Two More for AAQI

Golden Afternoon, PQ No. 8417

Teresa and Cheryl of Quilting in the Grove quilt guild

made these two Priority Quilts and presented them to me

following my recent trunk show presentation.

I added the hot fix crystals, named the quilts, 

and registered them with AAQI.

Autumn Gold, PQ No. 8418

Both of these Priority Quilts are now on their way . . . 

You can read more about them

here and here.

(their official photos will appear once the registration process is complete)

Thanks again to Teresa and Cheryl 

and to all the ladies of Quilting in the Grove!

Quiltdivajulie

Today is World Alzheimer's Day

Beebe - Ami's mom

World Alzheimer’s Day is Wednesday, September 21st.

For those of you who FaceBook,

please change your FaceBook profile picture temporarily

to the photograph of a person who has/had Alzheimer’s

that you wish to honor and remember on September 21st and always.

Please include this statement in your status update:

I support the Alzheimer’s Art Quilt Initiative
at http://www.alzquilts.org/

If you  make a $5 donation to the Alzheimer’s Art Quilt Initiative

before midnight on Wednesday,

post the invoice number generated by your donation

to the AAQI FaceBook page at:

http://www.facebook.com/AAQI.News

AAQI will capture the image of your loved one

from your profile picture and add it to the AAQI

2011 Virtual Wall of Remembrance

where it will remain for one year.

(Names will not accompany photographs.)

* * *



Lura - my mother

If, like me, you are not on FaceBook,

or you wish to make multiple donations to honor more than one person,

email one photograph of each of your loved ones

and the invoice number generated by your donation

($5 for each photo)

to Diane at diane456@gmail.com.

Pictures may be cropped and sized to fit the wall.

As it is somewhat time consuming to snag

and post the profile pictures,

please do not change your's until

you see it appear on the

 AAQI Update Blog's Wall of Remembrance page.

It may take several days, so please be patient.

What a simple, wonderful idea . . .

Here's to working together

to honor our loved ones and fund additional research grants!

Thank you!!

Quiltdivajulie
---------------------

“Even if our efforts of attention seem for years to be producing no result, one day a light that is in exact proportion to them will flood the soul.”  (Simone Weil)

Study in Contrasts

Detail - Superior's Shore

This was my personal challenge:  

To create a series of Priority Quilts using only black & white with blues 

AND

to quilt each one myself

AND 

to get them registered and in the mail by September 1st.

Study in Contrasts - the quilts

I am ELATED to report that all 10 PQs are completely finished!!

Detail - Yin Yang

Not only are they finished,

they're registered AND they are going in the mail today!

(after spending the day on display at my office)

Detail - Days at the Beach

I played ~ using a variety of threads

(Sulky rayon, Star cotton, and Superior glitter),

a variety of stitching styles

(I even attached and actually used my BSR,

which was the main reason I bought the Bernina 440),

AND indulging myself with elements from my stash of crystals and buttons.

Handle With Care (I Bruise Easily)

DH took studio portraits like this of each PQ

using the set-up he uses to photograph his woodturnings.

Later, after the labels were in place,

I took the quilts outdoors for a quick front & back photo shoot

(it gets dark a LOT earlier than it did only a week ago!).

Detail - Turquoise Sunset

You can see the whole series of photos by clicking here for the Picasa album.

(If you look closely, or zoom in, you can even read the quotations on the labels.)

Detail - Synergy

You can also follow the links to each PQ's individual AAQI webpage

by clicking over to My AAQI Journey blog page and scrolling down to numbers 78 through 87.

("Official" photos will be added once the quilts are received and processed)

* * * 

I'm looking forward to the long Labor Day weekend . . .

See ya'll again next week!

Quiltdivajulie

I'm Still Here ...

I’ve been spending evenings in the studio

working on a series of ten small quilts

for the Alzheimer’s Art Quilt Initiative.

I don’t usually work this way,

but I am enjoying the process.

I’m quilting these myself using a variety of different threads

(metallic thread can be SO temperamental!)

I’m also pushing myself to drop the feed dogs

and do more free motion work.

Finally

(as in I should have done it LONG ago)

I asked DH to cut an acrylic rectangle

that measures 8-1/2 x 11-1/2 inches.

It’s wonderful!

