Tag: 70273 around the world (Page 3 of 4)

More Blocks Made at Hever Castle

September 3, 2017 / jeanne / 0 Comments

More than 100 people were commemorated yesterday
at the Hever Castle Quilt Show
– which is part of the Hever Castle Festival of Homemade and Homegrown –
and more Makers showed up today
to commemorate those we honor in The 70273 Project.
Like this smiling International Quilt Judge
seen here standing in front of the gorgeous quilt she made.
She came yesterday, pledged to make 25 blocks,
and returned today with 26 blocks in hand.
Then I want y’all to know, she sat down and
commemorated 6 more people.
And that’s not all. Before leaving,
she promised to tell her large 300+ member quilting group
about The 70273 Project and get them involved.

Edina Geering – the beautiful woman on the right
wearing the Team 70273 badge on her lapel – was back today.
Edina and Lucy Horner are responsible for this
wonderfully successful event,
and Lucy is, once again, the one who took these captivating photos.

People of all ages filled the booth throughout the day,
learning of The 70273 Project and making blocks.

Edina’s granddaughters, Abigail and Imogene
came to lend a hand today as did Lucy’s daughter, Gabby.

“It made me well up listening to them explain The 70273 Project
to people as they went round handing out leaflets,”
Lucy says of Abigail, Imogene, and Gabby.
“Gabby was brilliant at talking to people
and keeping everyone entertained!”

Meet Sally who came today
and brought – wait for it –
the FIRST QUILT she’s ever made!
Isn’t it amazing?
And it measure 5′ x 8′.

“Oh, and we met Anne Boleyn, too,” writes Lucy.
“Hever Castle was her childhood home.”
(I’ll bet Anne’s dress would have Scarlett O’Hara
drooling all over herself!)

Thank you to all who helped make the
Hever Castle Block Drive so wildly successful,
and thank you to
those who commemorated so many people this weekend.

Would you like to hose a Block Drive for a group or event in your area?
Let me know and I’ll send you everything you need.
And remember: tomorrow is the Block Drive
at Modern Domestic in Portland, OR.
If you can’t be there to make blocks
but would like to have blocks in the Modern Domestic quilt,
do what I’m going to do: mail your blocks to them.

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Blocks Being Made at the Hever Castle Quilt Show

September 2, 2017 / jeanne / 0 Comments

This weekend, thanks to Lucy Horner and Edina Geering – two dynamos if ever there was such a woman – blocks for The 70273 Project are being made across The Pond at the Hever Castle Festival of Homemade and Homegrown. Let’s drop in, shall we, using the delightful photos and words of Lucy Horner . . .

Such an amazing day at Hever Castle spent spreading the message and love of The 70273 Project. 70 blocks made, 100’s of people talked to, and some beautiful smiles captured in this all-inclusive Project. Our last block maker of the day was from Hamburg, and I loved that she was wearing the globe. We are there all weekend, so if you fancy a day out to the Festival of Homemade and Homegrown and the Hever Quilt Show, do stop by.

Such a beautiful spot! These quilts have such personality.
I love putting them under my arm and showing them the sights!

It’s a beautiful team effort.
This weekend was organized by the Mover & Shaker called Edina Geering,
and boy she really gets things going and keeps things moving!

I love how hands-on Edina is!
This is Victor. He was fab. He was saying that he is in the Brighton School of Samba
and they have here tabbards for a gig
which are white with a red heart.
He was going to get his group to cut them up for blocks,
but I said “Woah. We need you and your samba band in your tabbards
celebrating The 70273 Project!”
He told me to email him some dates.

Stewards are always standing by to make sure that visitors
touch the quilts with their eyes only.

Liliana (5) and Rosie (3) with blocks they made
with Edina and Linda pictured in the background.
They’re wearing dresses their mum made for them.

Celebrate / Commemorate . . . it’s a balance.
I talked till my lips stuck to my teeth.
But these quilts are a noisy lot!
They were stopping people in their tracks.
We’d thrown one over the entrance gate,
and a lady said, “I saw it in the distance, and it shouted out to me.
I got shivers when I got up close to it.”
The voiceless sing a beautiful song.

