Thursday, January 29, 2015

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 30th 




Living My Dream (You are here)

55 comments:

Judy B said...

Beautiful and thoughtful quilt for your friend! Love your coin purse. Thank you for sharing.

Anita said...

This is the most beautiful quilt I have seen in a long time, the combination of blues and pinks are just perfect! And the amount of those little details you put into it; love it! The coin purse is sew cute!

Michelle said...

All of your projects are so pretty. Love the pink and blues, and lovely embroidery.

Anonymous said...

Waoh waoh waoh, I am just speechless.... This is just wonder-wonderfull, I dob't know what else to write, smile! Love all the details you put into this quilt, it's awesome!

Heleen Groot said...

Your quilt is incredible. Beautiful to look at as well as a beautiful story to tell. So much careful and thoughtful touches in one quilt. Your friend will be so happy with this one. Amazing work! I'll check back to see the finished bag! Thank you!

Anonymous said...

What a beautiful, beautiful quilt. The coin purses are wonderful, too. Your stitching is creative and gorgeous. So many terrific details, thanks for sharing up-close shots of your work.

Baa. xxx said...

What a fantastic quilt - you have put so much love into it - what a special gift to give your friend.

Christine B said...

Hello Renee! What an absolutely fabulous quilt and for such a wonderful cause! Your stitching is exquisite! :) xx

Siouxzq64@gmail.com said...

Oh my this is gorgeous. Love your embellishments. You embroidered on ribbon? I need to come and learn some techniques from you. Your purse is going to be fabulous too. Love the little silk ribbon flowers.

charlotte said...

An absolutely wonderful job Renee. You are very talented. So beautiful.

Elizabeth Coughlin said...

I can believe that quilt is the coolest thing you ever made; it's incredible. The attention to detail, and the thought that went into it, just blow my mind! You should be very proud of it. Adorable coin purse too!

Sparky said...

Good Morning Renee....ohhhh I could feel all the love your poured into this..each bra so delicate, so intricate in detail...what a delight you are and your friend will no doubt be filled with warmth and comfort by your lovely heart

Kate said...

Renee, your quilt is so beautiful and with all the embellishment reminds me of quilts from yesteryear - I love it.

Thearica said...

The quilt is perfection in every sense of the word! I love all the crazy quilting details that you put in to your work! The Tammy is just gorgeous and so is the coin purse! Your friend is going to be shedding a lot of tears when you present this to her... but tears of happiness as she is going to love it and love you for making it for her. :)

Calicojoan said...

Stunning is the word that comes to mind! What a beautiful treasure. I know that your friend with cherish it forever. So many hours of love poured into it. Amazing! Being the mom of 2 boys, I completely understand your son's thoughts! Mine would do the very same thing! LOL!!

StitchinByTheLake said...

What an amazing quilt - such intricate details are a sure sign of a loving heart. Your friend will be blessed to receive it. blessings, marlene

Carla said...

Your quilt and all those stitches are over the top beauty. You have incredible talent for stitching!

Carol Swift said...

So much detail and beauty in your quilt...love it! Your friend will adore it, I'm sure. Sweet little bags, too!

Jeanie said...

Such a beautiful, heartfelt quilt! It's just a perfect balance of quilting and inspiration!

Kwilt Krazy said...

Too many words to describe how awesome this one is. You put so much work and thought into it. Your friend will love it. I just finished my first hand embroidered block. I will NOT show it to you LOL. Your work is stupendous. Inspiring me to do more and get better at it. Thanks for sharing!

Michele said...

Oh wow. You truly put your heart and soul into that project. It turned our just stunning.

icia said...

Both items are very Lovely
Patricia

krislovesfabric said...

This is a beautiful quilt, love all the details and love you have put into it :)

Mary said...

Your quilt is lovely. You can tell you put a lot of love in it. Your purses are adorable. Great job on all.

Carol said...

I am totally blown away by your lovely quilt! What a work of art and a work of love! Your friend is receiving a wonderful gift that she will treasure. Love the little purse and coin purse too!

Linda said...

What a gorgeous and meaningful gift for your friend! Wow!!

Lovelli Quilts said...

Very cute little bags. I love your quilt and the inspirational words in it.

The Slow Quilter said...

What a lot of love that went into making that quit. It is just lovely and the detail embrodery was just wonderful.

Dorian said...

What a beautiful quilt, great job.

Teresa Quilts said...

Your quilt and bags are absolutely gorgeous! Praying for your friend.

Debby said...

I can see that crazy quilting is your passion! Such beautiful work. I love it all. Thanks for all the photos. I don't always read the words. The pictures say it all.

Jane's Quilting said...

Your needlework is ourstanding. I am jealous! Your quilt is beautifully designed. Beautiful!

Gmama Jane said...

