hope | a quilt for Sara

Our good friends' sister Sara was recently diagnosed with lung cancer. She has two little ones and my heart went out to her as a fellow mom. I've made quilts for both of her babies (here and here) and when I learned of Sara's diagnosis I knew I wanted to make her a quilt too. I've loved Denyse Schmidt's hope tote pattern for years and I've made too many to count, but I'm still not tired of it and I thought the "hope" patchwork would be a nice focal point for a quilt, especially when we're all hoping for the best outcome for Sara. I wanted to make something simple so I could get it to Sara quickly, and I didn't want to detract from the message I'm sending so I used large pieces of coordinating fabric to border the word. I used scraps for the letters - the Rifle Paper Co. letter E is my favorite - and the background is a gray linen. I added more neutrals to fill out the center column and then used a large piece of Kona coral for the borders, and I have to say I love how it came out. These photos aren't the most flattering; the lighting is so harsh, but I really like how it looks in person. Anyway, I love the back of the quilt just as much as the front. I used so many good fabrics - Rifle Paper Co., adorable blackberries, tiny pink polka dots, and a pretty botanical print. I quilted it on my friend Lorraine's long arm in a random swirly pattern with some hearts and stars thrown in. I've only long arm quilted two other quilts so I'm still learning and it's definitely got some flaws but overall I think it came out well. Either way, I hope it will still serve its purpose and offer warmth and comfort to Sara and her family as they endure this trial.