Thank you, Lucy, Edina, and other members of
The British Isles Quilter’s Guild
who are on hand to offer instruction and encouragement.
And thank you to everybody who felt strongly enough
to risk doing something new and doing something imperfectly.
If you’re in the area and you read this in time,
skip on over there and make a block.
And hey, be sure to send me a photo.

~~~~~~~

Now if you’re going to be in the vicinity
of Portland, Oregon (USA)
on Monday, 9/4/17,
stop by Modern Domestic to meet Michelle Freeman,
make blocks for the Modern Domestic quilt,
and see The 70273 Project Quilt #219 under the long arm.

~~~~~~~

Are you hosting a Block Party? Let me know and send photos!

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Recap: Weeks 70 to 78 (June 12 – August 13, 2017)

August 14, 2017 / jeanne / 1 Comment

Quilt #44 made by the Can’canettes in France

So much water has gone under the bridge since I posted last . . . where to start?

ACCOMPLISHMENTS
~ Prepared and submitted a proposal to be a Special Exhibit at the International Quilt Festival in Houston, TX in November
~ Began a complete web site makeover for The 70273 Project, but what with family issues and commitments and that pesky thing known as the paying job, it is coming along at the speed of cold molasses
~ Applied for an Interactive Booth at the International Quilt Festival (more about this soon)
~ Began dividing up my work into Areas of Responsibilities, streamlining and documenting my systems, and recruiting people to take over leadership of various Areas of Responsibilities. More about that soon, too.
~ Created labels for umpteen quilts

The Temple in Lacaze, Fance

ACCOLADES
~ We were juried in to be a Special Exhibit at the International Quilt Festival. I’ll need help, so be watching for sign-up sheets.
~ At the end of the day of the exhibit, the Mayor of Lacaze informed me of his intention to have a permanent shield created that will become a permanent part of the Temple declaring that The 70273 Project exhibited here.

Judy Jochen at the second Peachtree City Library Block Drive on 8/5/2017

EXHIBITS AND TRAVEL
There has been much travel in the past 8 weeks:
~ June 17 found me in Georgia at the Peachtree City Library for their first block drive. It was a rousing success. Big thanks to Peggy Thomas for being there to help plan and present to Jill Prouty, Library Administrator and Rebecca Watts, Circulation Supervisor for embracing and supporting The 70273 Project.
~ The Engineer and I were in France for in France from June 20 to June 27 for the first major European exhibit of The 70273 Project in Lacaze.
~ We visited Nancy June 29 to July 6.
~ On July 5 I was delighted and honored to tell members of the dynamic group known as the Orlando Modern Quilt Guild (of which I am now a proud dues-paying member, I want you to know) about The 70273 Project.
~ The first Work Day for The 70273 Project at the Peachtree City Library on July 25, and again I thank Peggy Thomas for handling all things sewing-related; Wendy Darling for handling all things non-sewing related; Jill Prouty for letting us use a room; Laurel Alford for coming with her sewing machine to make and attach and amend hanging sleeves then taking some home to work on; Patti Atchley for coming and sewing on labels and taking quilts home to sew on more labels; Leslie Wade for bringing food when she came to help; Joan Veslmid, Mike Ray, and Sherry Stone Blackmon of Keller Williams Realty for showing up to help and learn more; Kelly Blackmon, Adele Klingshirn, Kim Mashburn for helping bundle blocks; and of course to The Engineer for schlepping things to and fro, fro and to. Everybody who came said they left knowing a lot more about The 70273 Project than they did when they arrived . . . which means, well, there’s something fun coming up in the near future.
~ Peggy Thomas taped and posted the first FB Live for The 70273 Project at the work day, two of them, actually!
~ The second Peachtree City Library block drive was held on August 5, and again, it was a rousing success. Many people who came and made blocks at the first block drive came back, and many new people came to sew blocks. Peggy Thomas was on hand again, as was Jan Ward from the first block drive and Patti Atchley (from the first work day) to make blocks and help.
~ All around these dates, we’ve been entertaining company or out of town finishing up our daughter’s move, helping her with a yard sale, readying a house to sell, and babysitting in Denver.

Quilt #225 made by Beatrice Dockter (This quilt is so soft, I wanted to sleep under it.)