When I lay it on top of the PQ-work-in-progress,

I can see the work AND judge where the outer borders will fall.

(... no more making quilts that are ½” too large!)

* * *

I’ve also been working to finish the bindings

on several PIF and lap quilts that I want to take along

for the September trunk show.

A multi-quilt photo shoot needs to happen soon!

Quiltdivajulie

------------------------------

p.s.  The Mr. Men books were childhood favorites at our house.

One Quilt at a Time

Click twice to super size photo

Any of you who follow my blog

already know that I'm a big supporter

of the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative.

In addition to making and donating Priority Quilts,

I have purchased the ones you see in the photo above

(along with several others that have been gifted).

Normally, these are pinned on my design wall

or hung at my day-job desk ...

...but for now, they've been gathered all in one place

as I prepare for my trunk show next month.

[The PQ in the lower right hand corner

was created to hang in portrait orientation ~

but in order to make things fit, I turned it sideways.

Seeing it "wrong" in this photo is bugging me no end,

so these will be re-arranged (again) before they go to Mississippi with me!]

* * *

Did you know AAQI awarded their EIGHTH research grant recently!?!

True to their word, AAQI is truly

"Raising awareness and funding research through art, one quilt at a time."

* * *

AAQI Auction Note:

The quilts in the AAQI auction this month (August 1-10)

are from AAQI's now-retired traveling exhibit Forgetting Piece by Piece.

I saw that exhibit when it opened at Nashville in 2006

and I found my "voice" as I spent time with those quilts,

tissues in hand and heart in my throat

(my mother had lost her struggle with Alzheimer's just a year earlier).

I've put two of these on my birthday wish list . . . 

* * * 

Looking forward to the weekend and

time to decompress after an especially intense work week.

Stitching time would be good, too.

See ya'll on Monday!

Quiltdivajulie

--------------

p.s.  The piece hanging in the window (above the PQ display board) is Pojagi (Korean patchwork) done by Victoria (her blog is The Silly BooDilly).  If you've never seen her work, here's the link to her Etsy store.

76, 77 and a Surprise!

Green Lanterns

 After a MUCH too long dry spell,

these two Priority Quilts are in the mail 

to the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative.

Which Way Did She Go?

Both quilts have free motion quilting 

(thanks to Em for the motivation to GET BUSY)

and will count towards the 2011 tally for the

 AAQI Liberated Quilting Challenge.

Here's hoping it won't be another year before I make my 78th PQ!

Now for the SURPRISE:

I was going to go to Knoxville to view
the new AAQI traveling exhibit,
but the fever and yuck kept me home.

What a surprise to find a news article
from the Knoxville newspaper with
a 6-photo gallery from the show . . .
with MY Priority Quilt in the gallery!

PHOTO BY AMY SMOTHERMAN BURGESS

"The Puzzle Known as Alzheimer's" by Julie Sefton of Bartlett, TN (right). The piece was part of Alzheimer's Illustrated: From Heartbreak to Hope exhibit, on display during the third annual American Quilter's Society Quilt Show and Contest at the Knoxville Convention Center on Saturday, July 16, 2011.

Click here to see the article.

and below to see the full

Knoxville News Photo Gallery

 

Quiltdivajulie

Red and Beyond . . .

November's Creativity Initiative prompt was "Red."

This is my piece ~ Beyond the Panes 

It has been registered as my 75th Priority Quilt

for the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative

(No. 6163)

in honor and memory of my mom (1916-2005)

who loved her rose bushes.

The Artist's Statement includes:

... remember to look through and beyond the physical limitations . . . 

. . . so many things, very close but yet just out of reach . . .

The AAQI episode of The Quilt Show is set to air!!

Quiltdivajulie

Thoughtful Thursday

Happy to share that three of my four six quilts headed to Houston are 

shown in this 1 minute video.

Enjoy!!

If anyone goes to Houston -

 I'd love to see photos of the AAQI booth!

Quiltdivajulie

72...73...74... Plaid and More

Transitions - AAQI Priority Quilt No. 5748

Hold My Hand - AAQI Priority Quilt No. 5756



Rays of Sunshine - AAQI Priority Quilt No. 5757

Ami Simms, founder of the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative,

put out a call a week or so ago for "a few more quilts"

to ensure that AAQI will have 1,000 Priority Quilts

to display and sell in their booth at  Houston.

