Update on Quilts Delivery and Hope From Sandy

I delivered the quilts Sandy donated to give hope and relief to oncology patients to my friend Penne.  Penne is getting ready to head out for oncology classes in Kansas and the three facilities she works with there.  I also delivered her a box of hats, prayer shawls and two boxes of magazines.

She was amazed at the work put into these masterpieces and three very special patients immediately came to her mind.

These patients are confined to their rooms and are struggling with various issues.  Alone much of the time I bet they wonder if they are forgotten.

Penne took Sandy’s quilts to these three ladies and here is her story of the delivery these gifts.

Paula-  My car is loaded with half the magazines and all of the knitted items- ready for a journey to Kansas this weekend.

Those quilts were absolutely beautiful!   So I just went up to the unit and the nurse manager and me delivered them to three oncology patients that I knew needed them.  The first is a 20 year old with a life-threatening lymphoma.  She picked the colorful one and kept saying over and over “thank you”!   She couldn’t believe that someone had taken all that time to make that for her.  The second is a lady in her 80s.  She loved the quilt and kept asking if she could keep it.  I told her that it was made just for her and that we couldn’t take it back.  She then asked if it would be on her bill.  I had put it on her bed and the room just lit up.   So did she.   She was so cute.   And very full of gratitude.    And the third lady is a woman in the last stages of ovarian cancer.  She is very weak, always cold and depressed.  Her eyes filled with tears.  The quilt totally brightened her room.  As weak as she was, she leaned up to hug me.  And she wanted to make sure that whoever made that for her knew how much she liked it.   The 20 year old got out of bed and came and hugged me as well.  Thank you so much for arranging all of this.   You do good work!  I know He is smiling on you!      P.

Sandy gave a lasting gift of hope and happiness.  The staff that care for these ladies also benefit.  Seeing how Sandy’s generous gift of time, talent and all the supplies to make her stunning works of art change patients lives must make their days brighter too.

The spirits of those three ladies and their caregivers have been forever touched by Sandy the Quilt Queen.

Advertisement

Hope From Sandy

When Sandy learned about the inpatient oncology treatments she decided to share her special talents.

These patients are confined to dreary rooms. They aren’t allowed any flowers or plants.

What could she do to bring some brightness and hope into their lives?

A talented quilter, she donated these three gorgeous quilts.

The backs of these masterpieces are just as amazing as the fronts!

The patients will take these quilts home with them when they leave the hospital. What a wonderful message they received from Sandy, an extreme quilter!

 

 

Guest Bog Post From Monty, Quilting by Aunt Sandy

Hi, my name is Monty and I’m a guest blogger here on sanseilife.

One of my favorite topics is my Aunt Sandy’s quilting adventures.

Here mom didn’t think the pink squares were going to work but it was awesome.  Mom took a horrible picture so you can’t really tell how awesome it was.  Aunt Sandy is way more talented than Mom’s awful picture!

A very cute baby blanket don’t you think ?

This one is so cheerful!  Sometimes Auntie Sandy makes us doggy nephews our own quilts. We keep track of the really cheerful ones so we can pester her for a new quilts when we need them!

Guest Bog Post From Monty, Quilting by Aunt Sandy

Hi, my name is Monty and I’m a guest blogger here on sanseilife.

I don’t know if you remember my earlier post, it was about these potholders my Aunt Sandy makes where you can place a bowl in the center and put them in the microwave.  If your bowl bubbles over the potholder catches the goo.

Well one day my mom was using one of these and her bowl bubbled over and the potholder caught all the goo.  When mom wasn’t looking I stole the potholder and ate it and it was delicious.

My Aunt Sandy made mom these replacement potholders, aren’t they lovely? I can hardly wait to steal another one I’m sure it’ll be delicious.
What else is my Auntie up to?  Quilting!!
Her new plan is using variegated thread, she loves the outcome.  I do too.   Even though I’m a dog and color blind I can tell this is awesome!here is a square before and after quilting. And tada, all put together.

I love having such a talented Auntie.

Fidget Quilts by Sandy and Anna

 

Sandy and Anna, master quilters, have been busy with a project I suggested to them.

My mom suffered from a type of dementia at the end of her life. The doctor said it wasn’t really Alzheimer’s and I was grateful for that.

She always remembered who I was, and every weekend we worked on a flower arrangement and  a jigsaw puzzle.

She sometimes got confused or forgot things. She and I discussed her memory loss and she knew that she needed to be kept safe for when she did get confused.   She was living in a memory care center with other people that suffered from different kinds of dementia or Alzheimer’s. 

There was a condition that most of the people she lived with suffered from called sundowners. At the end of the day a terrible confusion would spread through the residents.

My mom didn’t usually catch the confusion but it would make her anxious.  She usually went to her room to take a nap or read.  When  sundowner time came, she insisted that I leave as it was just too unsettling to be around during this time.

The anxiety and confusion these poor folks felt each and every day has stayed with me. These quilts are designed to be small, lap sized. All the little items on them  offer a distraction to the confused mind.

All the amazing textures, buttons and zippers, little pockets are wonderful at sundown.   The quilt on the left here has a plastic sleeve where you can insert a picture, too clever huh?

Thank you Sandy and Anna for all you do this is really going to make a difference  and I know it’s going to help relieve a lot of the anxiety these people suffer from.

It is also shown that using your brain in creative new ways helps keep your memory active so not only are Sandy and Anna doing a wonderful thing for others but their brains are getting the benefit of creating this amazing art!

P.S.   I hope they are also using up some of their quilt stash and scrap materials!

 

Make my Day, Sandy the Quilt Queen

My friend Sandy has a real talent for quilting. Not everybody can put together fabric and scraps of fabric the way she does and make such wonderful pieces of art.

When she uses “scraps” to make a quilt those quilts are as amazing as any other quilts I’ve seen.

She’s not afraid to use bold colors which I find exhilarating.

She is one of  those amazing women who, through kindness and generosity, has helped fill the void left by the loss of my sister.

She knows my house is hardwood floors and not friendly to lounging dogs.  She also knows that my companion dogs have been on the front lines supporting me through some recent challenges and are my immediate family.

One of my dogs is elderly and and needs lots of blankets to lounge on the hardwood floors to keep comfortable.

Sandy, in her own way of coming to conclusions, has decided that my dogs need their own quilts.

 

 

She did make a matching quilt for me to this dog quilt but the dog quilt came first!

She also made me this awesome billfold many years ago which I just have not been able to use because it is just too cool.  I bring it out to look at over and over but it is a real piece of art and is just for my enjoyment it will never be a billfold!

So how did I get so lucky to have a friend who knew that the best way to give me comfort was to comfort and include my pets?