FAREWELL

Back in 2006, I received a call from my friend Ami Simms who had an idea.  Ami's Mom had Alzheimer's, one of approximately 5.4 million Americans suffer from this (currently) incurable disease.  Ami wanted to do something about it.....need I say more?  But there is so much more to tell. 

Ami's idea to launch an exhibit to bring awareness about Alzheimer's grew into The Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative, a grassroots charity whose efforts have now raised more than $883,000.  Those funds are directed to the original goal of raising awareness and a secondary goal of funding research, that grew from Ami's incredible vision and quilters everywhere who supported it.  

Ami, the organization's Executive Director has just made a major announcement which you can read here.  Sometime in 2013, it's likely the the $1,000,000 mark for Alzheimer's research will be reached.  Given this accomplishment and with more than 13,000 quilts donated, this will be the last year of fund raising and we will celebrate it's success.  Please read more about this remarkable organization and Ami's super human dedication at the link provided above. 

So let's look back a bit.  I was immediately on board when Ami called and volunteered to help.  The 'little exhibit' Ami talked about grew into a major exhibit of 52 quilts - Alzheimer's - Forgetting Piece by Piece.  It traveled for something like 5 or 6 years, after which most artists (myself included) donated their quilt for auction at AAQI.  This exhibit also grew into a book and now a CD which can be purchased here.

Here's the quilt I made which was inspired by my own Mother's Alzheimer's.  Even when her doctor gave her the diagnosis, she refused to accept the inevitable.  Instead she told the doctor that "she didn't see any signs of this Alzheimer's that he was talking about, and when & if she did....she'd do something about it."  Denial is very common with Alzheimer's patients (and yes even for some family members.)  When my Mom experienced a noticeable memory problem....she'd declare......I'm having a brain cramp!  Thus this quilt was born.....

 Lost time.....enuff said!

Whether or not you saw this exhibit in person, consider owning a copy of this heartfelt grouping of quilts and their stories.  Remember...you can help us achieve our next goal, ONE MILLION DOLLARS!! 

AAQI HOUSTON SUCCESS!!!

Ami Simms, the director of Alzheimer's Art Initiative has announced a record Priority Quilt sale at Quilt Festival in Houston this year.

They sold 1,597 quilts, bringing in $75,000 for AAQI.  This beat last year's sales by $13,000.

To date AAQI has earned more than $855,000 for Alzheimer's research!

I'm happy to report my personal contribution in just the Priority Quilt category has now raised over $2,000....and I'll be working on my $3,000 level goal next.

To learn more, including about how YOU can get involved.....click here.

Last night AAQI's celebrity quilt auction concluded.....raising another $15,545.
Pat Holly's piece, "Fear of Empty Spaces" (photo below) earned a whopping $3,665.00 for the cause.

Be sure to follow the link above to see the fabulous quilts donated by other leading artists in our field....such as John Flynn (who by the way we can all thank for covering the cost of the AAQI booth in Houston!!), Sue Nickels, Diane Gaudynski (whose quilt earned over $3,000 too), and more.....

AAQI HOUSTON SALE

The annual trek to Houston for Quilt Market and Festival is underway.....I won't be attending this year but two of my quilts will.  They are part of the 2,185 (YES you read that right......2,185!!!) quilts  that the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative will be displaying this year for sale.  If you are going....be sure to visit Row S, (hard right as soon as you enter the exhibit area from the front of the George R Brown) October 31 to November 4th.

I believe my quilts will be available the first night.....so hopefully their sale will bring my contribution over the $2,000 mark raised in the priority quilt category alone!

Please consider supporting this worthy cause.....visit here to see each and every quilt up for sale...donated by quilters near and far!  If you can't purchase one in person, don't forget....each month from the 1st - 10th, priority quilts are posted for the monthly online auction.

 Long Needle Pine  by Mary Stori

Rose Quartz by Mary Stori

ROSE QUARTZ

........the finishing details for this AAQI 2012 donation Priority Quilt.  For those of you attending Quilt Festival.....I hope you will visit the AAQI booth and perhaps take home one of the hundreds of quilts that will be for sale. I'm donating 3 pieces, made especially for this event. Help us in our fight to find a cure for Alzheimer's Disease!

