There hasn't been a huge ton of sewing going on here lately, it has been a really busy week, but I was able to get all of the blocks cut for the next 100 Good Wishes Quilt that I'm making for a friend's daughter.

I always sort the pieces by color to see what I have to work with.  It really helps when figuring out what to use for sashings. 

The pattern she picked is an easy one so this will go together quickly.  Yesterday I was able to sew together all of the pairs and I should be able to turn all of those into 4 patches before the day is over.

Stay tuned.

For our extended family of Vietnamese friends.....

I received an email announcing a current deal over on Massdrop for Quilters Dream Cotton Select Batting.This is a mid-loft batting. The lowest price of $44.99 with Free shipping has already been unlocked.

I haven't tried this cotton batting yet but since I've used the Quilters Dream 70/30 Blend a lot in the past and love it, I'm expecting that I will love their cotton batting too. Here is the link to their webpage for all the details about this cotton batting.

I don't know about where you live, but this is a great deal compared to what I can buy this for locally so I committed to buy this immediately. The drop is active for 5 more days so don't wait.  Click on over and get yours too.

I'm in the office catching up on reading blogs.

I hear some crinkling noise and go to the kitchen to investigate.

Sunshine had the need to sort all of her Valentine's Day loot!

P.S. I love the little sticker on the tub of red applesauce.

In case you can't read it, it says "You are Awesome Sauce Valentine."

But then a few weeks later, I thought that perhaps it didn't have to be for someone battling cancer.  Instead I could make something for someone in my life who just needs support....a lot of support.  And I had someone specific in mind.

Some of my longtime readers might remember that my friend Kris is the person who asked me to make the 100 Good Wishes Quilt for Joey when he was diagnosed with his very rare renal cancer. No I didn't make this project for Joey's mom, I actually made it for Kris. You see Kris is a single mom, a nurse who works very long shifts working with others battling cancer.  If that isn't enough, her amazing daughter E has medical issues that requires serious physical care each and every day.  Kris is beyond amazing with all that she deals with and I can't imagine how she manages it all day in and day out.

When the first word of this blog hop was announced,  Kris and her daughter were in another state (during Christmas too) so that E could have some very intensive surgery that was supposed to make her life better. Unfortunately it didn't turn out the way they had hoped and they will have to return in a few months to try again. So Kris needs support.  Lots and lots of support. To help her get through each day, to help her deal with the struggles both physically, emotionally and financially that is part of her normal life and to help keep her strong when the going gets the toughest.

So I started with these fabrics.  The dragonfly print was the focus for this project as it has deep symbolic meanings for us in the Asian community, specifically Strength and Harmony.

I wanted to create a silent but powerful message that Kris can see each morning when she gets up and each evening when she gets home. No words were needed, the visual reminder will be enough.  

Here is my completed wall hanging for Kris. I'm calling it Friends Support Each Other.

When I started the project I only had the plan for the middle portion and the outer borders were designed and created as I went along.

Unfortunately with the over abundance of snow we have gotten lately, the sky has been anything but bright and sunny and even the wind made getting the pictures a bit challenging, but the colors are truly a lot brighter in person.

The quilt top was actually completed pretty quickly and then it sat for a couple of weeks while I contemplated how to quilt it.  I doodled many ideas but nothing seemed to suit it.  Then while chatting with my sister Tina last week, we came up with the idea of sewing a frame around the center design and then quilting outside of that. 

Instead as you can see that is not what I ended up doing after all.  While browsing other blogs a few days ago, I came across something done in a simple crosshatch and that seemed perfect to me for this piece. I love how it doesn't take away from the design but gives the quilt some soft texture.

For the border quilting I did some rows of elongated zigzag stitching and finished the binding by machine. I love the way the zigzag reflects the same design that is in the blue fabric.

This mini quilt was such a pleasure to create and I know that Kris will be thrilled when it arrives at her door.

The idea of this hop was to let the recipient know that they are surrounded and supported by those that love them and I think this project will help keep that thought in Kris's mind when the going gets tough.

I enjoyed making this project so much that I've actually decided to make one for each of the members of the little group that Kris and I are members of.  Each in their own way struggles and they will become a symbol of our combined strength and that we are there to support each other no matter what.

Please remember to visit the other five blog hop participants that are sharing today.

Sew We Quilt