a real life quilt made with love.

30 December 2013

look to the stars. (for kim.)

okay, so forgive my sappiness.
it's coming.
i already feel the lump in my throat as i type.
for real.

when i designed my book, quilts made with love, of course i envisioned it being used by every day quilters.
of course i wanted it to be the go to book for every occasion.
what i didn't anticipate, was that i would use my own book so soon.
yeah, i knew i'd make a baby quilt sometime soon.
i feel like i'm always making baby quilts, don't y'all?
but what i didn't see coming, was making a quilt from the comfort section.

she's like the older, perfect sister i never had. sometimes, you meet people that can just come and go from your life without a second thought. well, kim, is not one of those people. i heart you, missy ma'am! here's to many more years of friendship and sn

over the past six months, i've grown really close to my friend, kim.
i stayed with her and her family while i was teaching in october and that just sealed the deal.
instant best friends.

kim's son received orders for deployment.
yep, the "d" word that no mother or military wife ever wants to hear.
i can attest to this firsthand. (marine corp wife, remember?)

kim and i were at quilt market and we were talking about her son leaving soon.
we got all teary eyed and everything.
so much so, that mister blue nickel studios stopped to make sure we were okay.
little did he know, we were planning a deployment quilt for kim's son.
right then and there, all three of us vowed to make this special deployment quilt.
(thanks, scott! you're awesome!)

boom. done. also, siiiiiigh. @gogokim
we started being sneaky on instagram and facebook about our project.
we didn't want kim's son to find out.
(mike, if you are bored and happen to be reading this, go away! your mom is going to kill me!)
because of our vague sneakiness, our mutual friend, amy, texted me to find out what was going on.
i filled her in and then BOOM. we decided to be sneaky too.
we even roped in a third mutual friend, becky.

currently playing with these lovelies. they make my heart SO happy. #ilovestuffineverycolor

you see, kim is the type of gal that will give you the shirt off her own back.
she's truly a light.
i heart her. amy hearts her. and becky hearts her.
we went behind kim's back and planned her own deployment quilt.
not only did we coordinate this all from states away underneath kim's nose, but the best surprise was yet to come.

me with that yankee i married. #teachntravel

kim, amy & becky all live in virginia.
i live in ohio.
i just couldn't think of kim receiving her quilt and not seeing her face.
so, i snuck to virginia. (a big thank you to the hubby for accompanying me on this adventure!)

after failed attempt after failed attempt of trying to lure kim out of her house, we pulled into the driveway.
i banged on the door. no response.
it's pouring rain, folks.
no kidding.
finally, i called her.

ring, ring ...
kim: hello.
me: hey, what are you doing?
kim: working.
me: oh. from home?
kim: yes.
me: come to your door!
kim; YOU ARE NOT AT MY DOOR!
me: yes, ma'am. i am.

real life convo ...
kim: NO! WHY ARE YOU HERE?
me: cause i love you!
a bunch of hugging.
a bunch of oh my gods.
a bunch of you're in troubles.

i snuck down to virginia last night just to surprise @gogokim this morning!!! with the help of @amylouwhosews & @sarcasticquilter, we made kim her own deployment quilt! (her son was deployed last month.) i love my quilty sisters! and i heart this lady SO

kim turned to me and said, "so, really. why are you in virginia? are you teaching?"
and i said, "nope! i'm here to see you! come to the back of my van."
amy, becky, my hubby and babylouwho (amy's cutie) were all in the van.

i LOVE that we got to surprise you, @gogokim, but i might love this picture more. (; #surprisesurprise #teachntravel #lovethisgirl #quiltsmadewithlove

the girls got out of the van and then we did it.
we gave kim her own deployment quilt.
it was perfect.
so very perfect.