 A simple facing seemed the best method to finish the edges of this small piece.  Naturally, beading would complete it!  


One way to audition bead color choices for your work is to simply pin a few beads in place....step back and take a good look.  Originally, the plan was to use light purple seed beads.....but I didn't feel they 'framed' the quilt well enough.  So instead, matte black seeds where my choice.

ROSE QUARTZ

9" X 12"

Hand painted cotton, hand dyed gauze, hand embroidered & bead embellished.

Incidentally, I learned the 'pinkish' stones I mentioned using for the two horizontal lines are actually rose quartz.  But I still have no memory of where I got them!

AH.....back to beading....

Are you like me??  A bit crabby when you can't squeeze in a little sewing time each day??  

Two lines of light pinkish beads.....not sure where I got them....have now been added to this AAQI donation quilt. They are more like uneven stones with holes in them so they sit in an interesting manner.  


The small black wood beads came from a piece of costume jewelry I took apart.  I might be calling this finished.....will think about it today before deciding upon the edging treatment.....  

NOT MUCH HAPPENING

This is pretty lame...hardly worth showing....however we've had a lot of drama going on in our household which has prevented me from progressing on much of anything.

Things should be settling down so hopefully there will be more to share soon....

In the meantime.....I'm slowing plugging along on my 3rd. AAQI donation piece for their sale in the fall.

I talked about this little piece here and here.....

 I'm not sure how much more stitching there will be.....cause you gotta know....I'm itchin' to get at the beading stage....

.....although I do enjoy some mindless hand embroidery as well.....really....this isn't a race!

3 DAYS LEFT

Bidding for this special AAQI Auction ends Wednesday at 10:00 PM (Central time). This is your chance to purchase an original quilt that traveled in AAQI's "Forgetting Piece by Piece" Exhibit. They were featured in a book by the same name as well as a CD. What a wonderful investment, not to mention the tax deduction!

Here's a look at a few of the other pieces on the auction list, each made by a nationally recognized quilt personality. Several days ago I posted a photo of my quilt which I have also donated for this worthy cause.....click here to see all 20 quilts and make your bid.

Please consider passing this link along to your friends, Facebook pages, or any other online groups you belong to. Quilters have made such a difference in this fight....let's show our dedication and raise a lot more money!!!

Confusion - Made by Elsie Campbell

A Day With Beebe - Made by Marsha McCloskey

Russian Olive Trees - Made by Debbie Bowles

AUCTION HEATS UP!!

The word is spreading, click here to learn more. Please pass this along......please help to support AAQI!!

AAQI ONCE IN LIFETIME AUCTION!

The Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative, is a national, grassroots charity whose mission is to raise awareness and fund research. It was founded by Ami Sims in 2006, and has raised over $570,000 of which $407,755 has been awarded.

From August 1-10 the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative (AAQI) will be offering 20 quilts that were part of the "Alzheimer's: Forgetting Piece by Piece" exhibit in an online auction like no other.

Quilts made by Sue Nickels, Diane Gaudynski, Marsha McCloskey, Nancy Brenan Daniel, Melody Crust, Mary Stori, Elsie Campbell, Debbie Bowles and others will be auctioned. This is a rare opportunity to acquire quilts by nationally acclaimed quilters who rarely sell their work.

My piece is shown below......I hope someone will purchase this quilt and love it, knowing their donation will be going to a great cause.

Brain Cramps by Mary Stori

30" x 30"

Both my Mother and my Mother-in-law suffered from Alzheimer's. My Mom never did accept the diagnosis...... instead when she found her self worrying excessively or not remembering, she simply stated she was having Brain Cramps!

Watch faces embellish this quilt to signify the lost time Alzheimer's patients and those who love them endure.

Please visit the AAQI auction site....add a truly special quilt to your collection and help in the fight against Alzheimer's!!

GENEROSITY!!!

Moria and Adam Dewar of Island Batik have donated $25,ooo to the Alzeheimer's Art Quilt Initiative........ read more about their generosity here. And consider using this merchant the next time your stash needs a refill of Batiks.