QUILTS
Just today, I gave out Quilt #226! I don’t have all of them in my hands, but I have many in my hands and more arriving every day. Though it’s possibly an incomplete list, due to the fact that checking in blocks and quilts requires me to be home to fetch them from the post office, thank you to these good people for sending me quilts. If you don’t see your name here, don’t panic. It could very well mean that I simply haven’t had time to open your package and check your quilt in yet.
Esther Muh
Sylvie Corrager
Australian Quilt Association
Jan Stone
Elaine Fields Smith and Amy Castillo (I received 3 quilts from Elaine!)
Members of the Truckee Meadows Quilt Guild
Beatrice Dockter
Margaret Andrews (2 quilts, actually!)
Jane McCarthy
Peggy Thomas
Nan Ryan
Maria Conway
Debra Woods
Members of the Thimbleberry Lovers online quilting group
Kris Phillips and Debra Woods
Sharlene Jespersen
Sarah Lauzon
Alejandrina Pattin

Bundles ready to go

BUNDLES
Thank you to these good people for offering to Piece, Quilt, or both bundles of blocks:
Patti Lapinsky (3 bundles)
Cindy Cavallo (2 bundles)
Michelle Freedman (1 bundle)
Margaret Williams (5 bundles)
Debra Jorbert and Karol Evans (1 bundle)
Mary Sorensen (1 bundle)
Zonetta Glenn and Debra Jolbert (1 bundle)
Laura Brained (1 bundle)
Alejandrina Pattin (1 bundle)

Incoming Week 77

BLOCKS
Thank you to these good people for sending blocks (though the same caveat applies: if you don’t see your name, it could be that I haven’t been home long enough to check your blocks in):
Deborah L. J. MacKinnon (USA)
Suzy Jubin (Switzerland)
Layette Martin (France)
Chantal Sogno (France)
Christine Prades (France)
Marie-Claude Paris (Netherlands)
Nadine Gaudin (France)
Janette Resano (France)
Dominique Bernot (France)
Annie Rimbault (France)
Nicole Dufour (France)
Yolanda Dray (France)
Anonymous
Martine Priarli (France)
Marie Claire Vagnati (France)
Laetitia Brugere (France)
Dominique Deutsch (France)
Danielle Fayet (France)
Claire Schwartz (France)
Christianne Humbert (France)
Chloe Grice (France)
Cecile Dennis (France)
Kellye Rose (USA)
Judy Pirtle (USA)
Susan Getchell (USA)
Alida Palmisano (USA)
Mary Robak (USA)
Kathryn Wagner (Canada)
Emma Suleiman (USA)
Catherine Rozenknop (France)
M. Bonnot (France)
Christine Guillermer (France)
Marie-Jose Perin (France)
Alejandrina Pattin (USA)

BLOCK COUNT
Our current block count is: 19306!
Scroll to the bottom of the screen to see the graph and watch our cylinder as it fills.
And just think: there are still more quilts and blocks to be mailed, checked in and/or fetched from the post office! Give yourselves a hand and please accept my deepest gratitude that you’ve chosen to spent your time and talent commemorating these people who didn’t deserve to die because they are different.

The Quilts at Lacaze Speak Quietly

July 16, 2017 / jeanne / 3 Comments

Andy – The Engineer – created this video minutes after the doors opened. The only sound was the exquisitely appropriate music Cecile Milhau chose for the occasion. Watch it when you can shut the door on the world for about 2 minutes. Let them speak to you, let them sing you a lullaby. Feel it.

Lacaze, Here We Come

July 16, 2017 / jeanne / 0 Comments

Sunday morning
25 juin 2017
8:30 a.m.

Katell picks us up at our hotel in Albi, France and off we go to Lacaze with Katell behind the wheel and Kristine navigating.

The air is cool

the sun is shining

and the scenery is exquisite.

About an hour later, we round the curve

and we are at Lacaze, greeted with our country’s flag

and a sign to let us and others who will come later
know we are at the right place.

