Tag: 70273 quilts (Page 3 of 3)

Quilt #29 of The 70273 Project

December 14, 2016 / jeanne / 5 Comments

Today, another letter from my talented and indefatigable friend, Katell who lives in France. Y’all are gonna’ like this a lot . . .

Dear Jeanne,

Maïté (actually Marie-Thérèse, but everyone says Maïté) is one of my dear friends. When we met 11 years ago, she already knew a lot about patchwork and quilting, and she made numerous beautiful artworks. Some are modern, others are country style or traditional but each one if perfectly sewn and has a French flair. She is the one in my group who enjoys appliqué the most, surely because she is gifted for drawing, too! She can also sing beautifully, too, but that is another story.

She already made Quilt #23 by herself, as you know. Then at the Patchwork Club of Colomiers a few weeks ago, we were gifted a parcel full of very old baby clothes. They seem to be at least 60 years old, maybe even from World War II. Maïté carefully soaked them, unstained them, pressed them, and finally . . . cut them. Yes, they were too worn to be kept. They probably came from an attic, supposedly from a wet nurse.

Because of this special origin, Maïté decided to piece them in the form of a heart. She asked for the help of Kristine, our ever-gifted friend, and here is the result . . .

This is Quilt #29 with 101 blocks to be added to the block count, dear Jeanne! Maïté has already begun quilting it.

XOXO,
Katell

Thank you Maïté, for using your talent to help commemorate over 300 people so far. You pay tribute to them with beauty, the way they deserve to be remembered. Thank you, too, Kristine, members of the Patchwork Club of Colomiers, and generous donor of these precious baby garments for helping to commemorate in such varied and generous ways. And thank you, Katell, for all you are doing in France and for still finding the time to send us this story, so beautifully written! This post was especially helpful this week when we fill our days to the brim with moving our daughter from one place to another.

Inquiring minds may wonder what I think about the heart shape and using blocks as border. I LOVE IT! The blocks are made according to the guidelines, and that’s the main thing. Here in The 70273 Project, we embrace differences of all kinds, and I think this quilt and the others that will surely follow are another way of saying that.

Now if seeing this quilt stirs up your creative juices and makes you want to raise your hand with an offer to Piece and Quilt in 2017, do let me know, and let me know pronto because the first or second week in January I’ll be sending a lot of bundles out into the world.

And hey, things are gonna’ really rev up come January. Trust me when I tell you that you won’t want to miss some of The 70273 Project Adventures I have planned, so take a minute to subscribe cause everything starts here on the blog.

Une Lettre de Mon Amie, Katell Renon . . .

November 22, 2016 / jeanne / 0 Comments

Dear Jeanne,

Day and night you care about the wonderful Project 70273 and I am very proud to have joined Chloe, Cecile, Marie-Christine and all the other faithful friends around us in France and beyond!

I am Katell Renon, living near Toulouse, my pseudo is Quilteuse Forever. Everything is said, but just in case of questions about my surname, it is the Celtic form of Catherine in Brittany. Same origin as Kate, Kaitleen and so on.

To be helpful for Chloe, I gather the blocks coming from a part of my region, Occitanie (South-West France). Instead of sending all the blocks to Jeanne, we decided to make quilts with them. Thanks to Cécile Milhau, we will dispay them in a nice exhibition at the Temple of a small village, Lacaze. It will take place on June, 24 & 25 2017.

Lacaze is a quiet, beautiful village lost in a large forest. The Château Renaissance hosts many art exhibitions, along with the Temple.

This is our first official counting. I am proud to tell you, Jeanne, that you can add 421 blocks to your account!

Here are the kind persons from Occitanie who made them:

Evelyne Carrasco
Maïté Findeling
Brigitte Janin
Paulette Lacroix
Guillemette Marraud
Arlette Matas
Cécile Milhau
Dany Monnier
Angèle Peltot-Leccia
Katell Renon
Christiane Richard
Kristine Toufflet
Martine Toutain
Andrée Traversaz
Anne Vignals
+ 3 anonymous.

Thank you so much to each Maker!

