great but am a bit clueless in how to ‘make it be’! Please share any ideas you may have!

Bradens quilt is all sandwiched and the quilting has begun, I ran out of batting so need to make a store run this week, for Tyler’s quilt. I also forgot to tell you that I bought the border fabric for the bug jar quilt while we were on vacation. I will share a photo at the next update.

First update on Aryn’s quilt

Hello friends~~ We are back from a very well needed two week vacation. Now we are trying to get 4 kids organized to begin school next week! I came home to several envelopes with bug jars in them! I receive squares from Heidi, Doris, John, Nicolette and someone from Kansas (sorry, the envelope was damaged but the squares weren’t!!) If you haven’t mailed yet or are close to doing so just send me a quick note. I am going to spend next week finishing up the last touches on Braden and Tyler’s so that they can be out in the mail be next weekend. Then I will begin putting this great little quilt together for Aryn! I love the bug jars, they all look great! I’ll update more over the weekend. I have 4 kids to buy school supplies and jeans for this weekend so I don’t think I will have much sewing time till next week!

Please keep my special son Andrew in your prayers. He is having some stressful heart issues right now that is really cutting down on our sleep at night this week. Thought I would add a family picture from our vacation last week!

KidsQuilts has a logo!

Nicolette so kindly designed a logo for KidsQuilts so everyone who would like to support KidsQuilts by placing it on their blog or in their side bar can do so. I am in a time crunch to leave in the morning and have been dealing with medical crisis’ with out little guy today so I haven’t been able to put it on this site yet. You can go on over to Nicolette’s site though and pick it up over there!

Thanks Nicolette!! You are a great supporter of KidsQuilts!

Aryn’s quilt is now full!! You are all amazing.

Thank you! Thank you ! Thank you! I am really overwhelmed at the caring and giving nature of quilt bloggers! Below is a complete (I hope) list of block sign ups for Aryn’s quilt. There should be 28 blocks in total which is amazing. As they are a narrower block I think this will work well and I can put some black empty squares in between a few to give interest so this should be lovely. Please remember black backgrounds and bugs/lizards/sea creatures etc for the jar inside. I am going to be away on vacation from Thursday the 7th until Friday the 15th and will have limited internet access while away. I am going to disable my moderation of comments so that if anyone has a question or needs help you can post a comment in the comments section and then if other block makers take a peek they can contact you with assistance. As things are growing with KidsQuilts I am going to look at creating a yahoo group or something of the sort for this purpose, when I return. If anyone anticipates needing the mailing address in the next week, please email by tomorrow evening and I will email it to you. boettcher6@telus.net

Mailing date is set for Sept 1st. I tried to leave a comment on everyones blog this evening that just signed up to let you know I did get your sign up and to thank you – one didn’t work and I can’t remember who it was but I have your name on my list below. If you had offered to make blocks, and I left you a note, but didn’t put you on the list it is my error – sorry – I have packing brain as I have to pack for 4 kids and a husband to spend a week on the beach. Please send me a note and I will add you to the list!

Also, Tyler’s border and backing fabric arrived today. It is going to go very well with the quilt top created. I need to add that border and then just the quilting to go. If those who weren’t involved in Tyler’s quilt would like a peek at the fabric selected you can take a peek in the previous blog enteries to a link to a photo of the fabric.

Have a wonderful week everyone and blessing to you all as you make blocks that are going to wrap special kids with love!

Kaden, Aryn’s brother, is just an amazing boy. If you want to read a story of resilience and the will to live, visit Kaden’s site and read about him and his amazing family. His website link is below in the original post for Aryn’s block sign ups.

List of Block participants (all are signed up for 2 blocks each)

Nicolette

Jacquie

Donna

Vickie

Sharon

Kim

Sandy

Beth

Kris

Doris

Karol Ann

Stephanie

Heidi

John

You are all amazing!!

I just got in late last night from taking my daughter to a camp 6 hours away, so I wasn’t on the internet over the long weekend. I came home to a wonderful amount of sign ups. I promise to get back to each of you individually tonight. At this point we will say that everyone who has emailed/commented please do make and send your 2 blocks. I will make a list tonight and update the site then. I think I will temporarily close sign ups for Aryn’s quilt until I make that list tonight and can do a block count. Thank you, I see a lot of new names that weren’t involved in our first few quilts and it is great that KidsQuilts name is starting to spread!! I will be back tonight~!

What I may do, if we have too many blocks for Aryn’s quilt alone is to take a block from each person for Aryn’s and use their second block in a quilt for the next child in line. I hope that no one would object to that? I have many children in mind to open quilts for and, of course, I would share the information with you on the quilt that your second block would be going into. That is an idea, but I will do the counts tonight!!