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Saturday, November 19, 2016

The most productive week of the year (and a link party)

After the sadness and numbness of last week, I decided to focus on positive things and projects... and I had the most productive week of the year!!


The Ongoing Project List:
  1. Hello Block Swap - sent last block of the year (see below)
  2. The SK project - four more blocks done (see below)
  3. Secret event (January 2017) - started stitching (cannot share yet)!
  4. Secret event (February 2017) - one more block ready (cannot share yet)
  5. Secret event (August 2017) - no progress
  6. Secret event (Jan-Nov 2017)  - no progress
  7. Xmas decorations - no progress
  8. Crochet flowers - 4 completed (see below)
  9. Bullet Journaling - working on this every day!
    migrated into my Quilter's Planner!! :)
  10. Pillow covers for Xmas - 2 done (see below)
  11. Xmas stockings - no progress
  12. En Provence (Bonnie Hunter's mystery QAL) - no progress
The EverythingElse List:
  1. Splendid Sampler - SIX blocks done (see below)
  2. Charity Quilts for DC General Homeless Shelter project - no progress
  3. Summer Solstice QAL - no progress
    1. Mirror Mirror Afghan - no progress
    2. 70273 Project - TWELVE blocks done (see below)
    3. Jane T - no progress
    4. the 31000 Xs project - no progress
    5. Spirit cross stitch project - no progress
    6. Alice in Wonderland quilt - no progress
    7. As You Wish -  no progress
    8. Crazy optical illusion - no progress
    9. Memory quilt 2 - no progress
    10. Gyleen's BCP Mystery QAL - no progress
    --
    Let me start with few project linked to the environment of fear and hate that we live in.
    Have you heard of the Safety Pin movement?
    The safety pin has been used as a symbol of safety and support for those in fear. By wearing a safety pin, you signify that you are an ally, and that those who fear violence are safe with you.
    Safety pins have recently been worn in solidarity in Australia and the UK, and many Americans are beginning to wear them as well, regardless of their political affiliation. This isn't about political parties or who you voted for. This is about loving our neighbors, our communities and anyone who fears or faces oppression.

    For this I made myself a tiny embroideried square (that I attached to my bag with two safety pins) and a bracelet that I wear every day.

    The bracelet is something that helps me as well... it is exactly the size of my wrist so it is a little tight... it is a constant reminder (like a kind hug) that there are people out there that support me and respect me as well... I am in a situation of fear and sadness too, so having this reminder is very very important.

    --
    And we saw situations like this before... where a part of the population believed that only one race, skin color and religion was worthy of living in their country... this resulted in millions of people being killed and many more with immense sufferings.

    This is why this week (and from now on much more consistently) I will make blocks for the 70273 project

    (Jeanne Hewell-Chambers says) "Between January 1940 and August 1941 (before the Holocaust began), 70,273 physically and mentally disabled people – men, women, teens, boys, and girls – were murdered by the Nazis. Though they never even laid eyes on the disabled person they were evaluating, the Nazi doctors read the medical files and, if from the words on the page, the person was deemed “unfit” or an “economic burden on society”, the doctor placed a red X at the bottom of the form. Three doctors were to read each medical file, and when two of them made a red X on the page, the disabled person’s fate was sealed. Most were murdered within 1-2 hours.
    I will commemorate these 70,273 voiceless, powerless people who were so callously and casually murdered by gathering 70,273 blocks of white fabric (representing innocence and the paper the doctors read), each bearing two red X’s (representing one person), and I will stitch them together into quilts."


    I hope you will check out the link and help out. She collected already many blocks and made several quilts, but 70273 is a very big number, so if you can help, you would make a difference!!

    --
    Apparently, even subconsciously, I seem to pick blocks that align with the hot and controversial themes: Stephen King's books called Insomnia (where the Crimson King is a character), a book called Desperation and a book about domestic violence against a woman (Rose Madder). I also completed the cover for "The Dark Tower".

    The patterns will be on Fandom in Stitches eventually... if you need it sooner, just send me an email :)

    --
    I completed the last block for Hello Block Swap of this year (for Rachel).


    --
    Working on Xmas presents, I made these crochet flowers for my mom. She makes some compositions and she can always use some extra flowers. I am using only the cotton I have on hand, so the colors are kind of limited, but that's better than nothing!! :)


    And talking about Xmas presents, I made these two pillow cases


    My goal is to use the fabric I have and I really enjoy be forced to shop my stash and think creatively about what to match. Especially having fabric from Quilty Box is great because it is usually fabric that I wouldn't have bought myself (like the ombre in the cuff) but it works just amazing in certain projects!

    --
    And last, but not least, to try to feel connected to a community of positive and encouraging people, I decided to get back with my Splendid Sampler (with selvages and batiks) journey!
    I made 6 blocks in just 3 days!

    I sneaked in some safety pins in these blocks too :)

    --
    How about you? What are YOU up to?
    Link it here and share it with me!!


    5 comments:

    1. You have been busy this week. I need one of those weeks to get some projects moving.

      ReplyDelete
    2. We've been wearing safety pins all the time now too. I hope it catches on in the states, and signifies to people we must not give in to fear, lies and bigotry in the face of the election. Thank you for sharing!

      ReplyDelete
    3. terrific work being done here by you! Terrific message too. The selvedge piece is really cool!!

      ReplyDelete
    4. Your creative productivity astounds and motivates me. Thanks for the blocks and for including The 70273 Prohect. You're right: it's a big number;)

      ReplyDelete

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