Be a Hero!

Late in 2011, I was surfing blogland when I discovered that Val of Pink Please was doing a Heroes quilt to raise money for cancer research.  She raised $1000 with her quilt.  I think that's fantastic!

At the time, two of my co-workers had just been diagnosed with cancer, so I offered to make a couple of blocks. My friend Chris lost his battle with pancreatic cancer last January at the age of 46.  My friend Jeannie, only 29, just celebrated one year since her last cancer treatment a couple of weeks ago.  This disease sure hits close to home sometimes. 

This year, Val is doing a wonky circles quilt.  I think these blocks are so fun.  They waste a ton of fabric, but they're really fun to make.  I hope I can find a use for the scraps.

Val asked that we use solids, and I don't have a ton of solids in my stash - hardly any, in fact, except the yellow for the GMFG quilt "fences" and a bolt of Kona white that I bought for the Swoon quilt.  Ironically, I won one of the door prizes at the very first meeting I attended of the Emerald Coast MQG, and it was 6 FQ solids!  Isn't that just a bit of serendipity?  Love it!

I had a little trouble at first getting them wonky - can you tell?  Yup, I made the yellow one first.  The bottom three rings are almost perfect - and they were cut freehand.  Most times I can't do that well with a template!

I did a little better at wonkiness with the second one.  I have to work to be wonky.  LOL.

So, these blocks are for anyone who might be struggling with cancer, but this year, especially Devie and Renee, and the doctors who are treating them.

If you would like to make a block for Val's 2013 Heroes Quilt, visit Val's Pink Please blog or join the Flickr group.  There's an easy tutorial and the blocks really are a lot of fun.  Do it for someone you know that's fighting this ugly disease.

God bless.

Val's Heroes Quilt

Yesterday evening, I was surfing blogland for the first time in weeks.  It was fun to see what everyone was doing.  There's a lot of great stuff going on.  Everyone is making such wonderful things.  One of the things that really touched me was the Heroes quilt made by Val of Pink Please.  If you don't know the story of this quilt, you can read all about it here. 

 There's also a pic on Flickr.  Can you find these two blocks?

 Val asked for quilters to help her create a quilt to raise money for cancer research.  It was a timely request in my life.  I have a couple of friends currently fighting cancer, and one who just lost his battle, at the age of 44.  I'm proud to say that I had the honor of making two blocks for Val's quilt. 

Cancer is an ugly disease.

My mom and my dad both died of cancer.  (This is their wedding picture. They were married in 1944, during WWII.  Cute couple, don't you think?)

The quilt raised $1000 for cancer research.

I hope someday, we find a cure.

Block Party

The other day, I was prowling around blogland, when I ran across a post on Val's blog, Pink Please, about her desire to make a quilt to auction to raise money for cancer treatment.  Her post touched me in several ways.  First, both of my parents died of cancer - my mom more than 25 years ago now.   Then in 2004, my best friend (whom I still miss every day) lost her long battle with the ugly disease.  Then, this year, two of my co-workers, both quite young, are valiantly fighting this menace.  One of them, only 46, has pancreatic cancer.  Another, barely 30, has breast cancer.

It seemed like the least I could do was make a couple of quilt blocks.  Hardly a sacrifice at all, really.  Certainly nothing like battling cancer.

And check out the blocks she has received so far!  I am blown away!  This quilt is going to be AWESOME!

On a happier note, I am a member of the Fall Bee, and this is Anna's month.  She chose spider web blocks in batik fabrics.  Here's mine.

 It is a fun pattern, made from the tutorial at alamodefabrics, but I really felt like there wasn't as much contrast as I would have liked.  However, these are the fabrics I was sent, so this is the block I made.  I haven't sewn much with batiks, so this was kind of fun.  This block looks so complicated, but is really very easy if you follow the tutorial. 

Since this was a long weekend (thank you WH and all you Veterans and Veteran's families!) I had plenty of time to play and get caught up.  I read a little, sewed a lot, and maybe, just maybe, I can go back to work rested enough to last until Thanksgiving - only 10 days away!