I was glad to hear from Cheryl in Dallas recently with her latest community quilt finish. Cheryl gave me permission to tell you that she was recently diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer that has spread to her bones and liver. As you might imagine, that has slowed down her work on charity quilts, but she promised to send more pictures of completed tops in the near future.
Cheryl in Dallas always sends lots of pictures, so I will let her tell you about this quilt in her own words. This quilt will go to Luke’s Closet for distribution to a student at Dallas Theological Seminary. I feel like all of you readers are part of one big family, so if you think of Cheryl in Dallas, pray for her as she gets started with cancer treatments.
Cheryl writes:
“Hi Jo, Here is my latest charity quilt completion, and it’s a beauty. The top was made by Joanna in New York, and you forwarded it to me for completion. This looks like a Kansas Troubles or Thimbleberries fabric line. When I received the top, it was 72” x 72”, which is smaller than I like for a bed-size quilt. What to do?
Joanna in New York mitered the corners of the border. And what a nice job she did of matching up the seams in the border print!
After much thought, I decided to make the quilt grow by adding rows of the same blocks to each side.
Jo, I know you have tons of Civil War fabrics that could match this quilt, but I don’t! I went through my fat quarters (most of which has been donated to me by local quilters—God bless all of them!) and picked out prints that would blend with the colors and small patterns of Joanna’s original top.
Then I removed the mitered border Joanna had so carefully made. Now the top is even smaller, ready to grow into a big quilt!
With 36 new blocks added to all four sides, I then added a narrow tan border, and reattached Joanna’s original printed border. Because Joanna included extra border fabric, it worked out well.
I even mitered the borders! That is a first for me, and I have been quilting for a dozen years. I think it turned out pretty well for my first attempt.
Ready for the first row of quilting.
My computerized longarm quilted out this nice edge-to-edge pattern called “Threadz” by Patricia Ritter at www.UrbanElementz.com. It’s a favorite pattern for quilts with lots of small blocks. It smooths out all those straight edges and angles.
Nice big loopies.
The grown-up quilt is now 95” by 94.” It will do for a queen-size bed.
Can you tell which are the newly added blocks? I hope not.
Joanna included dark brown fabric for backing. When the quilt “grew,” the backing needed to grow, too, so I found two additional fabrics in my stash to augment it.
The backing picks up the colors of the quilt top. The rusty red binding kinda matches the rest of the Civil War fabrics.
I will attach a label, run the quilt through the washer, and then deliver it to Luke’s Closet. I hope my collaboration on Joanna’s quilt will bless some student at the seminary. Now that it is a queen-size quilt, it might go to a married couple. Thanks to Joanna, and the quilters who have donated to my stash.”
WOW…what a lot of work Cheryl did to make this the perfect quilt for a seminary student. Many thanks to Joanna for sending the top and the extra goodies to Cheryl.
I am sure all of you, like me, will add Cheryl to your prayer list. May peace wash over Cheryl and her family as they work through this challenging chapter in their lives.
Just gorgeous!
Prayers for Cheryl… thanks for sharing…
The quilt is beautiful and so great that Cheryl added the extra blocks and made it big. Quilting is very nice. I will put Cheryl in my prayers.
Cheryl did a beautiful job with this quilt. I will keep her in my prayers along with you.
Absolutely beautiful quilt after all her work.
Definitely adding Cheryl to my prayer list. Prayers for peace and grace moving forward.
Really nice finish! Will be sending prayers your way, Cheryl.
Cheryl you did a fabulous job of picking the right fabrics and adding the extra blocks and adding the borders . You are added to my prayers. Thanks Cheryl for sharing your time and talent and to Jo for starting this chain of generous people sharing their talents to help others
Cheryl in Dallas, the quilt is so beautiful. That was a creative idea to add the additional blocks. Prayers for you as you face more cancer treatments.
prayer for Cheryl. She did a great job with enlarging the quilt.
Cheryl is a Super Star! What a beauty, the new squares were perfect!
Cheryl you are in my prayers for healing and comfort for the days ahead. I love how you honored the maker of the quilt with the additional blocks so it can be used for one of your many charities. It truly is lovely.
Beautiful finish. Bless you with strength and courage.
Hugs and healing thoughts to Cheryl. What an ingenious solution for enlarging the quilt. It’s just stunning!
Hugs to Cheryl on her journey. And great job on the quilt. She is truly an artist.
Cheryl you did a beautiful job on making the quilt larger. My prayers are with you as you venture forward. Many thanks to the ladies who donated their time, talent and fabrics to you. Even adding extra fabric to make everything work. Quilters are talented and resourceful. Stay safe and still.
I am going to be praying for Cheryl.
I will pray for Cheryl for comfort, peace, and healing. She is surely a treasure.
Cheryl, your quilts are beautiful. My prayers are with you and your family. All of us here will be by your side during this time.
Cheryl, praying for your healing and comfort. Nice work on enlarging this quilt. Thanks to you as well as those who helped to make it possible!!
Cheryl, Thoughts and Prayers in your days ahead. The quilt is lovely along with the changes you made. I share the sentiments of all the blog readers on your behalf. Take Care Helen Jane
This is incredible, Cheryl. May God bless you with health, peace and wisdom for your health care professionals. You are amazing!