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

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

Scrappy Sunday

Late last week, I received an e-mail

from Jeffree Itrich of the Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study (ADCS).

The companion Alzheimer's Study Quilt Project

is in need of quilts for their male study participants.

So yesterday, I pulled out my box of orphaned batik pieces

and started stitching them together ~

extra squares from Ochenta, trimmed backing from No Words Needed,

a pieced bit from Sing the Sun Down, 

and even backing from one of my early quilts, Pompeii.

Something From Nothing, the flimsy, measures 44" x 55"

and is ready to go to Chris for quilting.

The back is pieced and ready, too

(it looks a tad blue in this photo, 

but the colors are warm and vibrant is real life).

I've already mailed Grains of Sand to ADCS,

and will send Something From Nothing

as soon as it is back from Chris's house and bound.

You can read more about the program here and here.

Now that I've finally broken the ice on my PIF 2011 list,

I'm planning to use the leftover pieces from the wedding quilt

and create Four Patch Frenzy for ADCS one day soon.

Leap of Faith, another scrappy quilt, is on the design wall

ready to be stitched, trimmed and squared for ADCS.

And maybe now I'll get busy and finish the stalled KF HST project

for an ADCS participant.

Offering comfort quilts for a few study participants

is the very least that I can do!

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

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

Comforting Chaos ~ the flimsy

This is Comforting Chaos ~ a scrappy bright warm-toned

Chinese Coins style PIF lap quilt.

And this is how to create a back

for a 43 x 66 flimsy using

roughly 2-1/2 yards of fabric (the stripe) ~

remembering that Chris needs an

extra six inches all around.

The long panel you see on the right is my

WOF yardage folded in half lengthwise.

I'll split that length vertically,

 then stitch one length to each side of the

78" long pieced section

(created from leftover coins, leftover sashing ends,

and the last 1/2 yard or so of the

"long time waiting in my stash" stripe).

Once quilted and bound,

Comforting Chaos will be off to

warm the body and spirit of

an Alzheimer's study participant.

In another week, Chris and I will meet up 

to swap quilted projects for flimsies in need of quilting.

The binding list continues to increase ~

but I now have a plan!

I am teaching myself to bind left-handed.

Took the first few awkward, tentative stitches yesterday.

Yes, I can do this!

Quiltdivajulie

This Weekend's Third Day

Look who flew over and around our house Sunday morning . . . 

a Bald Eagle!

And on the Fourth of July!

He first flew over my husband's head before 

swooping up to circle the neighborhood's nature area

where we watched him for almost ten minutes.

Eagles were introduced in the Reelfoot Lake area to our north

but have since then begun moving south along the

Mississippi River.

This is the first one we've seen near our house.

It was amazing!

Back indoors, another PIF flimsy known as Stash Soup

has been stitched together.

This is the backing. 

Stash Soup will be headed to the Alzheimer’s Disease Cooperative Study (ADCS).

Some of you may have received an e-mail asking for your help

to spread the word about the quilt gathering effort

for those participating in the study.

From my mother's Alzheimer's journey

and the chemo experiences of two co-workers,

offering quilts to these study participants is

a win-win situation.

Quilts warm bodies AND souls.

You may also have read about this project online:

Wanda posted about this a few days ago.

So has Laura West Kong.

I have several other PIF projects underway,

 either with Chris for quilting or ready to be stitched.  

Several of these will find their way to these study participants.

If you are interested in sending a new lap size quilt (or two or three), please contact Jeffree Itrich. 

To learn more about the Alzheimer’s Disease Cooperative Study visit their website at www.adcs.org. 

Thanks ~ and enjoy the rest of this holiday weekend.

Quiltdivajulie

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

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