So far, from all these blocks 2 quilts have been made, each one by one single quilter:

Quilt #23 is made by Maïté Findeling

Quilt #24 is from Cécile Milhau

One top is to be added, made by The Bees from La Ruche des Quilteuses:

Quilt #25 made by The Bees from La Ruche des Quilteuses: Andrée, Evelyne, Brigitte, Maïté, Kristine and Katell

A club from Gers kindly sent us a parcel with as much as 60 blocks, thank you all!

Made by members of a quilting club in Gers, France

Thank you so much Jeanne for this incredible Project, as much for the memory of the dear souls as for the education of people of today.

With my respect and admiration,
Katell, Quilteuse Forever

~~~~~~~

I thank you, Katell for penning this beautiful post to let everyone know about the enthusiastic commitment block makers and quilters in France brings to The 70273 Project. Thank you to all those who have made blocks and who will make blocks in the future. And last and definitely not least, thank you to Chloe, Cecile D., Cecile M., Marie-Christine, Chantal, Kristine, and so many others who reach across cultures and languages to stand shoulder-to-shoulder to commemorate the 70273 souls. It was a lucky day when our paths crossed, and I look forward to calling you “Sugar” to your face next June!

The block count has been amended to reflect an additional 421 blocks added by the good people of France, bringing our official block count to . . . 6104!

~~~~~~~

There’s a French Facebook group, if you’re interested, sitting right beside the English-speaking facebook group. You can also subscribe to the blog to stay abreast of what’s happening in The 70273 Project, and don’t worry if you don’t read English . . . there’s a translator button in the sidebar.

What happens to the quilts once they’re made?

September 26, 2016 / jeanne / 0 Comments

Quilt 1: Pieced by Kitty Sorgen (l), Quilted by MJ Kinman (r)

I am frequently asked, “What will happen to the quilts when they’re all finished?”

Quilt 1 is already going out into the world, and once they get their labels, Quilts 3 and 5 will find their way out of The Dissenter’s Chapel & Snug (my studio), too. And as they are completed and sent back to me, other quilts will be packed up and find their way out into the world. And so on and so on and so on.

Quilt 3: Pieced and Quilted by Margaret Williams

I created The 70273 Project, Inc. (a 501(c)3 organization) as a vessel to hold every quilt that’s part of The 70273 Project. I don’t own the quilts, the organization owns them . . . though I must admit that it’s hard to think of them as being owned at all. The 70273 Project, Inc. is more of a caretaker, a guardian for The 70273 Project quilts.

The plan is that these quilts – all 1100-1200 of them – will travel the world, sometimes going solo, sometimes in small groups, and occasionally – whenever possible – all traveling together. They’ll rack up frequent flyer miles, finding their way into any exhibit space that will invite them in to hang out for a spell. And everywhere they go, they will commemorate the 70,273 disabled people who died, celebrate the countless numbers of people with special needs who live among us today, and educate everybody who will pause long enough to read about Aktion T4 and take it all in.

Quilt 18: Created by Loretta Forest and Friends at a Recent Retreat

Yes, we will make sure the 70,273 people are not forgotten.
Yes, we will raise awareness of special needs and move us forward to a time when we talk not of disabled people, but simply of people.
Yes, we will do everything we can to make sure that an atrocity like T4 never, ever, ever happens again.

Quilt 11: Pieced and Quilted by Janet Hartje

The quilts will do that. They are up to the task. And they will do it as far as the calendar can see.

Oh yes, you know they will.

~~~~~~~

How can you help get The Quilts out into the world?
~ Let me know if you’re willing to consider becoming The 70273 Project Travel Agent (a.k.a. Exhibit Coordinator).
~ Donate to the needs of the quilts: storage, shipping, mending and tending, etc.
~ Let me know whenever you think of a place that might be willing to put a quilt or two up on exhibit.

~~~~~~~

Other hangouts for The 70273 Project (be sure to tell your friends and family, y’all):
Subscribe to the blog (where all information is shared).
Join the English-speaking Facebook group- our e-campfire – where you can talk to other members of The 70273 Project Tribe.
Join the French-speaking Facebook group – our other e-campfire – where you can chat with other members of The 70273 Project Tribe.
Like the Facebook page where you can check in for frequent updates.
Follow the pinterest board for visual information.
Post using #the70273project on Instagram. (Please tag me, too, @whollyjeanne, so I don’t miss anything.)
And if you haven’t yet made some blocks, perhaps you’d like to put some cloth in your hands and join us.
Or maybe you’d like to gather friends and family together and make a group quilt.

