indiamike2

These lap quilts were gifted to twin 8-year-old boys. Jonny was diagnosed with cancer on Christmas Day 2014. As a cancer survivor myself, I remembered how cold I was during the chemo treatments, and I thought each of the boys needed a quilt stitched with love. I wanted to incorporate their names and their favorite colors, but I'd never done paper-piecing before. I challenged myself to figure it out. Watched a few youtube videos but none that prepared me to spell out words. After some trial and error, I was successful. I also learned that Jonny was fond of sharks, and Jacky liked dinosaurs. Most of Jacky's quilt fabrics were found at my local Hobby Lobby store, but tracking down Jonny's fabrics was more of a challenge. I discovered an out-of-print line by Deborah Edwards for Northcott Studio called Shark Attack which was perfect. I found a piece here and a piece there (ebay and etsy to the rescue). Overall I was happy with how they turned out. This was also my first attempt at joining vertical rows with the quilt-as-you-go method. I mailed them to Illinois with strict instructions that these are not heirloom quality, but are intended to become threadbare with use, for living room forts and treehouses and car trips and picnics. The boys loved them, and Jonny told his mom that the cross on the back that covers his heart makes him "feel safe." I hope to meet these boys someday.