JaxDem's quilt
Jester the Marine was injured by an IED blast in Afghanistan last year. He's had fourteen surgeries on his left leg but the doctors are unable to save it. He's waiting for amputation. Keori, his fiancee, suggested a community quilt would help him get through this life changing ordeal -- and we began collecting messages with this diary. We have forty-one messages to date -- but need twenty-seven more to make a pattern.
Here is a list of the people who have given messages so far:
1. Be the change you seek
2. Keori
3. ericlewis0
4. Mnemosyne
5. ZenTrainer
6. Mortifyd
7. Nurse Kelley
8. cfk in the Thumb of Michigan
9. Princesspat
10. Otteray Scribe
11. NormAl1792
12. scribe
13. navajo
15. llbear
16. Maggiejean
17. noweasels
18. John07801
19. Ramara
20. swampyankee
21. Lorikeet
22. psfinia
23. Ebby
24. mjbleo
25. Wayward Wind
26. Noor B
27. 4Freedom
28. Mimi
29. Peregrine Kate
30. Joanbooker
31. Bleeding heart
32. Vetwife
33. Cherry the Tart
34. Onomastic
35. Blue aardvark
36. LoreleiHI
37. glitterscale
38. Blue jersey mom
39. High unitas
40. Angelajean
41. bigjacbigjacbigjac
JaxDem's quilt, backing fabric
If you are unfamiliar with community quilts, they are quilts bearing messages from you, transcribed by me in archival ink on muslin. My sister and I construct the quilts from message blocks and many, many vibrant fabrics. They are colorful blankets, packed with the love and support of many for someone who is going though something tough. The quilts are a sort of metaphor for this community feeling -- a solid one that can be held, cried into, and read over and over.
Aji's quilt
I usually ask for some donations -- to cover our time and materials but this quilt has been paid for. If you would like to donate to the work my sister and I do with these quilts, here is a PayPal link -- or message me for a snail mail address if you prefer checks. At any rate, it is never necessary to donate money to leave a quilt message. We welcome yours!
Our chief quilt inspector, Goldie, approves Aji's quilt
Here is a list of quilts made to date:
othniel (cellulitis and ensuing complications)
exmearden (cancer of heart and lung, RIP)
MsSpentyouth (brain tumor)
Moe99 (lung cancer)
Michelle Caudle (ovarian cancer)
BFSkinner (lupus)
Kitsap River (long wait for kidney donor that ended 2/18/11)
Frederick Clarkson (blood clots)
Dreaming of Better Days (lymphoma)
one bite at a time (lost house and belongings to fire)
Timroff (cellulitis)
Sol Fed Joe (multiple cancers and health problems)
Brubs (AIDS, immune reconstitution syndrome)
rserven (gall bladder infection with dangerous complications)
grndrush (brain tumor, RIP)
ImpeachKingBushII (needs liver transplant)
andsarahtoo (lupus)
Frank Cocozzelli (muscular dystrophy)
luvsathoroughbred (breast cancer)
Predictor (stroke and HIV)
Austex54 (caretaker to othniel)
Theodore Olbermann, RIP
cskendrick (antibiotic resistant infection)
Keith Olbermann (caregiver to father)
Juan (cancer)
Ana (a young horse belonging to Juan, hit by truck)
MA Liberal’s mother (Alzheimer’s)
Charles CurtisStanley (caretaker to Kitsap River)
Lorikeet (cervical cancer)
Dr. Lori (metastatic cancer)
ulookarmless (cancer, heart condition, stroke)
riverlover (caregiver to husband suffering from liver failure, now widowed)
Melody Townsel (caregiver to dying father, now deceased)
dadanation (AIDS)
Dr. William F. Harrison (leukemia, RIP)
Larry Bailey (sudden loss of partner to heart attack)
ramara (adopted son with fetal alcohol syndrome)
Noor B (herniated disk from car accident)
Louisiana 1976 (fibromyalgia, severe arthritis, depression)
stumpy (MS, stroke, RIP)
bleeding heart's niece (cancer, RIP)
escapee (failure of corneal surgery)
SarahLee (lymphoma, Lyme Disease)
Bustergirl (ovarian cancer)
mimi's niece (cancer)
ZenTrainer (breast cancer)
Miss Blue (severe injury to shoulder, anxiety over coverage for surgery)
Granny Doc (bladder cancer)
mango (heart attack)
nudger (ovarian cancer, RIP)
DaNang65 (heart condition)
Lt. Choi (exhaustion)
Nurse Kelley (spinal stenosis)
Ben Masel (lung cancer, RIP)
Otterary Scribe (caregiver and grieving grandfather)
Aji (chronic pain from autoimmune diseases including fibromyalgia, inflammatory arthritis, and Chronic Epstein-Barr Virus Syndrome)
JaxDem (suddenly widowed)
Otteray Scribe's quilt
We are currently assembling the quilt top for DavidW and plan to finish and ship his quilt this week.
Detail of Otteray Scribe's quilt -- we used some special pewter buttons, like the buttons used on Highland dress -- and real tartan!
Quilts have been requested for the following people. If you would like to put someone on the quilt list, please message me.
Peregrine Kate (endometrial cancer)
Sensible Shoes (caring for sister with brain cancer)
Plutonium Page (pulmonary embolisms, pulmonary infarction)
alliedoc (cancer)
MsGrin (life long heart problems requiring multiple surgeries)
UnaSpensor (Lyme disease)
MA Liberal (caretaker to her mother who has dementia)
labwitchy (diffuse scleroderma)
paradox (cyclical vomiting syndrome, PTSD, depression)
Stranded Wind (Lyme Disease and other health issues)
woodtick (caretaker to mother who has Alzheimer's)
Ellinorianne (rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia)
Joanneleon (Lyme disease)
PAYPAL LINK FOR OUR SUPPORT -- THANK YOU!
Namaste.
Boots says, "Thank you for supporting community quilts!"