Mrs. Furui's projects

I finished two blocks for Mrs. Furui's box in our block exchange game. She wants trees, actually of all colors but I stuck to green. The light one isn't so striking but it has sparkles in it that reminds me of snow. I'll see if I can get one more block made before I'm due to pass this on.

Mrs. Furui has been a quilter almost as long as I have and it goes without saying that we love to give away our quilts... Maybe Mrs. Furui more than me! Together we started the kindergarten raffle quilt project nearly 20 years ago and Mrs. Furui has made prayer quilts for her friends and family and also Wicked Easy quilts to give away.

For a long time the two of us have been interested in making quilts for some organization... One that speaks to our heart. Some of our overseas quilting friends belong to guilds that pour out an amazing number of donation quilts but basically it is just Mrs. Furui and me that seem to have the time and desire to donate our work.

A couple months ago Mrs. Furui signed up to volunteer at a university hospital in the next city over and she was asked WHAT sort of things she might be willing to do.

"I make quilts."

Ah... There is a need... but a sad one. Each year babies who return to Heaven, angels for a short time on earth, are carried home by their parents in bath towels... Maybe the grieving parents would be comforted to hold their angel in a gift of love and sympathy. Would Mrs. Furui take on that project? Nearly 20 such quilts are needed each year in the one hospital...

So, Mrs. Furui set to work and made up a couple small quilts and she approached me about helping her throughout the year. May I say that I don't believe in coincidences? The day Mrs. Furui told me about the hospital's angels' quilts was the day my own first daughter was born... and less than two months later I sadly took her home wrapped in a bath towel. At a time like that it doesn't really matter... bath towel... quilt... but still I felt that God was telling me that this was another project I should participate in. I certainly could understand the pain and heartache.

According to Mrs. Furui's instructions I've made up an "Angel's quilt." That's what I'm going to call these. So tiny! Only 20 inches square. Hand quilted on pastel pink. There are reasons for the color choice, light pink or light yellow... It is too sad to even explain why. How sad that there is even a need for Angel quilts. How blessed to be able to share in the sorrow. I'll be making more of the same over the year.