So, After May...

... there was lots of working, and sewing, and keeping the household afloat between bouts of summer partying, graduations, birthdays, anniversaries, the end of one school year and the beginning of another, halloween...

...and now it's November once again. Wow.

It's official. I am the world's worst blogger. Yet somehow I can't quite give it up. And as usual, I have a hard time deciding how to pick up where I left off.

Which would be... June.

Oddly enough, it was my biggest June quilting project that brought me back to my blog tonight, so I guess that's a good place to start. I recently received an email from the Wrapped in Hope project, and stopped by to add their link to my sadly neglected blog list, and here I am. :o)

So, a little about Wrapped in Hope: One of the various projects of Margaret's Hope Chest (which has, to date, donated 722 quilts to people in need), Wrapped in Hope provides birthday quilts "to bring HOPE and comfort" to children who are missing a parent in prison. When I heard about the project, I was excited about joining in, but choosing one child from a list of those in need was a real challenge. I finally chose a little girl named Emily, because she shares my youngest daughter's name.

And this is my Wrapped in Hope quilt for Emily, who turned 11 on July 9th.


I was told that Emily liked dogs and cats and the color green, and as I collected dog and cat prints, I noticed a definite "brights" theme developing. I decided on this pattern from a back issue of American Patchwork and Quilting Magazine called, "Daisy Mania" (AP&Q, April 2004).


I changed up the floral theme to "dogs and cats," using lots of cheery brights -- heavy on the green! A few closeups of the appliques:










I hope little Emily is loving her quilt, that it makes her feel happy and loved, and brings her much comfort and HOPE for the future!