these women!!! god, i love them!!! muchly!!! three major pieces of my heart right here!!! #lovethesegirls #rachelisms #teachntravel

i heart good friends.
especially these three.
they are so very special to me.
lookie who came to play with us!!! america's favorite @j_q_adams!!! y'all can officially be jealous now!!! (; #lovethisguy #teachntravel
oh, and lookie at who else showed up ... mister quilt dad himself.
it was refreshing to see him and the hubby do some longarm quilting!

quilt stats:
size = 66" x 66"
fabric = scrappy awesomeness from three different stashes ;)
piecing = me, amy webb & becky collins
quilting = becky collins
thread = aurifil
pattern = look to the stars from quilts made with love

ps. y'all should see kim's post about this quilt. ;)

xo, rachel

Pin It!

23 comments:

Cathy said...

The best post I have read all day!!! What a great idea!

Anonymous said...

HI,YOU'RE THE BEST!
BLESSED NEW YEAR!

msstitcher1948@yahoo.com

Susie said...

So beautiful. Lucky to have such special friends.

Wendy said...

How awesome! Such a wonderful way to surprise someone with a comfort quilt! You guys rock!

pinkquilter said...

That is so awesome!! From a mom who 's son has been
On 4 deployments it's not easy as you know !!!
Your such a wonderful friend and angel to have
! Your the best!!! Love ya
Tammie Bivins from Texas

charlotte said...

I saw Kim's post on this. Made me smile really big. Loved seeing it from your view.

Deanie said...

Great story! What an awesome friend you are, friends are such a treasure.

Adrienne said...

Greatest story ever! Friends are the best!

dream quilt create said...

What a sweet story :) you are a good friend!

Andrew said...

Thanks for the ideas your share here
So far, I am looking for a source of reference on various websites
Now I have found what I was looking for all this time
I state that the technology used is not as sophisticated as the technology in your country
Although I had a lot of obstacles with existing technologies in Indonesia in my country, but I keep the spirit to strive to be the best, one of which is a reference from your idea that really helped me.
Once again I want to say thank you
ID Files World Price Mebel Murah Blog ID Files Ada Gratis One Notepad Online Info Teknologi Berita Otomotif

Michele said...

Oh my that is truly a priceless story and so perfect to end the year with. Thank you for sharing it.

Keeper of the Skies Wife said...

Totally made me choke up!!! This is true friendship, indeed!! I can't wait to make this quilt!
Bettyjane

Karen said...

Nothing better than friends coming together for another friend! Love the quilt, prayers for the son being deployed and thanks for such a touching post!

krazgrl said...

It is soooo not good to cry at work when you sit at the front desk. My chest hurts, in a good way. I love this story of good friends loving each other and giving of themselves all for the sake of well, love.

Needled Mom said...

What an awesome story!!!

Nita said...

Oh! At first I was afraid to read, fearing a sad story (death maybe) and the it turned into a very happy story! How wonderful that she has a friend like you!

QuiltinGram said...

What a wonderful story of friends going above and beyond to show they care!

Unknown said...

What a fabulous surprise! Gorgeous quilt and I love that y'all kept it a secret for so long!

:)

-Christine Barker

Julia said...

Oh My Goodness! I must be PMSing because this totally made me cry...
That is the sweetest thing all of you did! I'm absolutely sure that she felt your love and comfort that day and will every time she sees or feels that quilt!

Sew Create It - Jane said...

That's the best quilt story E.V.E.R!

Qltr89 said...

What a true friend! On Feb 2013, my son deployed for the fourth time; but it was his wife's first D order because they are newlyweds. I knew she was sad and depressed. So I finished the tulip quilt top that she saw and loved when I met her a year earlier. I hurriedly hand-quilted it and mailed it to her to give her hugs while her hubby, my son, was deployed. Quilting has always been my therapy since my son joined the Army in 2004. I figured my new daughter-in-law could feel that connection to quilts also. It worked!

jenni said...

Such kind friends!

Unknown said...

What an amazing gift and friendship!!

related posts plugin for wordpress, blogger...