Spring Auction Preview #19

This little sneak peek is coming to us by way of sweet Maria from Nashville.  (Does that combo - Maria + Nashville - remind anyone else of the Brooks & Dunn cover of  "My Maria"?  Sorry... I just can't help but love late '90s country hits.)



Anyhow, Maria might not like country music at all, but she does like to quilt!  She found our quilt auction during the SMS Giveaway of Heather Ross fabrics.  (Because who is not a fan, right?)  Maria has recently battled cancer and is a survivor herself, so she wanted to help out our cause.  I am so grateful for her willingness to help during such a difficult time in her life!

This quilt is made up of nine, paper-pieced blocks in orange and aqua.  There are some really great fabrics in this one!  You won't want to miss seeing and bidding on the whole thing come March 31.

Spring Auction kicks off then.  Be sure to click back over!

Spring Auction Preview #18

Last week I shared with you that Nan in California sent me this quilt.  Surprise! - she also sent me this one!



This is a really great quilt that would be just perfect for that Mod Baby (or young girl) in your life.  Lots vibrant colors and fun color play!

These posts have been super short because I'm working hard behind the scenes on the internet side of this auction.  I have received all but one or two of our auction quilts, so I've been photographing them, uploading the pictures, and working on the Ebay site.  I can't wait to get this up and running!

Don't go away, okay?  March 31 - Quilt Auction for brain tumor research.

Spring Auction Preview #17

Well isn't this one just so lovely?  It came in the mail last week from Julie of Julie's Quilts.




It is made from a "Honey Honey" dessert roll by Kate Spain. I just love it!

Oh goodness... I'm getting so tired of these sneak peeks and just want to get on to the auction already!  How about you?  Ready to bid?

We'll kick off the auction on Monday, March 31, and run it for that business week only.  Bidding will close the following Friday and Saturday.  I'll close the bids at a different time for each quilt, so that if you don't get your first choice, you can go bid on your second or third.  Isn't that a good idea?  I can say that because it wasn't mine...  :)

Spring Auction Preview #16

This little sneak peek is coming to us by way of the generosity of a sweet lady named Jennifer.  She knows my mom, my mom mentioned this auction to her, and she wanted to help.

The piecing on this one is just great!  What can I say?... I'm a sucker for pinwheels.



I'm awestruck at the generosity of strangers and so grateful for all of you wanting to help cure kids with brain tumors.

The bidding on this lovely, lap-sized quilt begins on March 31.  See you then!

Spring Auction Preview #15

The mailman has been oh-so-good to me lately.  On Monday, he brought me this:



... all the way from sunny California!  My new quilty friend, Nan, stumbled across the blog and so generously offered two quilts for this year's auction.  How sweet and kind is that!  Oh, I just love that green print that she used for the center star of this Swoon block.  It is from Patty Sloniger's "Les Amis" line that I used for this quilt.  I'm so happy to see it again here in Nan's quilt.

This is quite the modern baby quilt, or maybe you'd want to use it as a wall hanging?

If the price is right, it can be yours the first week of April.  Get your taxes done now, okay?  You'll need to know how much you have to donate to the PBTF by winning one of these awesome quilts.

Spring Auction Preview #14

Good Monday Morning to you!

Another sneak peek for another new week.  We're really in the home stretch here.  I know I'm not the only one who spent the weekend putting the binding on an auction quilt!  Only three more weeks...



The quilt pictured above is another quilt for a baby boy.  Not so much sea habitat like this one, but woodland creatures this time.

You see: there's something not only for everyone in this auction, but for every habitat, too!

Spring Quilt Auction kicks off on March 31 and runs for that business week only.  Do you have a favorite yet?

Double Sneak Peek! (#12 and #13)

It's Friday, soooo... Surprise!  I'll let you sneak a peek at not one but TWO quilts today!

Remember how I sent my #glimmaquilt and this one to Logan at Chocolate Dipped Quilts?  Well, I got those two quilts back this past Monday, and then some!  Not only had she graciously offered her quilting services for the two quilts that I sent her, but she sent me two more quilts for the auction!



This first one (above) was done by her mom, Laurie.  The whole quilt is made up of these meticulously pieced star blocks.  It is a really classy quilt: lovely, traditional floral fabrics in shades of pink, brown, and cream.



The next treat in the box was this GINORMOUS quilt!  It is just so sweet.  The fabrics in this one are bright and colorful!  There are little row houses (like in the picture), these hexagons, and lots and lots of flowers.

Oh, I can hardly wait to show you both these quilts in full!  I've been giving you sneak peeks of quite a few baby quilts, so today I wanted to highlight (much!) larger and more grown-up quilts that would make great throw quilts for you and your loved one to snuggle under.  (With Friday morning comes Friday night, after all!)