EVER-green # 2

It was worth all the experimenting......ta da.....EVER-green # 2 is finished. This piece will be my 2011 donation to the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative Sale held at Quilt Festival in Houston in the fall. (Unless someone snaps it up first, email me if you are interested....I still have time to make another design for Houston.)

EVER-green # 2

9" x 12"

Hand-dyed/felted wool, bead embellished, hand embroidered
SOLD

ALZHEIMER'S ART QUILT INITIATIVE

More than $519,000 has been raised for Alzheimer's research since January 2006.....learn about the newest traveling exhibit here and here.

QUILTS WITH NEW HOMES

I've returned from a very pleasant teaching trip to the Nimble Fingers Quilt Guild in Potomac, MD.......where 3 small quilts have found new homes.

It's such a comfort knowing that they will be appreciated and loved by others....rather than adding to the stack I have at home!

Every year I make one or two major pieces for the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative Sale held in the Fall at Quilt Festival in Houston. I love hearing from the new owners.

My 2010 donation was a bead embellished wool felt piece, titled 'Guinea Fowl Feather'. I received the following note, along with these two photos that I wanted to share with you all. Though I have framed some of my work, it's never occurred to me to display it in such a grand frame......I'm wowed and so pleased by their decision. Isn't it great when the vision of others makes us look twice at our own work?!?

"Your work is beautiful and deserved an equally beautiful frame for presentation in our art collection so I took the feather to my top level framer at Tates Frame in League City, Texas and worked together with them to get this final result. I am a proponent of larger, highly detailed frames with an old-world flair so the frame choice was mine but the professionals at Tates chose the linen back-mat, the linen liner and the color combination. I think it turned out beautifully, it will find good home in the Reynolds art collection in Santa Fe, Texas."

THE 'ROSE OF SHARON' PROJECT

I've blogged about my participation in the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initative numerous times.... This grass roots organization thus far has raised over $407,000!!

Ami Simms (left) and Sharon Pederson have been tireless in their efforts to raise money for research and education to help stamp out this awful disease.

Sharon has spear headed the "Rose of Sharon" project which premiered at Quilt Market in Minneapolis last week. Since Ami highlighted it on her blog, I'm providing a link so you can learn more AAQI and its various projects.

ZENTANGLES

Today I received the latest Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative Newsletter.....that Ami Simms publishes to keep us informed about AAQI's progress and other important information about the fight against Alzheimer's.

There was a reminder to check the website to view all the quilts for sale. This grass roots organization uses the proceeds of these sales to fund Alzheimer's research....I hope you'll consider helping either by purchasing one of the many, many quilts offered or donating a piece for sale.

Some time ago I pledged to raise $1,000 for the cause and have successfully surpassed this goal. However, I won't stop there....my next donation piece is already made and ready for auction soon.

Betyann Shaver of Aiken, SC created this wonderful 6" x 10" piece on linen, using embroidery floss, beads and pearls. It can be yours for $65......item $ 4669....click here to bid.

The design really stood out to me. It was based on Betyann's Zentagle drawing. Zentangle is ALL the rage here......amazingly interesting and fun to do. Some claim the process of repetitive line drawings is calming....frankly....I haven't found that to be true....but it's very satisfying. I guess I'm trying too hard to achieve a design, rather than allowing the process to create one.

Visit Zentangle to learn more. And these youtube videos will provide more insight..click here and here.

Purple Patch Project

I've been cutting fabric donated by Connie Brown for The Purple Patch Project  which is part of the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative.  Please consider contributing to this worthy cause.  I'd even be happy to cut it for you, or better yet, get your group of pals together and join the fight to honor and remember the 24 million individuals worldwide who have Alzheimer's.

Groups hosting Alzheimer's: Forgetting Piece by Piece  are encouraged to raise awareness with a ceremony of remembrance.  Quilters are donating 2" x 6" patches of purple fabric with the name of a family member or friend who has or had Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia written on the back.  The patches are given to participants at the beginning of the ceremony.  At its conclusion, they are invited to pin the patches on each other and wear them throughout the day.

Please click on the above links to learn more about how you can help.....we quilters ARE making a difference.....we are closing in on raising nearly $200,000 since January 2006!!!!