A Peek Inside Envelope 103 from Margaret Williams Herself

July 26, 2016 / jeanne / 7 Comments

Y’all know how I love me some envelope jewelry,
and let me tell you: Margaret Williams never fails to delight.

In her most recent envelope,

Margaret sent these beautiful blocks

for The 70273 Project,
made in honor of the Little Light of Mine
choir and dance group composed of adults with special needs.

The choir, formed 40 years ago
and currently under the direction of Linda Weaver,

recently visited Margaret’s church
and regaled the congregation with song and signing.

“It’s always a wonderful week at St. Andrews
when the Little Light of Mine group leads the worship service,” writes Margaret.

Margaret also included
The Beatitudes for People with Special Needs
by Anne McKinnon.
I’ve never heard of this, and I like it.
Like it a lot.
It speaks to the energy
I feel and see and hear around The 70273 Project campfire . . .

Blessed are you who take the time to listen to difficult speech,
for you to help us know that if we persevere we can be understood.

Blessed are you who work with us in public places and ignore the stares of strangers,
for in your friendship we feel good to be ourselves.

Blessed are you who never bid us to “hurry up”
and more blessed are you who do not snatch our tasks
from our hands to do them for us,
for often we need time rather than help.

Blessed are you who stand beside us as we enter new and untried ventures,
for our Unsureness will be outweighed
by the times when we surprise ourselves and you.

Blessed are you who ask for our help
and realize our greatest need is to be needed.

Blessed are you who help us with graciousness,
for often we need the help we cannot ask for.

Blessed are you when, by all things, you assure us
that what makes us individuals is not our particular disability or difficulty
but our beautiful personhood which no handicapping condition can define.

Rejoice . . . and be exceedingly glad
for your understanding and love
has opened doors for us
to enjoy life to its fullest
and you have helped us
believe in ourselves
as valued and gifted people.

You can find Little Light of Mine on Facebook,

Right now, Margaret is minding her P’s and Q’s
which is to say
she is piecing and quilting
Quilt #3 of The 70273 Project.
I can’t wait.

Margaret also writes that she’s planning a block-making party (or two),
and this seems a fine time to tell you about my latest idea
(even though it’s not 8/1 yet,
and I was trying to save it till then).
(It’s the Aquarian in me.)
(Or something.)

Anyway, listen . . .

Raise your hand if you’d like to do a quilt all by yourself
or with your family
or your club
or class
or neighbors
or colleagues.

Say you’re having a family reunion this fall,
for example,
and everybody makes a block or three
then you piece them and quilt them
and the quilt becomes
My Crazy Family Quilt.

Maybe your library hosts a block-making
party one afternoon
and you piece the blocks made
into a quilt that becomes
The Local [insert name] Library Quilt.

What if your class makes blocks
that are then pieced
and quilted
and becomes the
We Learn Together Quilt.

Individual block makers will be credited
as always,
and I’ll need Provenance forms from each Maker,
as always,
and we’ll need to set a minimum number of blocks,
but the overall quilt will be from
a specific group of people
who are connected in one way or another.

Think how much fun it will be when
your quilt comes to visit
for all to see.
(There will be refreshments, right?)
(But not anywhere near the quilt, though,
cause white just begs people to
come forth and stain.)
The quilt will be a forever part of The 70273 Project,
but we can arrange periodic exhibits and viewings as desired.

Oh, and how ’bout this:
everybody in your group could trace their hands,
and the outline of hands could become
quilting lines.

(This is the way my head works
pretty much all the time, y’all.
I have mapped out a new idea a month
for pretty much the next year. I can’t
wait to start revealing them on
the first of every month.)

If this appeals to you,
(the group quilt,
not my popcorn popper of a brain)
let’s talk.

And hey, Margaret Williams,
Thank You for being such a
prolific, vibrant, enthusiastic
member of The 70273 Project Tribe.

~~~~~~~

Want to sit beside Margaret and
become part of The 70273 Project Tribe?
Make blocks.
Join the Facebook group.
Like the Facebook page.
Subscribe to receive blog posts.

SaveSave