There are tears
at this first hint of the hospitality to come.

~~~~~~~

I will be writing the only way I can right now: in blurts, snippets, and bits – we’ll call them postcards, why don’t we – that won’t necessarily be presented in chronological order, but as they rise to the surface of my heart. Which means you’ll receive these postcards all out of order, just as if I put a stamp on them and sent them through the postal service. That is how I will tell you about the first major European exhibit in Lacaze, France.

Now if you’d like to know more about The 70273 Project and help commemorate these people who deserved to live, here are some links you might be interested in:
~ making blocks
~ registering quilts
~ making middlings

And if you’d like to read the other postcards from this magical trip, here’s a road map for you:
Under Two Flags

More Kindness in Paris

July 14, 2017 / jeanne / 0 Comments

“I drive you from airport. It is not much. This is how I contribute to this projet magnifique.”

They speak to each other in rapid-fire French. I can’t even pick out an “une” or a “du” or a “oui” – Chantal Baquin and the landlord to the flat we rent in Paris – so I give up trying and just stand there smiling, nodding when they look at me, hoping that’s appropriate. Suddenly the landlord’s face registers something – what? Surprise? Shock? She rubs each arm with the hand on the other arm and continues looking at me. Her eyes fill with tears. Chantal tells us that she’s just told the landlord why we are in France – for the Lacaze exhibit of The 70273 Project – and the landlord says she gets goosebumps and is very grateful for what we are doing.

They resume talking, and this time the landlord says she is so moved, she is doing something she’s never, ever done before: she insists that she will pick us up at the airport in Orly when we fly back to Paris after the exhibit. We thank her, never thinking about how we will be on our own – no Chantal with us to read and speak for us – trying to find her. We are blissfully stupid about this.

On Monday, the day after the exhibit, we arrive at the airport in Orly a few minutes late, fetch our bags, and head to the 10-minute parking lot – something we know to do because the thoughtful landlord called Chantal the night before and gave her instructions, except she didn’t mention where we find this 10-minute parking lot, and of course we didn’t think to ask till this very minute. I count aloud to ten in French – the only way I know to remember the word for the number ten – then scan signs in search of the word. Not seeing it anywhere, I do the only thing I know to do: I stand in the middle of the sidewalk and turn around and around with my mouth open while my face registers worry. Sure enough, before I complete the second turn, a man stops to ask if he can help us. He’s speaking in French, but I’m sure that’s what he asked. Yes, I’m very sure.

“Dix,” I say to him and hold up 10 fingers because I don’t trust my French, being only 4% fluent according to Duo Lingo.

Through hand gestures, he indicates we must re-enter the airport, walk to the other end, exit the airport, and walk around to the left where we will (eventually) find the 10-minute parking. “Merci beaucoup,” I tell him, and when he smiles, I do a little hop, so excited I am that he understood me.

At least, that’s the way I chose to interpret his smile. It could be my accent. I’m told I have one.

Though I feel no panic like I think I should, I have no idea what we will do if Madame Landlord has already come and gone – which surely she has because it’s been more than 10 minutes after we asked Chantal to tell her we would be there. We are outside again on the other side of the terminal. I see the word “dix”, and I’m not sure if I’m happier that my French was correct or that we are finally in the right place. I stay with the bags and send Andy to find a car . . . oh no. We have no idea what kind or color car Mme. Landlord drives. There’s nothing to do but move forward, so I stay with the suitcases and tell Andy to go look for the landlord’s face. He is about 20 steps away, when she pulls up to the curb, leaps from her car, and runs towards us. She is sorry she is late and made us wait. I assure her we just got there ourselves. At least that’s what I meant to say. What actually came out of my mouth could be something totally different.

She had water and cups bearing a mid-century plaid. So thoughtful. Such hospitality.

She has a big bottle of water for us in the car, with the cutest paper cups (bearing my favorite mid-century plaid) I’ve ever seen. I am so touched by her hospitality, I surreptitiously save the cup.

She opens the sunroof so we can see better, and I have to tell you it is the most fabulous sunroof I’ve ever seen.

The Paris sky isn’t bad either.

She tells us of things we are passing, giving us a personalized tour. When she gets to The Bee Hotel, she is concerned that we didn’t understand about the bees that were raised on a floor of the hotel, so what does she do? She dials Chantal to ask for the words in English. Yes, she’s that thoughtful.

pairs of X’s everywhere

We get back to the flat, and Madame Landlord insists on helping us get our luggage into the flat. Once that’s done, we thank her again, to which she puts her hand up and tells us through tears, that she is quite moved by The 70273 Project, and picking us up at the airport will be her small contribution to this projet magnifique.

