Welcome to our stop on the 1 Million Pillowcase Challenge! The editors at American Patchwork & Quilting invited us to make a few pillowcases with some of the fabrics we’ve designed and find a local charity that would make good use of them.

Among the stories in life that inspire me most are those about people who have had a major life setback but who, through hard work and the generosity of others have been able to pick themselves up and reinvent their lives. So in this spirit we chose West Suburban PADS clients to receive our pillowcases. We asked PADS for the names of five people who had recently transitioned from homelessness to having a roof over their heads, a little bit about each one and their color preferences for the pillowcases. Using the clients’ color preferences, we pulled fabrics from our three most recent lines for Andover Fabrics, Victorian Modern, Passport and the Color Collection. We opted for using the patterns at a smaller scale so there would be a better chance of the fabrics fitting in with the rest of the recipients’ furnishings. For all of the pillowcases we used the Pillowcase with Piping pattern #15. Here’s what we learned about the recipients and what we will be donating to them:

Vicky, Berwyn, – purple or anything similar – motivated individual found a job immediately. Upon moving in her apartment the first thing she did was design and decorate her apartment with plants and garden area. Maintains a quality home.

 

Takella, Forest Park, – pink or purple – one of her favorite things to do is take her children on adventures downtown Chicago. She enjoys painting with her son. She likes sitting outside in the sun and enjoying the neighborhood. Friendly demeanor.

Ruthie, Oak Park, – green or blue – enjoys painting, going to the conservatory and building positive relationships with her grandchildren.

Randy, Berwyn, – red – an avid writer and enjoys movies, nearing retirement still finds time to be active in the community. Spent the past 36 years employed until physical health interrupted the ability to work. Being housed allows him to concentrate on medical needs.

Eileen, Oak Park, – red and any matching color – having an apartment has allowed her to address medical issues; makes homemade jewelry, loves solving puzzles, and grew up in the west suburbs.

It took us about three hours to make all five pillowcases. Bill and I did them assembly line style and they were done in no time. We’re adding our totals to the challenge totals and encourage you to find a worthy recipient in your community to help reach the 1,000,000 pillowcases goal.

How you can get involved:

• Hop on over to the other participants in the blog hop for further inspiration.

Blog Participants List:·

·    Alison Glass (http://alisonglass.com/blog)
·    American Patchwork & Quilting (www.allpeoplequilt.com/blog)
·    Barb and Mary of Me and My Sister Designs (http://www.meandmysisterdesigns.com/blog/)
·    The Benartex Design Team: Sew in Love with Fabric (http://www.sewinlovewithfabric.blogspot.com)
·    Debby Kratovil (http://debbykratovilquilts.blogspot.com/)
·    Edyta Sitar of Laundry Basket Quilts (http://www.laundrybasketquilts.net/blog/)
·    Heidi Pridemore (http://heidipridemore.blogspot.com)
·    How To Sew (www.howtosew.com)
·    Jennifer Paganelli of Sis Boom (http://www.sisboom.com/blog/)
·    Joanna Figueroa of Fig Tree Quilts (http://figtreequilts.typepad.com/my_weblog/)
·    Karrie Winters of Freckled Whimsy (http://www.freckledwhimsy.com/)
·    Kelle Boyd of Ann Kelle (http://www.annkelle.com/category/blog/)
·    Linda Carlson (www.lindacarlsonquilts.com)
·    Lori Mason (http://www.lorimasondesign.com/news/)
·    Modern Quilt Studio (https://craftnectar.com/)
·    Nicole Daksiewicz of Modern Handcraft (http://modernhandcraft.com/)
·    Northcott: Patti’s Patchwork (www.pattispatchwork.com)
·    Shannon Fabrics: My Cuddle Corner (http://shannonfabrics.com/blog/index/)
·    Tammy Silvers (http://www.tamarinis.typepad.com)
·    Timeless Treasures: Sew Timeless (http://www.ttfabrics.com/blog/)
·    Valori Wells (http://www.valoriwells.com/blog/)
·    Verna Mosquera of The Vintage Spool (http://freespiritfabric.blogspot.com/)
·    Wendy Sheppard of Ivory Spring (http://ivoryspring.wordpress.com/)

Look for sew-ins at your local quilt shop

Follow the 24-hour Sew-A-Thon planned at the headquarters of American Patchwork & Quilting on September 19-20.