Tote and Animals Needed

I received several amazing quilts from a quilt guild in ME. I cannot gift them yet because there were no totes or animals included. I love these quilts! They are adorable. Can anyone volunteer to get together totes and animals? Lynette from FL has already agreed to get totes and animals for the construction, firetruck and construction quilts. That means that there are 6 more we need help with. Totes can be handmade or or purchased. If they are purchased, please make sure they are good quality (ie canvas, nice fabric, etc) and add a pocket for the animal and place the animal inside the pocket.

Concord Child Covered

We were so happy to be able to cover 20 month old Eli. Eli lived with his parents in Concord, Alabama. His home was destroyed in the same EF4 torando that went through Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Eli and both of his parents were hospitalized. Eli suffered from a skull fracture, but will recover. You can still see that one of his eyes is black from bruising.

Eli was covered by a prayer quilt made by St. Paul UMC, Cpt. 690 Prayers and Squares Ministry, from South Carolina. May God bless and comfort you, Eli.

First Group of Kids Covered!

Sunday afternoon, I had the privilege of meeting with 3 families whose homes in Coaling, AL were destroyed in an EF 3 tornado on the morning of April 27, 2011. This tornado came in the predawn darkness and was a ominous foreshadowing of the events to come later in the day. Six kids from 3 families lost their homes and most, if not all, their possessions in the storm.

Bama Bound Quilts made contact with a neighbor in the Magnolia Springs subdivision of Coaling. She generously opened up her home to us and provided a meeting place for us to cover these children. All six kids were given quilts with totes and storm buddies made by quilters in 4 separate states.

Covered by TN and Covered by MI

Covered by MI

Covered by MI and Covered by TX

For more photos, Find us on facebook www.facebook/bamaboundquiltspage.com.

Tennessee Cutie

Check out this adorable zig-zag quilt and hand made bunny from Jenn in TN. It will be hard to let this one go!

Covered in Love by...

I am so excited about how this project is progressing. We have received 15 quilts from 4 states. There are many more committed to the project. I have identified 13 kids in 3 communities to "cover." Keep 'em coming: there are so many kids to comfort and bless.

Don't forget to include a quilt, tote with pocket and stuffed animal. It is fine to buy a tote and embellish it rather than make one, just be sure the one you send is a nice one (ie thick material, canvas, etc). It is fine to name your quilt. I am giving the ones I have received names and I will soon run out of puns and alliterations.

One unexpected benefit for me has been the diversity of styles and quilt patterns that I have been exposed to. We have discussed on facebook, the prospect of creating an e-book with quilt photos, quilt patterns, bios of the quilters, photos of the kids with their quilts and the kids' stories. If you are interested in being included in that aspect of the project, please let me know. There is certain info I will need to collect from you to include in the book.

Below are photos of most of the quilts received to date:

Covered in Love by Florida

Covered in Love By Maine

Covered in Love by Michigan

Covered in Love by Texas

Package from Maine

FYI, there has been a problem with the Blogger program. Several posts were removed from the blog and then had to be reposted by Blogger due to technical issues. Although the posts were restored, the comments have not yet been reposted. Hopefully, they will be back up soon. If not, please know that I value your comments and I am not the one that removed them.

On a very high note, I received a big ol' package from Maine today! Two baby quilts and three older kids/teen quilts. Thanks ladies at Cotton Weeds in Freeport! I will post photos as soon as I can.

You Are Covered in Love

A new quilt from Dianne in TX has arrived. The quilt is called "You are Covered in Love." It is a Curious George theme with a tote and stuffed monkey. Already have this one picked out for a little boy in Coaling. Keep 'em coming. You are truely covering these children in love.

The First Quilts Have Arrived

The first quilts have arrived. They are adorable! These three lovlies came from Lynette and Devon at http://www.whatahootquilts.blogspot.com/. They did not name them, so I am calling them "Flower Power" #1, #2, #3. The one with the dog is going to a little 3 yr old girl in Pleasant Grove who lost her home. I LOVE looking in my PO box and seeing that orange key! Can't wait to see the others on the way. We have about a dozen kids identified so far from 3 communities.

Facebook Username

We now have a facebook username. If you haven't liked us on facebook yet, please go to www.facebook.com/bamaboundquiltspage.

Please see the bottom left of this blog for some links to free quilt and tote patterns.

I am really getting excited about this project. I am almost finished with the top of Quilt 1. I still have to add the borders and some applique to the borders.

How are your Bama bound quilts coming along? Please share.

Update

I wanted to let you know how much I appreciate all the good thoughts and prayers everyone has sent our way. It has been a little over a week since the storms. Things are shifting from survival mode to recovery made.

I have received several commitments for quilts for the kids. I am working to identify kids in two of the effected communities for the first round of gifting. Please let me know when you send a quilt so I can monitor the mail for it. I need to have a timeline to set up meetings in the community. I will confirm receipt of the quilts on this end.

Thanks again.

At a Loss for Words

Ask anyone who knows me (especially my husband!), and they will tell you that it is a rare occasion that I am at a loss for words. I had an appointment in Tuscaloosa today and the route I took, took me right through the path of damage from the tornado. I was very apprehensive as I approached the intersection of 15th St and McFarland Blvd in Tuscaloosa. I stopped at the intersection, one I had passed through literally hundreds of times before, and I had no words of my own. All I could say (in the words of Royal Marshall) was, "Just, damn!"

I continued on my way. What I noticed most as I moved through the area was how many trucks, crews and volunteers were still working tirelessly towards cleaning up and restoring what little they could back to normal. I doubt that it will ever be possible for things to be normal again.

We will have towork very hard to establish a new normal for all of us who live here, love here and call here home. I look forward to being a part of that new normal.