Thankful Thursday, Bee Positive Edition

I only have a minute but I wanted to thank all of my friends, both my IRL friends and my blog/IG friends for all the fabulous blocks you have sent for my Bee Positive quilt! 

 I have been posting these on IG and thanking folks there but realize that many of you are not on IG!  So I will post what I have received so far.  Hopefully you will recognize your blocks!

So here we go:  

Thank you Tracey

Thank you Ginny and Sherrill

Thanks Karen and Ginia

Thank you Kim

Thank you Amanda

Thanks Vicky

Thank you Stephanie

Thank you Susan

Thanks Dianne

Thank you Deborah

Thank you Judy

Thanks Jenny

Thank you to all the lovely women who have sent blocks my way!

I appreciate it so much and hope to be able to get this laid out over the weekend.

I know there are a few more blocks on the way so hope to have them all by then.

If I end up with more than I can use for this quilt I will use the rest to make a quilt for 

the NICU at Mott Children's Hospital, I hope everyone is good with that.

I want to use flannel on the back for added warmth.

I think there would be great for a baby too!

I hope that I have not left anyone out.

I have been trying to photograph the blocks and put them on IG as they arrive.

This was my goal, so I could keep track, but best laid plans and all that.

I am fairly certain this is all of them though and I am so excited to begin to play with them.

Have a wonderful day and thanks again.

You all really are the BEST friends a girl could ask for!

~XOP~

A Call For Help

I hope you all had a great weekend!  I had a pretty busy one.  

Well, let's be honest here, they are all busy in the summer right? 

 I decided that I need to make a quilt for a good friend that is ill.  

It was not on my "to do" list, and a few other things need to get moved around, but I can't help but feel like it's the right thing to do. 

 I want my friend covered in love and prayers!  

I participated in making a quilt for someone else that had cancer 

and my friend Lucia hosted it.  

You can read all about it on her blog post found here. 

 I am going to use her directions but different colors.

Here is the beautiful quilt we send out blocks for!

I just simply don't have the time to make all the blocks myself so I am asking for your help.  I also want my friend to know there are others praying for him.  

I want to make a simple cross quilt.  

This will let him know that there are many people praying for his recovery. 

 I chose a limited color palette to keep the 

quilt a little calmer than some that I have seen.  

I love the one above.  

I am asking for greens in the kelly, lime and forest color way as well as ANY gray from dark to light. 

The gray should be in the more clear gray not tending toward brown or blue.  Light, medium or dark are fine, keeping to modern, more manly fabric,

 not girly or novelty 

(unless you happen to have a Sparty!).  

Solids or prints are GREAT!  

Square, pieced, wonky, single, multiple skinny or fat, that part is up to you.  The only consistent part is the height needs to be 9".  

This means the finished size in the quilt will be 8.5", and the width is up to YOU.

Want to see a few examples?

 See the double cross in the top left corner?  I made 2 smaller crosses and sewed them together then cut the entire height to be 9"

As you can see I made some with a gray background and green crosses, 

and some with gray crosses.  

I made some with green backgrounds but only gray crosses.  

I'm trying to get an equitable distribution of gray and green but as I learned on the purple and gray wedding quilt, the color very quickly overwhelms the gray.  

**I need the blocks mailed to arrive by August 9th.**  

If you are willing to help, please email me at mamaspark@gmail.com 

I will send you my address.

Here is a recap of the block details:

• design: cross / plus (wonky, squared up, pieced, single, multiple) Like in this quilt here
• size: 9″ high (8.5″ finished) and I’ll leave the width up to you (so that it looks like the cross blocks in the inspiration quilt above).
• fabric colors: masculine greens and grays
• fabric style: solids and prints (anything but feminine or juvenile prints).
• deadline: August 9th or sooner
• If you are on Instagram please post your photos and include the #beepositive

Just in case you need a tutorial you can find one right here on Mrs.Schmenkman's blog.  

As you can see the help is already pouring in, lazy cat!

If you are on Instagram I am using the #beepositivequilt  

I love the fact that we are making this an online "Bee".  I know why people do bees.  

It is so great to have all that *positive* energy all put into one quilt!!!

I realize it is a short turn around time but I certainly appreciate any help you can give.  

I am also hoping to get someone to quilt it at a discount as now that it is just me bringing home the bacon, these things add up!

So, thanks in advance to all of you for listening, and never fear, even if you are unable to send me a block or two, all prayers are GREATLY appreciated!

Have a blessed day!

~XOP~