Cancer Quilt

[christian_cowgirlGSR]

Around Thanksgiving 2012, we found out that my aunt had been diagnosed with stage 1-2 breast cancer.   Nearly 3 years ago, I made a quilt for a friend (see here: http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=368283.msg4328536#msg4328536) who had a reoccurence of cancer.  This friend died only days after receiving the quilt, but the quilt meant a lot to her family.  Armed with the knowledge of how much the quilt meant to my friend's family, I mentioned to my mother the idea of making a quilt for my aunt (my aunt is my mom's best friend and only older sister) while I was home on Thanksgiving/Christmas vacation.  My mom loved the idea.  While I was home, I sat down with my mom on the computer and picked fabrics from the wide selection at www.fabric.com.  Due to some unforeseen circumstances and, of course, procrastination on my part, washing and cutting the fabrics took longer than expected.  My goal was to have this quilt done and in my aunt's hands before her surgery on 1/3/2013.  I calculated in my head that I would have to send it by Friday 12/28/2012 to get it to her in time, taking the holidays into account.  Of course, that meant that I was pretty much doing all the work for the quilt the week before it was "due".  Many pinpricks and hours later, here are pictures of the completed quilt:

The top of the completed quilt.  In this picture, you can barely see the quilting lines running diagonally across the quilt.  I chose a very minimalistic quilting pattern for this quilt because of the tight timeline.


The back of the quilt.  All those who helped fund the quilt project signed the white squares between the red fabrics. 


The backing fabric ended up being black/cream instead of the black and white that I had hoped, but I think it turned out okay anyway.


A close-up of the front of the quilt:


I am quite proud of how the binding on this quilt came out.  The mitering on the corners looks better than it has on any of my previous quilts.  I think I've finally figured out how to attach the binding and make it look nice!


I did get the quilt sent on 12/28/2012.  My aunt received it today, 12/29/2012.  She called me this evening to thank me for making the quilt for her.  At one point in the conversation, she was in tears because she was so deeply touched by the quilt.  It makes me feel good to know that something I've made means so much to someone else.  My aunt will be able to take the quilt with her to the hospital for her surgery next week, which makes me very happy.

[Antidigger]

What a very kind thing to do, and all the more wonderful that those who love your Aunt signed it too.

[alwaysinmyroom]

When something is made from the heart, all of those feelings get transferred to the recipient...I am sure your aunt was touched and given a lot of hope from those who love her...

I love the colors (my favorite combo in the world is red/black/white or cream)...and you learned a lot under a tight deadline!

Thanks for sharing your personal story and your lovely quilt!

[christian_cowgirlGSR]

Thank you for your positive feedback!

My aunt really liked the quilt.  She called everyone who helped contributed to the quilt (those who contributed also signed the quilt) and thanked them.  The quilt meant a lot to her, and it meant a lot to me that she liked it so much.  I asked her to send me a picture of herself with the quilt, so I am expecting to be able to post that soon.

Also, I forgot to include a link to the pattern I used for the quilt (see here for the original pattern: http://www.allpeoplequilt.com/projects-ideas/throws-wall-hangings/high-light_1.html).  I modified the pattern to make the finished quilt smaller (final dimensions of my quilt ended up being approximately 40"W X 70"L).  By making it smaller, I was able to cut back on the number of different fabrics I would need without sacrificing the look of the final quilt.  For instance, the pattern called for two different red/white prints.  I only used one red print.  I got 1/2 a yard and had enough left over to use on the back to accent the signed squares.  I really liked the final look of this pattern, and once the cutting was done, it came together very quickly, thanks to the large pattern pieces. 

[MareMare]

That's beautiful! I wish all the best for your aunt and her surgery!

[zenochka]

Beautiful quilt! Best wishes for your aunt!!

[christian_cowgirlGSR]

Thank you for all of the kind comments!

Good news!  My aunt came out of surgery without any problems!  They ran some tests, and as far as I know they have only gotten results for one of them so far.  That one said that her lymph nodes are clear and look good.  If the other test results look good, she may not have to have chemo/radiation!  However, from what I've been told, she will have to have at least one more surgery.

[MareMare]

That's great news! Yay, Auntie!