I really count it as such a privilege that I am receiving so many lovely quilts.  It is so neat to see the work of so many others and to be inspired in my quilting.  Even more so, it is such a privilege to be a part of a quilting community that is so very generous and willing to help cure kids with cancer.

Have a lovely weekend, and I'll be back on Monday with another little teaser...

(And if you get some quilting done over the weekend, or just need to make a dent in the pile that needs to be sent to the quilter, I highly recommend Logan and Laurie at Chocolate Dipped Quilts.  Don't be sentimental about wanting to do the quilting yourself... just send it off and be done with the headache!  Their prices are so great... you'll be glad you did.)

Spring Auction Preview #11

Hello!  Here's a sneak peek of another baby quilt that we have for this year's auction:

My friend Tracy took the extra fabric that I had from making this quilt, and she put together this quilt top. Then I sent it off to Logan of Chocolate Dipped Quilts to have it quilted.  Look at those waves!  Since this is only a "sneak peek" I promise this quilt has more to it than the simple patchwork that you can see in this picture.

You'll have to come back on March 31 for the full reveal, though...  See you then!

Spring Auction Preview #10

In case you missed "Spring Auction Preview #9," it is the first picture in my last post.

Today's sneak peek is a bit different as I want to show you the quilting of this one, instead of the piecing.  Check out this jumbo flower!



Flowers and stems with swirls, oh my!  The front of the quilt is an oh-so-hip chevron, too.  I can't wait to show you the whole thing in just a few weeks!

March 31: Spring Quilt Auction.  Be there.

Of Mice and Children

Our second annual quilt auction debuts next month.  Eek!  I'm so excited!  I want to take care of a bit of "housekeeping" ahead of time, though.  You have probably grown quite tired of seeing the heading "Spring Auction Preview #Whatever."  So I'd like to spice things up in this space by introducing the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation.  Research, cancer statistics... you know, the nerdy variety of spice.

Anyhow, if you followed last year's auction, you might remember that I auctioned last year's quilts straight off of this blog, with bids being handled in the "comment" section  (see an example here).  Also, 100% of the proceeds went to a charity called Angels Among Us, which supports the Brain Tumor Center at Duke.

I want to state that I still very much support and appreciate Angels Among Us.  This year, however, I'm doing things a bit differently.  The proceeds from this year's quilts will go to benefit the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation (PBTF).  My decision to switch charities is two-fold.

1. Supporting the under-funded

The PBTF is pediatric specific.  Did you know that 96% of all public (NCI) cancer research funding goes toward adult cancers, leaving only 4% for our nation's children?  Furthermore, the American Cancer Society gives less than 1% of it's annual budget to pediatric cancer research?    I could go on, but bottom line: pediatric cancer research is miserably under-funded.  Therefore, it falls to private organizations and indviduals (like you and me!) to raise the funds that will make a difference for these precious children.

Furthermore, while leukemia is the most common type of childhood cancer and great strides have been made in its treatment in the last 25 years, brain tumors are the second most common form of childhood cancer and the five-year survival rate is not as great at only 75%.  These kids need more options!

And we'll be fundraising until all the children are healthy enough to play like this.

Lastly, only two cancer therapy drugs specific to children have been developed in the last 20 years.  This means that our children are taking drugs developed for adults, and most of those drugs are 20+ years old.  The long-term effects on the children are staggering:  if they survive the cancer, 60% will suffer devastating late-effects such as secondary cancers, lung and heart problems, muscular difficulties and infertility.

The PBTF is the world's largest, non-governmental source of funding for childhood brain tumor research.  They fund cutting-edge research all over the nation, including our most beloved Duke.  To give you a picture of one example of the great work that the PBTF funds, I'd like to share with you the work done in the Becher Lab at Duke.  Dr. Oren Becher has developed the very first mouse model for diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas (DIPG).  The DIPG is a parent's worst nightmare.  There is no cure.  There are no survivors.  None.  It's a cancer that invades the brainstem; the cancer cells don't group together (where they might be cut out), but they hide around other, healthy cells.  These children, sadly, have a prognosis of 12 to 14 months.  But Duke researchers, with the help of the PBTF, are working to change that.

2.  The Pragmatist in Me

By supporting the PBTF, I can run the auction on Ebay.  Won't that be fun?!  I can designate 100% of the proceeds to go directly to the PBTF, and there will be a little "tag" on the item to say so.  I think (and hope!) that this will be a much easier (not to mention, more legitimate) way to run this auction.




So here are some of our quilts for this year... kept safe from the little hands in my home by XL Ziploc bags and a seldom-used closet.  I hope you've set aside a bit of that tax return to help cure the kids by winning a quilt.