I must agree with your husband...It is the cutest quilt!! I can only imagine your son 's opinion of a Bra quilt!! I'm surprised he could be teased about it!! Teenage boys are usually SO shy about women's undies!! Your stitching is quite lovely and the extra stitches added that special "Ahhhhh" factor to your quilt. And those sdorable change Purses have inspired me to buy some frames and go for it!
Blessings
Gmama Jane

Scrapatches said...

Dear, Renee ... this quilt reaches out from the photos and wraps loving arms around me. It is sew beautiful!

When I was seeing the little sneak peaks I knew something very special was coming. All those touching little details. All the words of support. This quilt speaks with a voice all its own and message is strong and clear.

The pink and blue colors work so well together and the layout is striking.

I have been looking at it off and on for a few hours and every time I do I see something new. I know I will be coming back again and again.

May your friend be wrapped in comfort and healing from all the love you have stitched into this beauty.

I love your crazy quilted purses, too.

I look forward to seeing more of your work and am happy to see that you are in the up and coming blog hops, too.

Thank you for sewing your support and joining in this blog hop and sharing your beautiful heart and stitches ... {{{quilty hugs}}} ... <3 Pat

Carol- Beads and Birds said...

Renee!! you stressed too much over this project. It's MAGNIFICENT! Kristen will absolutely love it. The coin purses are perfection.

Your work is beautiful.
xx, Carol

Needled Mom said...

That is a lovely gift. I am sure she will be thrilled with all of the love you packed into it.

apple blossom said...

what beautiful work love all your project. nice quilt.

evelyn said...

What a wonderful quilt. So much detail. Your love shows in every stitch.

Mary Ann said...

Both are simply gorgeous. Your words of inspiration that you embroidered are wonderfully uplifting. Thank you for sharing.

ChitterChatterDesigns said...

Your quilt turned out beautiful and I am sure it will be cherished by Kristen. All the hours spent showing your love and support shines though in the great attention to detail. How lucky she is to have such a great friend in you, especially in such a trying time for her. The purses are just the cherry on top. What a sweet gift. Best to you and your friend. Hugs, ~Cori

Createology said...

Renee your dedication and labor of love is above and beyond words for this amazing quilt you created for your friend. She will be Supported by all the Love and Hugs and Healing Energy you stitched into each square inch. Fun and fabulous coin purses too. Thank you sew very much for Supporting and hopping.

JuliaP said...

The details that you put into your quilt are stunning. The whole quilt is absolutely fabulous!! thanks for sharing.

tink's mom said...

What a great a quilt. You did a terrific job with it. The purses are very sweet.

sandra said...

What a beautiful special quilt, your work is so well done and I know your friend will always cherish this quilt and the little purse you made her and know what a special friend you are. The support we get from friends and family when we go through this journey is so important to our recovery. I am a 10 year survivor of Breast Cancer and thank God for every day. Blessings Sandra

Magpie's Mumblings said...

How absolutely wonderful! I never dreamt all those sneak peeks would lead to this (for some reason I thought it would be a purse). You should be so proud of what you've created and I know your friend feels the love that went into it. Bless you and healing wishes for your friend.

Marcy said...

Your stitching is amazingly beautiful. It's whar you'd expect on such a lovely quilt with great wording.

Amy said...

Your quilt is just beautiful. The wording and all the details are just perfect. Your friend will cherish such a beautiful piece of art and you as a wonderful friend.

LJ said...

Holy moly!! That is the coolest quilt! I totally love crazy quilting, too, though I've done very little and yours is spectacular. I can see that not only is your work grand, you have also put lots of thought into making it special for Kristen. Your two purses are so sweet, too. I'm adding your blog to my Feedly list so that I can enjoy all that you do.

Doris Rice, The Quilting Queen said...

Wow, what love you have put into this project. It is fabulous and the details; OH MY! Great job! And btw I see not one single imperfection!

Marian said...

great quilt, love the colors and the use of the design.

Quilt n Queen said...

WOW...simply gorgeous quilt Renee!! The details are perfection. Your friend will absolutely love it! Your caring heart will make her heart smile. The purses are adorable too!! Thanks for sharing your support!! Happy stitching, Pauline

Suze said...

WoW! What a labor of love. Your project is absolutely amazing and all the hours of love that went into it. Your son has quite a sense of humor - I love it. I know your friend is special for you to do this for her and not only special to you but also you are very special to you. I thank you for sharing a very personal part of your life with all of us. Thank you for participating and including us in a huge part of our your creativity and special love for a friend and the support of your family.

Joanne said...

Wow! There are no words to describe your beautiful work. You are so very talented, creative and patient. Thanks for sharing your creations with us.

Britt-Inger said...

Your quilt is so beautiful and a wonderful gift for your friend. I love the colours that you have chosen.
Thanks for sharing your creativity and being part of this hop

KaHolly said...

Your creations are just awesome.