A Chemo Quilt

I made this quilt for a woman who was recently diagnosed with cancer.  With four kids ages 5 and under, you might imagine that the time I can devote to quilting is limited.  So I try to refrain from making unsolicited quilts.

But sometimes a person's story hits me just so.  I think I can finally admit that I sometimes obsessively quilt as a coping mechanism.  I wish that I could make all the sickness and all the sadness go away.  I cannot.

But I can make a quilt: a tangible piece of comfort and hope.



I don't feel at liberty to share the story, so I'll just tell you about my "creative process" instead.  First, I don't know this woman.  It's hard enough to sew for someone whom I do know, let alone for someone I don't.  So I set about to dig through my (meager) stash to find fabrics that I thought would appeal to a variety of aesthetic tastes.

I have plenty of novelty prints: girls playing with dollies, girls playing with chickens, a few rocket ships, etc.  I also have a lot of bright and potentially obnoxious prints.  But no, those would not do.



Instead, I grabbed these Denyse Schmidt prints (and a few others to match) and was once again reminded of the genius of Denyse.  I would say that I have been slow to become a fan.  (But is one year really "slow?"  Probably not.)  I find this quilt to be both very lovely and broadly appealing.  Some prints are traditional and vintage-y, while others are modern... oh, they're all just so wonderful!

I didn't really like the navy print as a stand-alone piece, but I cut it up, stitched it into this quilt, and now I really think it makes the quilt, you know?  And like I said in this post, I firmly believe that one can never go wrong with half-square triangles and plenty of Kona White.



Also, I wish I could say that I planned this (I did not), but as I was sewing I was thinking of how these colors are so soothing.  It was therapeutic for me to stitch the fabric together.  I realized that, "Of course! They are 'cool' on the color wheel!"  So I hope that the quilt is calming for the recipient as she undergoes treatment.

This is a "chemo quilt" because it only measures approximately 25 x 50 inches.  So it's small enough to stuff into an oversized bag for a trip to a chemo treatment, and still big enough to keep a person warm during the infusion.




I stitched the word "HOPE" on the back for two reasons.  First, many cancer centers, including Duke where Charlotte is treated, have a line about hope.  For example, "At Duke... there is HOPE."  We have certainly found this to be true.

Second, Christianity has much to say on the topic of HOPE.  Speaking from experience, having complete strangers preach at a person with a brand-new cancer diagnosis is pretty much the pits.  But one word of encouragement from someone who shares your faith?  I think that is appropriate.

Charlotte is just one of the faces of hope, but dare I say she's the cutest one?  

My sweet Charlotte knows all about hope.  She wasn't expected to live past her six-month birthday.

It's hard to believe that was over two years ago now - what grace!  

P.S. Please chime in... do you sew quilts for people you don't know? Or for someone who has not requested a quilt?  How do you choose the fabric and pattern?


(Linking up to Quilt Story, NTT, Confessions of a Fabric Addict, and Crazy Mom Quilts.)