Do you have a favorite yet?  The quilt in the first picture (above) is Sneak Peek #9.  And to think that I'm expecting the mail carrier to deliver at least half a dozen more in the coming week!  They ALL go up for auction on March 31... Save the Date!

Sources:
1. People Against Childhood Cancer
2. CureSearch
3. CureSearch

Spring Auction Preview #8

I acquired three more quilts this week for the Spring Quilt Auction.  That means I'd better give some sneak peeks a bit more frequently!



This one is from my friend, Tracy.  Last year, she made this one and this one.  This quilt is pretty great, guys.  It's a very modern pattern that she made with this fun fabric called "2wenty Thr3e."  Think: antique cameras and ticket stubs.  It's a fun one...

Oh, and you'll want to see the back.  I really like it!  Mark your calendar:  Spring Auction debuts on March 31.

Spring Auction Preview #7

Okay... this auction is creeping up on us!  Are you ready?  (I'm getting there...)



Here's a little sneak peek of a nine-patch quilt that I put together quite some time ago.  This is a baby quilt that I made using some of my favorite scraps.  That Sarah Jane piece from "Children at Play?"  I love that sketch of the girls playing dollies!  And those mushrooms sure are fun, too, eh?

Do you know of a little baby girl who could use this sweet quilt?  (I do, but drat!...  I've already set this aside as an auction piece.)  We'll all just have to come back next month to bid on this and many other fun quilts.

Quilt auction for brain tumor research kicks off on March 31, 2014.  See you there!

Spring Auction Preview #6

This is just a sneak peek of another quilt that Anne has so kindly offered for auction.  I say "just" because the picture does not do it justice.  It is such a sweet quilt for a baby or little girl, and Anne's quilting is really fantastic... flowers and swirls again!



You'll have to wait till the auction starts on March 31 to see more, but I do hope that these little glimpses are whetting your palate...

Spring Auction Preview #5

Are you covered in snow where you live?  We got about 2-3 inches here in North Carolina; it's the most our family has seen in awhile.  It's lovely!

And cold.  Which brings me to preview another quilt that will go up for auction on March 31.  This one is called a felted wool quilt, made from upcycled sweaters.  My dear friend, Kris, made this.  We met when we both lived in Louisville, Kentucky, but now she lives outside of Chicago.  So I think this lady knows how to keep warm in the cold, and this quilt is a good bet for that.  I'm sorry I can't ship it to one of you today, but stay tuned, okay?

Look!  Moose and snowflakes!




Oh, Charlotte.  Still smiling after getting hit in the face with a snowball?



Aren't you just the sweetest?

Spring Auction Preview #4

It's Work-in-Progress Wednesday, so here's what I've been up to:



In a word: #glimmaquilt.  Though, do phrases preceded by a hashtag really constitute a word?  I'll spare you my (old-fashioned) thoughts for this day...

Anyhow, this is a generously-sized throw quilt that I'm making for our Quilt Auction which kicks off on March 31.  Stay Tuned!

Now I'm off to bake some cookies for chemo.  Tomorrow is Charlotte's 3rd birthday... hip hip hooray!



(Linking up with Lee for WiP Wednesday and Fabric Tuesday.)

Spring Auction Preview #3

Those of you who visit this space frequently "know" my friend, Anne.  For last year's auction, she made this quilt and this quilt.  Both were gorgeous and a great success.

Well, she's done it again.  I could be wrong, but I think you're going to love it.  

Charlotte sure does...

Nevermind the bedhead or the poor lighting...

We put all the quilts up for auction on March 31.  And trust me, you won't want to miss this one.

Spring Auction Preview #2

The twenty-fifth time's the charm, my friends!  This is my twenty-fifth quilt, and I think it is positively lovely.  It turned out just as I had hoped and imagined.

I'm just going to give you a sneak peek right now. I'm still putting the binding on it, and after that I plan to admire it and admire it and work up the courage to auction it. (Okay, okay... I promise I will; but I can't promise it will be easy.)



It's my first churn dash, which is a bit of branching out from my usual patchwork.  My husband is getting tired of patchwork.  "Bah!" I say. "Good fabric doesn't need much more," I think.  Even so, I must admit that I very much enjoyed piecing these blocks.  I see many more churn dashes in my happy future.



And just look at Anne's quilting!  My, oh, my!  She is cranking out some wonderful things these days.  More on this quilt later...

For now, I've put it on hold.  It's time to finish up the Briar Rose quilt for my oldest daughter's sixth birthday.  Maybe I'll show a picture of that one next?  It's a beauty, too, if I may say so myself, patchwork and all.

SMS Giveaway Winner + Sneak Peek!

