Where in the world is the Magic Quilt?

The Magic Quilt is finally in the hands of the first recipient, Stan (thanks to Amanda, who nominated him.)

Here they are being granted our quilt full of . . . well, full of us. In a way that quilt is our way of wrapping our arms around another human being who is suffering.  May he and Lila feel comfort, and love, and peace, every time they look at it. I know it will bring them good luck

Here is a picture of Amanda with her sister-in-laws, Emily and Laura (my neighbor in Hawaii, who was visiting her home in Maryland).

Here's what Amanda wrote about the night she brought the quilt to Stan:

Stan had been briefed of the magic quilt she did not tell him we were coming over to deliver it today so he was surprised to see us coming through the door. I explained the premise of the magic quilt and your vision for spreading hope, love and inspiration. Stan, in his quiet, stoic manner just listened and smiled. I presented the quilt to him and he said, "thank you" with some slightly sweaty eyes. Lila and I were close to waterworks, sniffling and wiping away our tears. Lila hesitated to be in the picture but I explained that she was a part of this and without her the quilt would not be in Stan's hands. Brian Blum (Swirl's hub) was able to impart some Bishopy comments about a talk President Monson gave at last conference on eternal families and encouraged them to read it. We had a lovely discussion about eternal families and the difficulty of hearing and accepting what comes along with the words "terminal cancer" but that there are blessings in everything and knowing that an earthly death does not separate us forever but brings such comfort during these times. 

Stan has chosen to stop all treatment, at this time, due to the rare cancer he has there is little hope that he will benefit from further treatment. Stan and his lovely wife will spend the next three weeks driving cross-country to visit family and enjoying special moments with one another. These two have a magic of their own, but I am hopeful the magic quilt will add a little something extra.

Thank you for allowing me to be a part of this.  I can't think of anything else that I could have done to help Stan and Lila, even though my heart ached for a chance to show them how much I love and care for them.  This quilt has meaning beyond words and the magic is not limited to the person possessing it.

Lots of love,
Amanda

Thank you Amanda.  

Jack Johnson give-oh-give-away

Last month I took my Laurels to the singles ward. They didn't love looking that far forward, but I loved looking that far back. Young people are so darn fresh and optimistic. In sacrament meeting the speaker quoted from Elder Uchtdorf's last conference talk, You Are My Hands where he referenced a statue of Christ which was severely damaged during a World War II bombing. Most of the statue has been restored, but the hands remain missing so the people of the city added on the base of the statue these words: “You are my hands.”

The speaker quoted Uchtdorf saying, "When I think of the Savior, I often picture Him with hands outstretched; reaching out to comfort, heal, bless, and love."

In Relief Society the teacher drew a hand on the chalkboard and explained that the hand is only as good as it's working fingers, and then she said that we are all the fingers on the hands of the Lord and as we work together we can reach out to heal, comfort, bless and love.

Ain't that just the truth. Especially when it comes to quilting. Many hands make many quilts.

And many quilts make many magic.

Or something like that.

You get my drift.


Soooooo, the first magic quilt is on the road. WOOHOO!

In other words, it's traveling, which is exactly what magic quilts do. The more they travel, the more magic they generate.

First it went to April from Springrose Journals, who is making the next magic quilt, and now it's on it's way to our first official recipient, Stan in Washington D.C.


Photographic evidence coming soon.


Kritta, who made the 1st quilt, has enough leftover fabric to make a 2nd magic quilt. Springrose will make a 3rd magic quilt and, I, the Crash Test Dummy, am making a magic t-shirt quilt.


But I need more fabric and t-shirts nd inspirational stories to keep healing the world, which is why I'm having a Jack Johnson give-away. (I'm not actually giving Jack Johnson away, just two tickets to his concert in Salt Lake City on August 13th.)


I chose Jack Johnson because everyone knows he's my favorite Hawaii surf-dude-turned-rock-star from Kahuku high school.

Plus I have photographic evidence of him with his arm around me.

Have I ever showed you that picture?

Oh yeah, we're tight.


I also chose Jack Johnson because he is big on reducing, reusing and recycling. I'm not that good at reducing, but reusing and recycling fabric for healing quilts is right up my alley.

So here's how to enter the give-away:

Put the magic quilt button on your sidebar and you get one entry.

Mention the magic quilt project and Jack Johnson give-away in a post and you get one entry.

Become a follower, one entry.

Contribute fabric or a signed t-shirt for the next quilts and get three entries.

Contribute an inspirational story and get three entries.

Make sure you post a comment letting me know which of these things you've done. I will check up on you. Don't think I won't.

Deadline for the give-away is July 31st. All entries will be placed in a hat and the winner will be drawn and announced on August 1st.


If you send a t-shirt, please sign your name in permanent marker somewhere near the middle. Also, please chose a t-shirt that you've worn and that represents you somehow.


All inspirational stories will be published here on The Magic Quilt blog and will also be eligible to be published in the first Sisterhood of the Magic Traveling Quilt book.


Fabric donations are more meaningful if they are meaningful. You get me? In other words, if the fabric somehow represents you or your story. For instance I recently bought swatches of bright Hawaiian fabric from Walmart and sent them to Springrose.




They didn't cost much.

The fabric can also be scraps of fabric you've had for years or fabric you wanted to make a quilt into a quilt someday. Tauna, from The Egan Garden donated this fabric and these quilt blocks she's been making (with love) over the years.




T-shirts would be great too. Cubworld already donated the shirt off his back.



Okay, it's time to get started. Let's put our fingers together. Get it? fingers?


hee hee


But seriously, please help me (and Jack Johnson) spread the magic!



Much Mahalo!