~~~~~~~

Because:
~ we had only one night between arriving home from France and flying to Florida to visit Nancy,
~ we had no internet in Florida,
~ we got home from Florida and left to come to Georgia where we have been working long hours every day,
~ I am still overwhelmed with thoughts, memories, and emotions from the trip to France,
~ there is so much to tell,
~ I am still processing it all
~ and receiving photos,
I will be writing the only way I can right now: in blurts, snippets, and bits – we’ll call them postcards, why don’t we – that won’t be presented in chronological order, but as they rise to the surface of my heart. Which means you’ll receive these postcards all out of order, just as if I put a stamp on them and sent them through the postal service. That is how I will tell you about the first major European exhibit in Lacaze, France.

Day Three in France: Toulouse

June 24, 2017 / jeanne / 1 Comment

23 June 2017
Friday

You know when you are greeted with . . .

Tari Vickery and Katell Renon

a carousel

a statue listening intently to a bird,

and a dog so tired from playing that he went to sleep with the ball in his mouth.
(That, or the area is known for its dog-on-dog crime.)
it’s gonna be a day filled with fun and love.
And it is.
It really, really is.

Perhaps it’s because we’re two sleeps away
from The 70273 Project Exhibit at Lacaze, France,
that I spy pairs of X’s throughout Toulouse.

(I’ve fallen head over heels in love with Toulouse blue!)

Glass panels

at the Orly airport

and light through my upside down glass
that made me think of Nancy’s drawings.

There is a sewing shop

the courthouse where Katell and Patrick were wed,

bicycles that made me smile

shades of blue that come with history and story
(I don’t know why the photo is wonky.
Just turn your head or your computer screen
cause I’ve wrestled with it long enough.
I need to go to bed!)

and real windows and painted windows on the same home
that make me think how some people behave.

And hearts. Oh my goodness, there are hearts everywhere in Toulouse.

on the sidewalk

and in patches of moss.

There are hearts that, if you look at them one way,
might resemble roosters

There are teapot hearts that short and stout,
with feet and handles of love
and spew love out into the world through their spout.

And as we head to the parking lot, I spy this tote bag.

Then we close out the day
at the beautiful, comfortable, welcoming home
of Katell and Patrick Renon.
I am one lucky, grateful woman.
Oh yes, yes I am.

I’m also a woman who’s a day behind with posts
because the days are full here
and when night comes, I fall asleep before I hit the bed.
There will be more photos of Paris and Toulouse on
Instagram if you’re interested,
and I promise to do my best to catch up tomorrow,
even though tomorrow is a Very Big Day, you know.

Day Two in France: Paris

June 22, 2017 / jeanne / 2 Comments

Day Two is a day of stories, friendship, quilts, and pairs of X’s . . .

This morning, dear Chantal showed up at our rented flat with the first Friendship Block for The 70273 Project. What is a friendship block, you ask? Well, it’s something I’d planned to wait to tell you about till July 1, but looks like I need to go ahead and tell you now since I’ve got and spilled the beans early.

We’re borrowing a page from the history books and creating Friendship Quilts to raise funds for The 70273 Project. You take a red marker and write your name, using your first name as one of the lines in the red X and your last name as the second line that crosses the first line in the red X. For the other red X, you can write the name of the person you dedicate your block to – maybe an ancestor, a friend, a family member, a student – or maybe you do like Chantal did and make a collaborative friendship block. Ask a friend or loved one or even me to use their name to make the second red X. Then you send the block with a financial donation that will be much appreciated and well used, I promise. If you live in the US, you will also receive a receipt for your income tax report. So that, my friends, is what a Friendship Block is. Friendship blocks will be used only in Friendship quilts, too, by the way, and they will be counted as commemorative blocks.

Our first stop was heaven. Or, as some of you might call it, a fabric shop. But not just any fabric shop. This is the fabric store little girl Chantal visited with her mother, and every time they went, young Chantal secretly wished that this would be the day her mother bought fabric to make a dress just for Chantal instead of another hand-me-down dress she would get when her sister outgrew it.