The three shown above are going in the mail today.

Here you can see that I've added side border strips

and a row of Hoochy flying geese to the top

of my Plaid Happens flimsy.

(Photo does not show how very many different

black on black fabrics have been used)

Pieces are cut to make another row of

scrappy plaid Hoochy geese for the lower edge;

and then it will be onward to plaid letters, Mary Lou style!

For those of us who are waiting (anxiously)

to see Lynne's No Rules for Julie ~

her "man in the bloo shorts"

took an unplanned extra day to pick up the box,

so it will be at least Friday

before the NH box arrives at my TN office.

(Sigh)

Will share photos as soon as it is unpacked!

Quiltdivajulie

Transitions

Transitions

(Inspired by the Layered Waves work of Karen Eckmeier

and donated to AAQI with her permission)

TRANSITION:

passage: the act of passing from one state or place to the next

conversion: an event that results in a transformation

the process or an instance of passing from one form, state, or stage to another

cause to convert or undergo a transition:

 "the company had to transition the old practices to modern technology"

~ ~ ~

We spend our entire life making transitions ~

some large, some small.

Sometimes we know it is happening.

Other times we are blissfully unaware.

This month, my Creativity Initiative inspired

Priority Quilt Transitions honors those changes.

My mother’s favorite color was blue.

One of the last fun outings

she and my sister and I took

(just before the days of assisted living and nursing home care)

was to the shore of Lake Michigan

where we rolled up the legs of our jeans

and waded in the sun-sparkled water.

She was so tiny and frail . . .

but she giggled with delight

and didn’t want to leave.

My sister and I knew it would be one of the last fun trips.

My mother was blissfully unaware.

I wonder if she remembered those sparkling waves later?

Or the laughter?

Or the love?

~ ~ ~

Another monthly auction of AAQI Priority Quilts begins tomorrow here.

If you can, I hope you’ll bid generously ~

knowing that the dollars raised go to fund essential research

into Alzheimer’s Disease.

Three research grants have been given so far ~

and, with our continued efforts, more will be possible.

It is too late for my mother and thousands of others,

but we can do something now to make it better for those

who will come after us.

One quilt at a time . . .

Quiltdivajulie

Another Way to Help

2010 World Series Quilt Challenge for AAQI

From a recent AAQI announcement:

Eight world-class quilters have stepped up to the plate

 in the hopes of knocking one out of the park

to fight Alzheimer’s for the

2010 World Series Quilt Challenge.

Their goal?

To see who can create the quilt

that earns the most money for

the Alzheimer’s Art Quilt Initiative.

It’s all about bragging rights—and fighting a vile disease.

Proven powerhouse quilters from

the American Quilt League are

Hollis Chatelain, John Flynn, Becky Goldsmith, and Sue Nickels.

(Their efforts in the World Quilt Federation Smackdown

in 2009 earned more than $11,000 for the AAQI.)

Rookies from the National Quilt League are

Caryl Bryer Fallert, Judy Mathieson, Mary Sorensen, and Ricky Tims.

The eight quilts will be auctioned online in a

Silent Auction from November 1 to November 10

in honor of National Alzheimer’s Awareness Month.

(They will also be on display at the International Quilt Festival in Houston.)

Now it is time for quilting fans everywhere

to root for their favorites, by donating $1 (or more)

to the AAQI for the player, team, or quilt that you most admire.

Your donation is not a bid on any quilt,

nor does it have any impact whatsoever on the auction outcome.

BUT, your donation WILL be counted in the

total dollar amount raised by each player and their league.

~ ~ ~

So, for all of you out there

who want to do something to help

(without making a Priority Quilt)

here's a wonderful opportunity to show your support.

You can see detail photos of the eight quilts

and "root" for your favorite players/quilts

HERE.

Remember ~

every vote and every dollar helps AAQI

do just that much more

to raise awareness and fund Alzheimer's research.

I have already cast my votes.

(for Tangled and for Scarlet and Indigo)

Please ~ 

go now and cast yours!

Quiltdivajulie

What Color Is Your Dream?

 ". . . When the dreamweaver sees it is time to be through, 

she whispers a dream known only to you."  

