Good day to you all. I hope spring has sprung in your neck of the woods; it definitely has here in Calgary! Nature is so inspiring…awakening all of our senses. My backyard clematis is in full bloom and it’s so lovely.
I’ve so wanted to write about this little girl for awhile now and it’s finally time.
A few months back, the editor of Quilter’s Connection magazine contacted me and asked me for a contribution to her Spring 2015 issue. Heather asked me to design a project incorporating machine embroidery as an integral part. I loved the fact that Heather asked me to do this project and I wanted to deliver. A child-like spring quilt immediately sprung to mind and I began to put pencil to paper in an effort to design something worthy of the magazine. Who shall I make the quilt for I wondered?
I had been following a page on Facebook called Hadlie’s Bucket List. Hadlie and her family had been featured on the news here in Calgary a short while before which brought me to her Facebook page. Hadlie was a wee little girl, 3 years of age, with beautiful, big eyes and long silky brown hair, who had terminal cancer. Her cancer was called DIPG – a disease of which I knew nothing. Her parents and their son, Kade, were embarking on a journey to help Hadlie check items off her Bucket list – things like “turn 4”, “eat delicious cupcakes” and “get Kade to meet Ryan Nugent-Hopkins”. Perhaps I could design a quilt for Hadlie?
A design was down on paper and now it was time to choose some fabrics. Hadlie’s parent told me that their daughter’s new room in their new house was going to be coral and that Hadlie loved purple. Checking my stash of Riley Blake fabrics, Lila Tueller’s Bohemian Festival would work nicely.
Working quickly with a looming deadline I zeroed in on some sweet little bird embroidery designs from CherryStitchDesign….
and some chunky alphabet embroidery designs from Designs by JuJu…..
so I could spell out H-A-D-L-I-E on her quilt.
This is what I came up with:
Quilter’s Connection put Hadlie’s quilt on the cover. A tribute to a beloved little girl and her wonderful, giving, resilient family.
I sent Hadlie her quilt, tied with a purple bow. Hadlie passed away March 28, 2015, one day after her 4th birthday, so she was able to check that one off her list. Although I didn’t even know this baby girl my profound sadness, at times, has been overwhelming. Her delightful dancing, her ever-present sunglasses and her unrelating courage touched my heart in a way that cannot be described. A beautiful spirit; may she rest in peace and may her family heal in peace.
Kim
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