Two of my small format art quilts are now listed for sale at the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative Quilts for Sale webpage. These quilts are part of my $1,000 Promise to AAQI and were donated as my titled Quilt A month challenge to myself, as well.
Both of these free spirited and liberated art quilts involve the use of 'world' fabrics, lovely glass and ceramic beads, stones, and free scissor cut piecing and free motion stitching.
I love fabrics such as these for their earthy organic feelings as well as the warmth of color and style. They forever remind me that our universal roots lie deep with connection within us all and that we are, indeed, one world facing one shared challenge.
That challenge is survival with the best quality of life we can find for ourselves, and our children. And Alzheimer's Disease not only takes away from the quality of our lives, our parents and our children's lives, it takes away the very root of who we know ourselves to be.
Alzheimer's disease affects/or will affect, each and every one of us at some time in our lives. Even if you don't have someone with this dreaded disease in your family right now, I'm betting you know someone who does. They might be your co-worker, your neighbor, a friend of family member of a loved one.
Alzheimer's disease robs us of who we knew ourselves, and our loved ones, of being. It changes, and drastically and dynamically, alters family relationships. Alzheimer's Disease literally strips us down to the bare bones beneath the surface of our own humanity and we are left with simply surviving the ravages of our own, and our loved one's ruined lives.
If you have never seen a family, such as my own, attempting to care for their loved ones with acute, and advanced Alzheimer's at home, then trust me......you have no idea of how horrific this disease truly is nor how incredibly challenging it can be to care for your own loved ones who suffer its ravages.
Each and every one of us who does this level of intense care giving is longing for freedom and for the relief of constant care giving that is needed.
We long for the freedom of having to worry about our loved ones changing so dramatically and becoming a burden on our health care system, our own families, and our selves. For no matter how much we love family, this disease robs us of the freedom of living 'normal' lives in all ways.
We long for the freedom of wondering..."Will I be next? Will this huge genetic tide pool of affected family members be my lot in life, as well?
We long for the freedom from the constant, unbelievable challenges of care giving. We live exhausted lives whether we care for our family members, by ourselves at home (as we do with our mother who lives on Douglas Island, near Juneau, Alaska) or find competent, caring, and affordable health care outside of our homes (as we have with my mother-in-law who lives near us in Salem, Oregon).
We long to be free of the persistent financial worries of struggling to pay for their costs, and the lack of relief from health care organizations, and the funds that we thought would support us as we all aged.
We are one world, facing one shared challenge..... and oh how, we long for freedom from this disease.
Please support our fight against the onslaught of Alzheimer's Disease by donating or purchasing one of our small format art quilts, today.
|
|
|
I love these two little quilts! And I can't help but think how utterly fabulous they would look hanging side by side on a small wall family room or kitchen wall, near a chair in a reading nook, or in a sewing nook or studio!
Please remember that these small format art quilts are tiny..they can be no larger than 9" x 12" and the prices are set by Ami Simms at AAQI. My quilts have gone for as much as $175..so these are really good prices for collectibles that are also donations. When I am super famous someday, you'll be glad you own them ;) And until then, they'll look really, really good on your wall and you'll know you supported an amazing cause where....
The profits from the sale of my quilts fund Alzheimer's research!
Michele Bilyeu blogs With Heart and Hands as she shares a quilting journey through her life in Salem, Oregon and Douglas, Alaska. Sharing thousands of links to Free Quilt and Quilt Block Patterns and encouraging others to join in the Liberated Quilting Challenge and make or donate small art quilts to the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative (AAQI) Help us change the world, one little quilt at a time!