When I heard that, I knew what I wanted – nay, I knew what I just had to do: buy the fabric for Calder Ray’s sleeping quilt. And I did. Found some beautiful soft fabric in the blue that he loves. And what’s in Chantal’s bag, you might ask? Well, she bought herself some lovely fabric . . . to make herself a dress.

I love everything about this shop . . . the quilted floors,

The doll-size mannequins wearing the most smashing outfits. Chantal says she remembers them being here when she was a little girl coming with a special wish.

Though we took our time looking around, it was eventually time to leave, and let me tell youThe Engineer was sad to leave, too . . . because the store was air conditioned.

We visited the Chapelle du Saint-Sacrement, where Chantal was gracious enough to find shady inclines instead of full sun steps.

There are quilts everywhere in that church . . . at the door, I spy borders.

On the floor, I spy quilts..

On the altar, I spy a quilt.

On the floor, I spy a colorful quilt of stained glass reflections appliquéd onto the floor “blocks”.

In the ancient stained glass, I see a 9-block with much color and intrigue surrounding it.

I fall head-over-heels in love with these modern quilts . . . I mean windows . . . and Chantal and I take a seat in front of them and talk about not just the windows, but Nancy and The 70273 Project and quilting techniques.

In the ceiling, I find two X’s, and I imagine they are red.

And on our exit, I get another view of Paris.

On the nearby multi-function place, I see more X’s that, if you squint your eyes just right, can be red.

In the area where artist have long set up stalls, I spy a blue, white, and red 9-patch.

We enjoy a French pancake breakfast for a late lunch. It was delicious, and there was a heart in my sweet pancake. A heart. That’s what this trip has been filled with.

I wish y’all would look at the bottom of the chairs, something I didn’t see till just now . . . two more X’s.

it was cooler today, in part because of the spectacular clouds, in part because of the constant breeze, and in part because Chantal went out of her way to find shade for us to walk in. And it was another lovely day spent with the darling Chantal who gives us time from her busy schedule. I am so very grateful for that and for all she does to commemorate the 70,273.

Three more sleeps till the first major European exhibit for The 70273 Project. How will I manage to sleep with all the anticipation and excitement? Pfffft. I can sleep on the flight home.

It’s Wednesday So It Must Be Paris!

June 22, 2017 / jeanne / 3 Comments

A pictorial diary of our first day in Paris . . .

The Engineer and The Artist, on the plane!

finally what i dream about: hours and hours of uninterrupted stitching time!

i love this view of Earth

and this one

Though it began in a very ~~stressful~~ adventurous manner, we arrive in Paris on time and even better, so did our luggage!

a heart on the bathroom floor in the Paris airport portends how this trip will unfold and long be remembered

Dear Chantal Baquin meets us at the airport and will spend our time in Paris with us. We are so very lucky to have her!

Chantal’s friend Peter came to drive us from the airport, giving us a tour of the city of Paris on our way. We are lucky to have him, too! Our trip starts with much friendship.

love the chairs in the Paris airport

After leaving the airport, we see . . .

traffic!

Arc de Triomphe

Arc de Triomphe detail

The Eiffel Tower from afar

The Eiffel Tower up close (It’s much bigger up close!)

The obelisk Napoleon brought from Egypt as a souvenir

A fetching tile mural

Moulin Rouge

The Louvre

The Louvre, old and new

a wall that on the left makes me think of a quilt

Notre Dame

a garden (with an available bench!) near Notre Dame where we rested and watched wedding photos being taken

statues

the siene river

It is HOT here in Paris. I glisten all day long. Scroll back up to see my hair at the beginning of the day, now see what it looks like at the end of the day. This, my friends, is the mark of a full and well-enjoyed day!

Blocks and a Story from Annie H

April 26, 2017 / jeanne / 0 Comments

Blocks made by Annie H. who lives in France

Annie H.’s beautiful story in French, then English . . .

J’ai exercé le métier de préparatrice en pharmacie jusqu’à 55 ans, puis je me suis occupée d’une tante âgée de 93 ans atteinte de la maladie d’Alzheimer, jusqu’à ses 98 ans. Je suis mariée et mère de 3 garçons, grand-mère de 2 petits-enfants. Je suis maintenant à la retraite et j’en profite pour faire toutes ses occupations que je n’avais pas vraiment le temps de pratiquer avant.