Last week, I held a giveaway in conjunction with Sew Mama Sew's Giveaway Day.  The winner of the fat-eighth bundle of Heather Ross fabrics is Susan from Patchwork n Play.  I'm so excited to ship this bundle off to her.  Thanks to Anne who generously donated these lovely fabrics, and thanks to all who entered.

I especially appreciate all the kind words, thoughts, and prayers for Charlotte and for our family.  And thank you to everyone who became a new follower!  I'm so excited to have you visiting this little space.

The quilt auction will be here before we know it... are you as excited as I am?  It is seeming more and more real.  My older two children are at the grandparents' home this week, so in between taking care of Charlotte and Marian (which is no small feat, I assure you!), I am busy stitching up a storm!

I have one baby quilt finished and am putting the binding on a second.  I think we will have about a dozen quilts to auction this year (baby quilts and adult, lap size), all in support of brain tumor research.  Can you imagine my excitement when this arrived in the mail last week (or was it the week before that?):



Oh my!  Goldfish!  I just adore this fabric!  This is a crib quilt for our auction, graciously donated by Cindy from California.  I can't wait to show you more pictures - it is superb! - but for now, you'll just have to wait...

We kick off the auction on Monday, March 31, 2014.  Mark your calendars and save that Christmas cash.   :)  

More sneak peeks to come...

(P.S. In the comments last week, a few people offered help with the auction, or wanted to know more details, but they were no-reply bloggers.  If you have not yet heard from me via email, and you'd like to help, please email me at charlottesgraceforacure[at]gmail[dot]com.)

A Few in the Queue

I've been doing not so much of this lately...

... because we started this:

Ahh... the madness that is homeschooling four children ages five and under.

But early this summer I put together a quilt top to become our family's beach quilt.  We've been using nothing more than this small, thin thing called a "neat sheet" that hearkens back to our undergrad years.

My friend, Anne, did some pretty sweet quilting on it.  Sneak Peek!

Now I'm just waiting for the binding fabric to come in the mail.  This has been quite the summer-long
work-in-progress, but I'm sure the end result will be worth the wait.  I can't wait to finish it and be able to share it.

Another work-in-progress is this little project called "Gray Matters."  Please stay tuned because if you like free fabric, tutorials, and supporting research for childhood cancer, you're going to want to come back and visit my little blog for this upcoming series.

Get updates by following me whichever way you like best.  (Chek out my fancy, new social media buttons that my friend, Kenny, added for me.)


I do have one little finish to show you.  I found this fabric in the clearance section of JoAnn's recently.  The day before I had bought my daughter both a fuschia and a turquoise top for this winter.  And then this on clearance for only $2!

I used the Lazy Days pattern by Oliver + S and added a color block to the bottom.  Oh, and I'm so happy the serger cooperated!

(Linking up over at Quilt Story and Freshly Pieced and at Crazy Mom Quilts.)

Happy Ever After

This "Happy Ever After Quilt" is a commission from a friend of mine.  Trudy bid on the "Once Upon a Time Quilt" that we auctioned back in March.  She wanted it for her grand-daughter, but it was snatched up by another, doting "Nana," instead.

So Trudy picked out these fabrics, and we decided that I would do the same pattern.

The fabrics are called "Happy Ever After" by Riley Blake, and aren't they so sweet?

The top panel is made up of castles, cottages, clock towers, and carriages, all sitting atop rolling hills.

The next panel is itty bitty flowers, followed by princess dresses and crowns on a pink background.

Finally, there's blue gingham (which I also used for binding), and then the lovely princesses themselves.

This pink scroll print is actually hearts!  I didn't notice this till I got the fabric in my hands, but isn't it lovely?

And Anne was a dear and did the quilting for me, again.  A lovely, edge-to-edge meander.

Trudy is still out in California enjoying time with her family, and word is, they like this quilt better than the one that Trudy originally bid on.  Phew!  That worked out nicely, eh?

The back is a nice pink minky - so very soft and cuddly!

Trudy also requested a doll quilt because her granddaughter received a new doll and crib for her birthday.  Here's what I came up with.

Unfortunately, the scraps didn't work out for there to be a princess in the bottom panel, but this little cottage with its bunting and birdie is pretty precious, if I do say so myself.

I finally remembered to photograph my own princess with the quilt...

If you like these fabrics, I have more to make a quilt for next spring's auction.  Start saving your pennies for that sweet, princess in your life!

Quilt Stats:
Measures:  34 x 38
Pieced by: Me!
Quilted by: Anne Reinhart
Fabrics: "Happy Ever After" by Riley Blake and pink minky

(Again, the proceeds for this went towards our quilt auction benefiting the Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke.  Thanks, Trudy!)

Linking to: Finish it Up Friday.