Ahhhhhhhhhh....

This is a picture of the project I have been working on for the last year and its nearly finished! This quilt was the brainchild of Alfie Chico, who is now my friend, but when she called me out of the blue to ask me to help with this project, I was totally caught off-guard. Alfie had been looking for a way to raise funds for our local library and originally wanted to raffle off a quilt. She was inspired by a children's book, similar to a coloring book, but with pictures you could customize to your own interests. One of the pages had a bookshelf with books on which you could write you own titles.

After some thought, Alfie, Debby Recker and Paula Kelly, the head librarian at the Whitehall Public Library, realized the quilt would probably bring in more money if the project was approached from another direction. Rather than selling tickets for a chance to win the quilt, they decided for a $100 donation to the library, the donor could choose a title for one of the books on the quilt. The quilt will hang in the Whitehall Library next to a companion book in which each of the donors got a page to say why they chose their book and what it means to them. This made it possible for more than one person to choose each book.

I was the last one brought into the project, but since I have more experience with quilting and machine embroidery, they allowed me to take the helm. After I designed the quilt, Alfie, Debby and I got together quite a few times to embroider the titles. Once the book titles were finished, it took me about a week to put the quilt top together. Then I was able to give the quilt top to my friend, Cathy Werner, of Your Fairy Quiltmother, who did the actual quilting. She did a dense allover design that should hold up well over time.

The quilt was unveiled at the Whitehall Public Library's 50th Anniversary Celebration held at The South Hills Country Club on Sunday, May 5th, 2013. It was well received and after a few finishing touches, it will be ready to hang in the library for the next 50 years and, with luck, many more!

I can't wait to visit it!

Update on Whitehall Library Quilt

Here is another picture of the quilt I am helping to make as a fundraiser for The Whitehall Public Library. This is the library I grew up going to and it holds a special place in my heart. This section of the quilt will be on display at The Whitehall Community Day on Saturday, August 25th. We are waiting until we have a full list of the books that will be featured on the quilt before we start to assemble the shelves. There is still time to have your favorite book included!

Sneak Peak of library quilt

. . If you are a regular reader of my blog you probably already know I am working on a quilt as a fundraiser for my local library. But in case you're a new reader I'll give you a little background. The Whitehall Public Library, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, will be celebrating its 50th birthday in 2013. Alfie Chico had the original idea of making a raffle quilt to raise funds for the library but after meeting with Paula Kelly, the head librarian, the two decided the quilt should hang in the library upon completion. Debby Recker attended the meeting where the fundraiser was proposed and volunteered to help with the project. I was brought in to design the quilt and supervise the construction of it. People will have the opportunity to have a book of their choice represented on the quilt for a $100 donation. There will be 50 adult books and 50 childrens' books featured on the quilt as well as a window and window seat and a lot of special, little details. There will also be a companion book to the quilt in which all of the donors will have a page of their own to explain their reason for choosing their book or books. While we are waiting for all of the book titles to be chosen I have started to piece the window section of the quilt. The window is pieced using paper piecing, curved and traditional piecing but will probably also have some applique added later. The curved piecing was a little bit of a challenge for me since I haven't done much of it but I am very happy with the result and I will definitely do more of it! I am so grateful for the opportunity to work on this very important project. I feel so blessed that I can use my talents to help others and I can't wait to see it hanging in the library and show my children "their" book!

For more information or to have your favorite book featured on the quilt send me an email at: larkspurlanedesigns@yahoo.com