(Kittie Beletic)

Created in response to June's Creativity Initiative
 prompt for July of "Dream" 

and as part of the Liberated Quilters
ongoing AAQI Challenge;

my 71st Priority Quilt measures
8-1/2" high x 11-3/4" wide.

I tried the cropped pinwheels of Katharine Guerrier
for the first time in this little quilt.

(The pinwheels were created using 2-1/2" squares)
They were great fun and I'll be making more of them.

Not sure if PQ No. 5493 will land in the Quilts for Sale group,

or be included in an upcoming auction,

be set aside for another use,
or hoarded for the AAQI booth at the Houston Show.

No matter where or how, I hope it brings a really good price

to help AAQI raise awareness and fund research.

Quiltdivajulie

I'm honored . . .

Why do I participate in and support the efforts of

the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative?

I do so in honor and memory of my mother

~ Lura b.1916 d. 2005 ~
. . . her life, her legacy, and her Alzheimer's journey.

Early on,

(photo above from 2006)

I created Priority Quilts 

as a way to work through my grief.

Now I stitch and remember  ~

and do what I can

to help make a difference,

one quilt at a time.

Today I learned that my Priority Quilt

The Puzzle Known as Alzheimer's

has been one of 41 PQs selected to be part of

the new traveling exhibit for AAQI.

The exhibit will also feature

the names of 10,000 individuals

who have or had Alzheimer's

on the 55-purple-patch name quilts.

Alzheimer's Illustrated:  From Heartbreak to Hope

will begin touring in January 2011.

