We Support You Blog Hop Day 2

Last October or November, I decided I wanted to make a crazy quilted purse for a wonderful woman in our lives battling breast cancer, using fabrics from the Riley Blake Designs Think Pink Cottons.

A few days later, Madame Sam at Sew We Quilt announced the "We Support You Blog Hop" to support our sisters battling breast cancer.  This Blog Hop simply required the use of the Apple Heart Designs "We Support You" Friendship Quilt Pattern
to create whatever we desired.
I simply had to participate!

PLEASE NOTE: If you would like to purchase a copy of the pattern for $12.00, 

please email Madame Samm directly at madamesamm@me.com.

(Be forewarned, this will be a photo heavy post... 

Click on any photo for a larger image.)

The recipient of this gift is one of the most positive people I know. 

The more challenges life throws her way 

(and trust me, there have been some BIG ones over the past year),

the more determined she is to find the bright side.  

This quilt was created with that positive attitude in mind.
I am so glad she liked it, and I hope it brings comfort as her journey continues.

Those of you that follow my blog know I love embroidery. (Crazy Quilting is my passion.)
I had to add some embroidery to this quilt. (Yep. HAD to. It was a compulsion.)

Top Row

A trim was couched down on the cups of the first bra.

The letters to the word "LOVE" were sneak peeks shared earlier this month.

As were the letters to "HOPE".

For the second bra, I embroidered the "lace" trim along the top of the cups.

Middle Row

The center bra was hand appliqued and embroidered onto a 18-inch square. 

Who would have guessed that I spent about 8 hours carefully couching this lace on 

so it would not easily snag when laundered? (Each side took about 4 hours.)

My hubby kept checking in on me to tell me both how insane I was
and how cool the block was looking.

The column of words to the left of the bra says:

I am

Strong

Beautiful

Brave

Determined

Cherished

The column of words to the right of the bra says:

I will

Fight

Never

Give

Up

Survive

These words were all stem-stitched using a variegated blue DMC size 5 perle cotton, as seen in the close-up below:

Bottom Row

The "lace" trim on the bra to the left was also embroidered, as seen in the close-up below.

The words, flowers and butterflies in the "FAITH" block were also sneak peeks. Here is one of the butterflies:

A velvet ribbon was couched onto the bra to the left using small ecru cross-stitches.
(It is SEW soft!)

And the words, "WE SUPPORT YOU" (which came with the pattern) were embroidered onto blocks along the bottom border. Here is a close-up:

No quilt is complete without a label.

This quilt is full of imperfections.  

Rather than pointing out the flaws, I choose to celebrate all that I learned.

I gained experience with machine quilting and began to learn hand quilting.

This was the best job I have done to date with binding.

And, I think I mastered the stem stitch. (Practice makes perfect?!)

Well over 150 hours of love went into this project.

My husband thinks it is the coolest thing I ever made.

Every time I shared my progress with my family, my 15-year-old son got a kick out of asking (with much exaggeration) why I kept making him look at bras.

I hoped to complete the small purse and coin purse I originally set out to make, before committing to the We Support You Blog Hop. 

The purse is almost complete.
(My seam ripper and I need to schedule a date first. We might become BFF's.)

However, the coin purse is complete!

This is the back.

(I purchased the heart frames and silk ribbons from Thearica at crazyquilting supplies.com.
The shop is transitioning to a new server, but should be up soon.)

Here is a peek inside.

Once again, I would like to thank you, Madame Samm, for suggesting such a wonderful Blog Hop idea and for providing all of the participants with your pattern.

Pat at Life in the Scrapatch has been such a wonderful, wonderful cheerleader.
Not only did she answer my questions, but she provided encouragement and support along the way.

I am sending hugs and well wishes to all of you out there battling cancer and to the wonderful people in your life SUPPORTing you along the way.

Ladies, if you have not scheduled your mammogram and are due for one,
I hope you will join me in scheduling yours soon!

I do so hope you will hop on over to visit the other ladies presenting today.
I cannot wait to see what wonderful crafts they created!

We Support You Blog Hop Day 2 Schedule:

Jan 30^th 

Just Let Me Quilt

Stitch and Quilt

how arT you

Living My Dream (You are here)