My Version of the "Madness"

SPRING "MADNESS"

March and April look to be busy months, a kind of "madness" (no NOT basketball !) with all that will be happening. At the quilt shop I work at we've got the upcoming San Diego Cruisin' Quilters Shop Hop starting this Saturday, and I'm working a lot of extra hours and long days!

Then there are the planned getaways or happenings: a trip planned to Peoria, Arizona for Padres' Spring Training, for a long weekend, followed by a weekend Women's Retreat with my church. The next weekend we will celebrate Easter, followed by another weekend(YES! another) Brown Bag Quilt Retreat in Buellton. The third weekend in April we will have wonderful great friends and house guests to shower Angelina and Alex's baby Micah. To cap off the month of April we will be hosting a retirement party for two retired firefighters from Nick's fire department and then the last day of April is the Annual Appreciation Dinner put on by Rotary of Rancho Santa Fe for Fire and Security personnel!! I'm exhausted already.

Along with all those activities I do hope to complete a few projects in March:

(1) quilt and bind the quilt I am making for my niece Amalia and her new husband, Rick;(2) a machine appliqued, McKenna Ryan pattern for a "special" pillow for a very special friend

(3) a baby quilt for a new firefighter's daughterand (4) several cheerful, colorful pillowcases (similar to this one) for children who are sick with cancer or other serious illnesses for the ConKerr Cancer pillowcase project,
known as A Case for Smiles.Many quilt shops in southern California and all across the nation are participating in ConKerr Cancer by hosting" sew-ins" for making the pillowcases, collecting the cheerful pillowcases for the children who are sick and then donating them to local hospitals.

The pillowcases are really easy to make and basically take one yard of fabric (3/4 yd for the pillowcase body and 1/4 yd or so for the top border trim. If you have a heart for helping others by way of using your talents and love of sewing, go to the ConKerr Cancer website for information about the project in your area! If you'd like a free pattern just email me and I can send one to you.