Saturday
June 16th
2007

Stars in my Hand, ALS , and Bright Eyes

As I travel around the blogosphere and visit with my favorite bloggers like Jane Ann and Kristin, I aspire to be as they are: eloquently descriptive writers who take their readers with them on their journeys through life, sharing the good times, sometimes seeking solace and support during bad times, and connecting with their readers across the miles through the magic of the Internet playground. Eloquence is escaping me at the moment, but I’m still going to try for a bit of the rest here.

Quilting has been in short supply here since the quilt day with Kristin, but with good reason: I’ve been working fast and furious this week to get a new website up and running for The ALS Association New Mexico Partner. I began researching ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease), when a family member was diagnosed with the disorder early in 2006. It’s really hard to be this far away, and not be able to see her or be with her, or help out if needed. It’s early days and my aunt is doing well, but I wish I lived closer to her. We purchased fabric together when I visited with them in 2005 for a quilt I would make for her and her husband (the quilt that became Stars in my Hand). I had already started work on the quilt, but after the diagnosis, I wondered if I could do more to make the quilt even more special than I already planned for it to be.

I decided to photograph parts of the quilt as it was finished to create a special collection of note cards, postcards, ornaments and treasure boxes for sale called Quilted Whispers, with proceeds to benefit the ALS Association New Mexico Partner. Hoping to reach more people about this special collection and the cause, I created the Quilted Whispers Contest, which you can still enter until the end of June, 2007, and a press release which, sadly, was never picked up by any newspapers as far as I know. At one point, I contacted The ALS Association to try to work with them to start a larger fund raising campaign involving quilts and quilters, somewhat like the Alzheimer’s Art Quilt Initiative created by Ami Simms, but The ALS Association declined my proposed effort. Read the rest of this entry »

Quilted Whispers Contest Winner for August

Congratulations go out to Angela G., in Tennessee! She’s our August winner in the Quilted Whispers Contest. She’s chosen the Quilted Whispers Angel Ornament as her prize, and she’ll be receiving it in the mail any day!

It’s a new month, and a new opportunity to enter the Quilted Whispers Contest. Enter every month for your chance to win items from this special collection!

Quilted Whispers Contest Winner for July

Heather B. in Tooele, Utah is our Quilted Whispers Contest Winner for July! Congratulations Heather! She’s chosen the Quilted Whispers Rose Ornament as her prize, and should be receiving it in the mail any day.

Enter the Quilted Whispers Contest every month to be eligible for the monthly drawing for a Quilted Whispers Ornament. Each entry also gives you another chance to win the Grand Prize in July, 2007, a Limited Edition hand-signed and numbered print from the Quilted Whispers Collection, featuring all twelve of the motifs from the quilt with the symbolic meanings.

And remember, proceeds from the sale of items from the Quilted Whispers Collection will be donated to the New Mexico Chapter of the ALS Association, to help find a cure for Lou Gehrig’s Disease. Look for notecards, postcards, ornaments, quilt art tiles and keepsake treasure boxes, all featuring whitework quilted motifs from the Stars In My Hand quilt.