Dream Big

I made a quilt. It's taken me almost a year. It was very intense to make. Both in terms of the effort in the quilting and the emotions it brought up. It's finally been delivered to the recipients.

Last August Jennie's husband died quite suddenly. He was helping his daughter on her bike on the streets of Brooklyn when he collapsed. Jennie was only someone I knew through her blog, tweets, and the occasional email. But I, like many others, needed to rally around her in a mass of support for this unexpected loss of the love of her life. We made pie, we sent notes, we read her posts about the grief. And I, well I did what I do, I sewed.

I think it was the fact that Jennie could have been me. Two young girls, a vibrant writing career, and a relationship with a great husband. Her story was tragic and life-altering and it could just as easily have happened to me. I've never met Jennie and so embarking on a queen sized quilt seemed overly generous to people I know. But it felt like the right thing to do - for me, yes, but for Jennie and her girls.

Grief can be all consuming and very lonely. It matters to know that people are thinking about you. And even though it wasn't my intention to take so long to finish, it is nice to have these gestures after the fact, when the initial support has gone away. I hope to meet Jennie one day, give her a hug, and watch our girls feel each other out then walk in front of us, hand in hand in their coordinating Saltwater Sandals. For now, I can only encourage her on her journey to Dream Big.

Dream Big

Approximately 80'' by 90"

Scrappy letters in low-volume fabrics, pieced then fused

Machine quilted at home with Aurifil 50wt

Fabric contributed by Jen Yu

A Fund for Jennie

A few weeks back an on-line colleague lost her husband, suddenly. Jennie Perillo and her young girls are now struggling to define a new life without husband and died. Like me, Jennie is a food writer. Like me, she has two young girls. Like me, she shared a passionate life with her husband.

Right now a new not-for profit, Bloggers Without Borders, is raising funds for Jennie and her family. Food writing, let's be honest, isn't a lucrative job. But it is infinitely rewarding, on a daily basis. The goal of the fundraiser is to hopefully provide some security for Jennie and the girls as they move forward into a new normal.

Bloggers the world over are holding fundraising auctions and drives for donations to A Fund for Jennie. You can donate directly by clicking through on the button above.

Readers here at Backseat Gourmet may or may not know that I am also a quilter. I design quilts, write about quilting, and quilt at almost any moment. A Fund for Jennie has some amazing auctions, and while I'm proud of my skills in the kitchen and what I could share from it, a quilt is where my heart goes when healing needs to be done.

To see my work click on any of the gallery quilts on Naptime Quilter or take the time to explore the site for details on my creative process and thoughts on quilting.

This is my contribution to A Fund for Jennie:

A custom, one-of-a-kind modern quilt. It can be anywhere in size from a crib quilt to a generous lap size (roughly 60'' by 80'' or 70'' by 70''). I will work with you on a colour scheme or inspiration. The majority of it will be completed by machine, but I always hand finish my quilts.

You can submit your bid in the comments on this post. We'll make arrangements to make the donation through Bloggers Without Borders for the successful bidder.

Bidding opens at $500 (US or Canadian, it's pretty close these days).

To submit a bid, click here.

A Fund for Jennie

A few weeks back an on-line colleague lost her husband, suddenly. Jennie Perillo and her young girls are now struggling to define a new life without husband and dad. Like me, Jennie is a food writer. Like me, she has two young girls. Like me, she shared a passionate life with her husband.

Right now a new not-for profit, Bloggers Without Borders, is raising funds for Jennie and her family. Food writing, let's be honest, isn't a lucrative job. But it is infinitely rewarding, on a daily basis. The goal of the fundraiser is to hopefully provide some security for Jennie and the girls as they move forward into a new normal.

Bloggers the world over are holding fundraising auctions and drives for donations to A Fund for Jennie. You can donate directly by clicking through.

This is my contribution.

A custom, one-of-a-kind modern quilt. It can be anywhere in size from a crib quilt to a generous lap size (roughly 60'' by 80'' or 70'' by 70''). I will work with you on a colour scheme or inspiration. The majority of it will be completed by machine, but I always hand finish my quilts.

You can submit your bid in the comments, then we'll make arrangements to make the donation through Bloggers Without Borders for the successful bidder. I've already got a quilt on the go for Jennie and her girls, but I want to share the love a bit more.

Bidding opens at $500 (US or Canadian, it's pretty close these days). Auction is open until noon MST September 2, 2011.

Thank-you, the auction is over.