Mon hobby de prédilection est le point de croix que je pratique depuis de nombreuses années, mais j’aime aussi beaucoup le crochet, le tricot, la couture, les miniatures au 12ème et… le patchwork. C’est en inscrivant sur le blog de Katell: La Ruche des Quilteuses, que j’ai découvert Le Projet 70273.

J’ai été sensibilisée par ce drame, mais surtout en lisant tous ces témoignages de personnes qui ont des souvenirs personnels de cette époque. Et aussi par toutes celles qui ont dans leurs proches quelqu’un de plus ou moins handicapé, qui aurait été sans aucun doute des victimes de ces monstres.Moi-même, j’ai eu un fort strabisme jusqu’à ce que l’on m’opère à 12 ans, je pense que j’aurais pu avoir droit à mes 2 croix.

Ces blocs représentent pour moi un geste affectueux envers les victimes, et en même temps, la colère à travers les croix rouges pour les “médecins” nazis qui les ont tracées. Ces bourreaux ont les mains ensanglantées, c’est pourquoi l’un de mes blocs comporte une croix faite d’empreintes et l’autre de vernis à ongle rouge symbolisant le sang de la victime. Mes premiers blocs ont laissé place à l’émotion plus qu’au rendement. Les suivants seront plus simples et rapides à faire, pour faire “du nombre”, parce que bien que la mobilisation s’intensifie, il y a encore BEAUCOUP BEAUCOUP à faire pour arriver aux 1100 quilts.

Je suis fière de participer à ce projet, et j’espère qu’à son terme, il fera réfléchir les jeunes générations à ce qu’une minorité d’extrémistes peuvent accomplir en horreurs au nom d’un certain idéal. Ce projet prendra du temps, mais il ne faudra jamais l’abandonner! l’union fait la force, ne l’oublions pas.

Blocks by Annie H., France

And now, in English (with a little help from Google Translate, just so you know) . . .

I worked as a pharmacy preparer until age 55, and then I took care of a 93-year-old aunt with Alzheimer’s disease, until she was 98 years old. I am married and mother of 3 boys, grandmother of 2 grandchildren. I am now retired and I take the opportunity to do all his work that I did not really have time to practice before.

My favorite hobby is the cross stitch that I have been practicing for many years, but I also love crochet, knitting, sewing, miniatures on the 12th and … patchwork. It is by writing on the blog of Katell: La Ruche des Quilteuses, that I discovered Project 70273.

I was sensitized by this drama, but especially by reading all these testimonies of people who have personal memories of that time. And also by all those who have in their relatives someone more or less handicapped, who would undoubtedly have been the victims of these monsters. Myself, I had a strong strabismus until I was operated at 12 years, I think I could have been entitled to my two crosses.

These blocks represent for me an affectionate gesture towards the victims, and at the same time, anger through the red crosses for the Nazi “doctors” who have traced them. These executioners have their hands bloodied, that’s why one of my blocks has a cross made of prints and the other of red nail varnish symbolizing the blood of the victim. My first blocks have given way to emotion rather than to performance. The next ones will be simpler and quicker to do, to make “of the number”, because although the mobilization intensifies, there is still MUCH MUCH to make to arrive at the 1100 quilts.

I am proud to participate in this project, and I hope that in the end it will make the younger generations reflect on what a minority of extremists can accomplish in horror in the name of a certain ideal. This project will take time, but it should never be abandoned! Union is strength, let us not forget it.

~~~

Thank you, Annie. Your words are every bit as beautiful as your blocks. And you’re right: There is much, much more to do before we’ve commemorated every one of the 70,273 disabled people who were murdered, and we won’t stop stitching until every one of them has been remembered in stitch.

Perhaps you’d like to make blocks, dear readers? Maybe you’d like to request a bundle of blocks for you to piece and quilt? Or maybe you’d like to make your own complete quilt using blocks made by you, your family, your friends. And hey, if you’d like to do something a little different, if you’d like to flex your creative commemorative wings, you can make Middlings or Long Skinnies. (Other ways to make quilts are coming soon, so stay tuned for that.)