All Fired Up! Fireman Quilt

The "All Fired Up" quilt was a quick one--and it had to be.  A friend got a devastating cancer diagnosis last Friday morning and began chemo that evening.  He has been a firefighter for over 30 years!  I saw the fireman fabrics at my LQS Saturday and knew that it was just meant to be.  I delivered the quilt Tuesday to an emotional reception, on both sides.

I didn't get very good pics because I finished it at night and was in a rush the next morning to deliver it.  Cancer is a terrible disease. My friends have hardly even gotten over the shock of the diagnosis and are already in the thick of treatment. They're trying to keep it together for their 3 young children, but there's only so much a person can do.  A quilt is a small thing in the face of all that. But I'm a quilter, and that's what we do.

There are 3 focus fabrics, all from the "All Fired Up" Line from Dan Morris for RJR Fabrics.  I used The Anna Quilt from Jibberish Designs to show off the large prints and mixed them with 3 neutrals-- a textured black, a tie-dye looking fiery red print and a wood grain.

The top came together in about 4 hours.  Another hour to baste.  Then 4 more hours to quilt with a loose stipple and machine bind.  I feel like I have reached a new milestone on quilting with this one, a finished bed-size quilt in 2 days (I worked Sunday, so it doesn't count) is a record for me.  Now I know that I can speed quilt when I need to!

I hand sewed a piece of the focus panel onto the back and signed it with a fabric marker.  Before I even got the binding on I drove around town to a few friends of ours to get their signatures as well.  I gifted the quilt along with a set of fabric markers so that every one who comes to visit can add their  well wishes.

I promised the fireman's wife that when all this is over I will make them a nice quilt for their home, so there is no need to worry about this one getting "dirty". I hope that it winds up dirty and stained and washed until it falls apart! I am sorry for the need for a chemo quilt, but grateful to be able to provide some comfort.  Because I'm a quilter and that's what we do.

Linking up to Crazy Mom Quilts Finish it Friday.

Fibonacci and Firemen

Design wall Monday again. My design wall has been busy since the Texas quilt came down! First up is the Fibonacci quilt for do. Good Stitches. Link to my tutorial is here.

I broke my own cardinal rule of bees with this quilt: never ask for a block where it will be critical that seams line up in the end!  Sure enough, they were all different sizes, but with a little fiddling I made it work.  And after quilting the fiddling won't be noticeable.

After getting the Fibonacci top sewn together I had to quickly put together this one for a friend of a friend diagnosed with leukemia.  Seems like he went from fine to dangerously ill in just a day :( Scary stuff.

The pattern is The Anna Quilt by Jibberish Designs.  I put the whole thing together in about 4 hours! he cute fireman fabrics come from the line "All Fired Up" by Dan Morris for RJR Fabrics.  

Wilson says "Dignity is an illusion."

So that's what I've been up to. The fireman quilt is basted and I am hoping to get it quilted Tuesday.  Linking up to Design Wall Monday at Patchwork Times.