block — Jenny Garland

There are so many things I love about quilting. One of my favorite things is the feeling of comfort and peace I feel when snuggled up in a handmade quilt.

Candace is collecting quilt blocks for Layla Grace and her siblings. As I was sewing a few blocks for Layla Grace this morning, I started to think about another young girl who’s been on my mind for months and months. Have you read about Kate McRae? She is just the most adorable, sweetest thing you have ever seen. She was supposed to start kindergarten this past year but was abruptly diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor in August. Kate’s parents, Holly and Aaron, write about her treatment and their struggles. I cannot begin to imagine what the McRae family has been through and they have a long road ahead of them.

Which leads me to this… I would LOVE to make a quilt for Kate and her siblings, Will and Olivia. If you would like to help by making a block, I would be ever so grateful You can make any block with any fabric, as long as it measures 8″. If you are interested, leave a comment and I will send you my address to mail the block to. I would love to receive all the blocks by April 1st.

Thanks so much

Tonight our craft club made these Christmas Countdown blocks:

Last year I made this advent calendar while on bed rest. Kate loved counting the days until Christmas and eating a chocolate Kiss each day with breakfast. I was excited for this month’s McKinney Marthas craft because I knew Kate would love changing the blocks each day. As opposed to an advent calendar that marks the days of December, this craft counts the days left until Christmas.

To make your own Christmas countdown, you will need:

* two 3.5″ wood cubes (I had Home Depot cut a 4×4 into cubes. Did you know a 4×4 is actually 3.5″ and not 4″ ? How confusing).

* one wood piece for base measuring 3.5″ wide x 8″ long x 2″ thick (I had Home Depot cut a 2×4 for this. Again, the 2×4 is only 3.5″ wide. Who named that?)

* Mod Podge

* twelve coordinating scrapbook papers cut into 3″ squares

* one 1.5″ x 7.5″ scrapbook paper rectangle

* 2.5″ tall vinyl numbers or stencils (you could also freehand the numbers with a Sharpie)

* 1.25″ tall vinyl word or stencil for base (again you could freehand with a Sharpie. Mine says “Merry Christmas”)

* acrylic craft paint

After you have your materials, let’s get going

1. Paint cubes and base with acrylic paint. Let dry.

2. Apply a thin layer of Mod Podge on all sides of cubes and place a 3″ square of scrapbook paper right side up on each side. Also apply a thin layer of Mod Podge to the front of the base and adhere the 1.5″ x 7.5″ scrapbook paper.