I am truly honored to have a part in this exhibit

and its upcoming five year journey.

~~~

And, now that June has announced

her Creativity Initiative

prompt for July,

I've already started gathering ideas

for what will become my 71st PQ.

This month's theme is . . .

 Dream

Quiltdivajulie

Creativity Initiative - My June Finish

Here it is ... all finished (measuring in at 8-1/2" x 11").

Here's a peek at the back and the fast finish triangles (the lower edge was cropped slightly so my name and city don't show).

 Just Because has been registered as AAQI Priority Quilt No. 5372 (it hasn't been loaded up onto their website yet, but it will be soon).  [This is my 70th Priority Quilt ~ the full list is here.]

The July auction is in full swing - click here to check it out! 

Thanks to A Creative Dream for offering monthly motivation to get busy and create!

I wonder what our prompt will be for July?!?

Quiltdivajulie

Creativity Initiative - Process Update

June's prompt for the Creativity Initiative is "Let Them Eat Cake."

Here you can see the beginning of what will become a 

Priority Quilt for the Liberated Quilters' AAQI Challenge.

Just Because still needs to be stitched and embellished ~

but at least the idea is taking form!

Why a cupcake?

In one word ~

Muddy's !

Every payday Friday lunch hour,

I'm part of a group from my law office

that goes cupcake-ing.

Oh . . the wonderful delicious-ness!

Anyway,

I'll post a photo or two of the finished piece on July 5th

(that's the first Monday of the month).

Quiltdivajulie

p.s.  Here's a peek at the scrappy "time warp" back for Jester . . . some of these fabrics appeared in my early quilts (ca. 2004)!

Two More for AAQI

[click to enlarge]

[click to enlarge]

Earlier this week, I shipped both of these Priority Quilts to AAQI.  To look at these finished 9" x 12" quilts, it would be so easy to overlook how much thought and effort went into their creation ~ trust me, these two took A LOT.

The Puzzle Known as Alzheimer's has been gestating for months on end.  I had an image in my head of what I wanted to convey, but it has taken a very  loooooooong time to bring that thought to life.   The photos are of my mother, taken between the time she married my dad in 1937 until shortly before her death in 2005.  The crossword puzzle which overlays those photos features clues/words from the vocabulary of Alzheimer's.  I'm not sure why this project became so important, but this quilt truly demanded that I overcome multiple (!) technical issues.  [Hint - use a dry iron (not steam) when pressing freezer paper onto your fabric for printing in an inkjet printer.  And always prepare three or more pieces since Murphy's Law will be at work ~ I went through over a yard of fabric, 8-1/2 x 11" at a time.]

Canyon Flowers began as a piece that Chris quilted and gave to me to "do something with" ~ at least a year ago! The quilt has been finished for months, waiting for me to register and ship.

I took these PQs to work before they were shipped off ~ and it was most interesting to watch people's reactions.  Some responded quickly to the Southwest colors and sparkle of Canyon Flowers (touching the petals and moving the quilt so light would catch and reflect).  Others stood quietly and read each clue, their faces growing more and more somber as they worked through the puzzle.  At least two commented on the way the puzzle covered over several photos, yet allowed faces and eyes to peer out through the words.  I was thrilled that they "got it."

No matter how AAQI chooses to use these two quilts, they were created and donated to help raise awareness and fund research to benefit those who will come after us. 

Quiltdivajulie

Update and Upgrades

Recently, I upgraded my blog editor to allow the new "page" functionality.  Over in the sidebar, you'll see a link to the first new page for my 'word' quilts.  Not sure yet if there will be others ~ still thinking about it.

Over on my other blog, Contemplate Then Wait, you'll find a much more noticeable upgrade.  Not only did I update the blog editor, I also selected a new template ~ hope you like the new look!  There's also a  new page, still very much under construction, for my participation in and support of the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative. 

If you haven't visited in a while, I hope you'll pop over and take a look.  New posts for my quilting journey during calendar year 2007 will begin appearing there in the next day or so. 

Comments and feedback are welcome.

Quiltdivajulie
------------------------
"Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished." (Lao Tzu)

[photo: detail of Lily painting by Georgia O'Keefe]

Such a Sunday . . .

After spending ALL day Saturday wrangling with multiple softwares on two computers (one Mac, one Vista), far too much freezer-papered fabric, the ironing board, our recalcitrant inkjet printer, and the trash can, I was utterly exhausted.  Thanks to some much-needed intervention by DH, at 7:45 p.m., I finally had an acceptable version of the concept that has haunted my subconscious since the beginning of this year.  Why such persistence?  This is for a very special AAQI Priority Quilt in honor of my mom ~ one I hope will be meaningful enough to be included in the new From Heartbreak to Hope traveling exhibit Ami is putting together.
  

Sunday morning, DS the elder, his wife, and Tippy plus  DS the younger were here to prepare a delicious brunch for Mother's Day (roasted new potatoes with homegrown basil, quiche featuring locally produced sausage and several cheeses from the Nashville Trader Joe's, toasted fontina cheese sandwiches with Black Forest Ham and apple slices, mimosas, and locally-grown strawberries dipped in homemade chocolate sauce).  YUM!! There were fresh flowers for the table and a knockout rose bush to plant for flowers again and again and again.  

There has also been time for considerable handwork on the PQ and a newly-quilted quilt swap with Chris is planned for late in the day (lots of binding to be done - woo hoo!!).  

Delightful . . . I hope your day has been wonderful, too!

Quiltdivajulie

Name Quilt No. 70

I took AAQI Name Quilt No. 70 to work earlier this week and asked my co-workers to help inscribe the list 55 names. [each photo will enlarge when clicked]

In a firm of 12 attorneys and 10 staff, eight of us had immediate family members whose names appear in these photos (including one family with twins and one of their sisters).

I kept the flimsy at my desk along with the list and all day people stopped by to add a name or two.

For those who have not yet had a close encounter with Alzheimer's, it was an eye-opening experience to see the two-page list of names.

And even more sobering when I showed them the information from the AAQI website about the exhibit.

"You mean there are 182 of these lists?!?"

At which point, I shared more information from the AAQI website.

By the end of the day, every name had been written on one of the 2" x 6" purple patches.

I chose to quilt No. 70 using a subdued vertical version of my liberated ripple quilting.

I used a double needle, one eye threaded with lavender quilting thread and the other with Superior metallic (holographic) no. 208.

As I've shared here before, I've stitched hundreds of these patches together for two full size purple patch quilts previously donated to AAQI, but having the names slide beneath my fingertips never fails to bring a lump to my throat.

On Friday, I took the quilt back to the office where I used blue painter's tape to secure it to the wall across from my desk. Reactions ranged from respectful silence to one person who stood and read each name out loud before moving on.

Name Quilt No. 70 will now travel to another AAQI volunteer for binding on its way to joining the other 181 name quilts of From Heartbreak to Hope. It was an honor to include the names entrusted to me.

Quiltdivajulie