Blogger's Quilt Festival Entry

I decided to share something a little different for the fall 2010 Blogger's Quilt Festival.  This quilt never truly fulfilled its purpose.  Originally, I had planned to give it to my sister, Katie, as her birthday gift.  I ended up loving it, and so I decided to keep it for myself.  Until now.  Now it's slated for auction.  Read on.

My littlest sister, Gloria, needs your help.  She's part of an aid organization called Student Partnership for International Medical Aid.  The group travels to Ho, Ghana each year to provide medical care and supplies for people in rural villages.  Gloria returned from Ghana this year with many exciting stories, and an even greater desire to help than she had when she left.  The clinic only runs for a week each year and can't possibly meet the needs of everyone.

Student Partnership for International Medical Aid (SPIMA) is a nonprofit, medical service trip organization run by students and alumni of the College of William and Mary.  The organization works alongside local doctors and nurses in Ho, Ghana to provide free medical care to community members of nearby villages.  The group sets up and runs various temporary clinics and hands out prescribed medicine at absolutely no cost. 

SPIMA hopes to become a greater player in the access of medicine within the next decade.  Currently, the organization is a one-week-a-year medical resource for the poor farmers and residents.  These Ghanaians often experience no other medical assistance during the rest of the year.  By working with the Life for Living Medical Center in Ghana and with the guidance of a William and Mary professor, the group strives to research and understand the weaknesses of Ghana’s current medical system.  

In order to raise money for this year's trip, the SPIMA volunteers are holding a community-wide auction at the William and Mary Alumni House.  Their goal is $25,000!  Gloria asked me to donate one of my precious quilts to be sold at the auction, and I agreed.  If I can do it, so can you!  Please consider donating a crafty project of any kind to be sold at the auction on November 11, 2010. 

 If you'd like to donate, please email me at jennifer.hadlock@gmail.com.  I will pass along the mailing address and information that you need.  Donations must be received by November 8, 2010.  

Blogger's Quilt Festival Entry

This year, I decided to enter my piece de resistance, my modern opus, my masterpiece-- my hand pieced grandmother's flower garden quilt. I was inspired to create this quilt by an enormous patch of coneflowers that blooms in front of the Virginia Fine Arts Museum every year. The museum is just down the street from my apartment, so I get to enjoy the flowers all season, every year. The flowers are so colorful and full, and I get sad when they burn up and wilt each summer. Now I can have those flowers all year long!

The quilt measures approximately 93" x 67" finished and unwashed. I used a cotton-poly batting had it professionally quilted by Rebekah Richardson of Kept In Stitches Quilting (Richmond, VA).

The center of the top is entirely hand pieced by me. I followed the English paper piecing method seen here. Each piece is whip-stitched together using waxed or glace thread. For the flowers I used batik cottons, and the path is created with my favorite pink fabric ever, Lakehouse Antique Dots in Berry.

I created a pieced back using leftover pink squares and Cufflink in the Leaf colorway from Summer Soiree by Paula Prass. The quilt is bound with a really cool dot designed by Faye Burgos for Marcus Fabrics. It's super black, and it turned my fingers grey while I was finishing the binding.

I love this quilt and can't wait to use it for many years to come!

Blogger's Quilt Festival Entry

This is the quilt that I am proudest of, to date. It's pretty recent, so if you've seen it, sorry!



This is a generous twin One Block Wonder. I made this quilt for Gloria, my sister, upon her high school graduation and decision to go to College of William & Mary. Each of the times I've visited her at school, I've dragged the quilt off her bed and inspected it for any damage that needs to be repaired. Of course, Gloria keeps it in pristine condition-- she doesn't even use it as a cover. It's more of a decoration. She was scandalized when I suggested taking it as the picnic blanket for screen on the green festivities.

I'm so happy that she loves this quilt because it is the most labor intensive product I have finished to date. There are around 800 patches in that quilt, all cut and sewn by me.

Still, to this day, I look at it in awe and say, "I can't believe I made that."