Last year,
Ashley asked if I would make a quilt for her and her daughter that she was adopting. Of course, I gladly said yes. We looked over a couple of quilt patterns and then I told her I was wanting to make a herringbone quilt and to write up a pattern for it. She was totally on board with the idea and that's how Song's quilt was born.
I've "known" Ashley for a while now. About 3 years and a half. I kind of have a sense of of what her style is. I knew she liked bold patterns and bright colors so I based that on the fabrics I chose. She is also a lover of vintage which was how I chose the vintage sheet for the back.
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| Photo by Ashley Ann Photography |
During the time I was designing and making her quilt, she sent me a picture of Song so I could see who I was making this quilt for. I always kept Song in my heart while working but mostly I thought of Ashley. I don't know how it feels to wait for your child on the other side of the world. To know she is there for you to have but you can't go to her yet. To yearn for her to be in your arms but the time hasn't come for you to do that.
But in the midst of that pain when you are away from your child, such wonderful things have happened along the way. Thousands of dollars were donated to help fund life saving surgeries for children who were not able to afford it. Encouragement and prayers from strangers were said daily. And to read about the strength of a mother who continued on with her life of helping others and teaching her children to do the same was convicting, encouraging, and a blessing.
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| Photo by Ashley Ann Photography |
I felt the herringbone pattern was the perfect metaphor of the "ups" and "downs" of waiting and being patient.
Rightfully so, I named the quilt "My Song".
I am giving away 3 patterns to 3 lucky winners. You have up to the 3 entries:
1. Leave me a comment telling me what was the hardest thing you had to wait for (serious or funny).
2. Follow my blog
3. Follow my FB page.
Giveaway will end next Wednesday, July 11 at 11:59 pm. I'll draw 3 names on July 12. Good luck!
Giveaway is done. Thank you!
And for those who don't feel like waiting (haha), the pattern is in the shop and is set at an intro price of $5 for the first 5 customers. SOLD OUT! Now set at the original price.
And if you don't sew and would like me to make you this quilt, contact me!
Thank you, Ashley, for allowing me a part in your journey. I hope you, Little One, and the whole family will love this quilt for ages and ages.
xo,
Anna Joy
Oh what a precious quilt and, of course, so much more special because of it's beautiful story. In answer to your question, the hardest thing that our family has had to wait on has been "settling." Our last three years included three job losses, two cross-country moves and selling our newly built home. We finally feel like life is falling back into place. God has been gentle and very much our cup of fresh and living water along the tough journey. "Ups-and-downs" might possibly have been our family motto for awhile. Praise Him for a reprieve...
ReplyDeleteI have followed your blog for a few months now. I was smitten from first glance!
ReplyDeleteAnna - the quilt is breaktaking! I have been praying for Ashley's journey and hoping the rest of it goes faster for them than the first part.
ReplyDeleteI follow your blog and FB page already:) The hardest thing I've had to wait for is answers. We are dealing with some health things with my 20-month old little boy, and going to lots of appointment bbut have no answers yet:)
Love the quilt!
I just "liked" you on FB too! ;) Have a happy 5th of July!
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful pattern and story.
ReplyDeleteThe hardest thing I had to wait for was my tooth. Up until 3 years ago I had 4 retained baby teeth. 3 years ago my jaw decided that was way too many and began to reabsorb one. My dentist tried to save it, but it just wasn't working so we decided to do an implant. I don't know why I thought they'd take out the tooth and install the implant on the same day. No, I had to wait 4 months with a horrible, hillbilly gap. I felt like I needed to take up smoking just to have something to fill the hole! I've got a full set of teeth now and never knew how wonderful that would feel!
Oh boy this is a tough one. I guess anything worth having is hard waiting for. I'm waiting for the day I can return to my home country, Spain, where I can be with my family again.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the giveaway, it's a beautiful pattern.
I love this quilt! It's absolutely beautiful! The hardest thing I have had to wait for is my daughter being born, when I was pregnant. It's such a big step to take in your life and so rewarding when she actually came.
ReplyDeleteJust found you through Ashley's page! Gorgeous, gorgeous! I would have to say that the longest thing I have had to wait for is the birth of my beautiful baby girl!
ReplyDeleteI am follower now too!
ReplyDeleteSou seguidora,obrigada por existir na minha vida,é sempre um prazer quando você aparece na minha lista de leitura.Obrigada pela generosidade de doar um padrão,espero que venha para minha casa.tiacarminhapezzuto@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteEsperei quatro anos até engravidar,(dois abortos espontâneos) e minha filha mais velha nasceu,depois engravidei e perdi aos 4 meses de gestação o que seria o segundo bebê.tive mais duas filhas sem nenhuma complicação e nunca mais engravidei,não era a vontade de DEUS.Sempre é uma longa espera quando se quer ter filhos e não vem,por motivos totalmente alheios a nossa vontade,toda investigação que os médicos fizeram nada foi encontrado para a medicina explicar,portanto acho que DEUS me deu três filhas e um monte de sobrinhos para eu ajudar a tomar conta e criar.Hoje tenho um casal de netos depois que a minha filha fez retirada de um ovário e uma tropa,o médico avisou das dificuldades que haveria,mas 4 meses depois ela já engravidou e rapidinho tratou de ter o segundo e se for possível quer mais dois.Obrigada,acho que fiz um post em seu blog,desculpe.tiacarminhapezzuto@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteThe hardest thing was waiting month after month to see if I was pregnant. After 2 years it finally happened and now she is almost 15years old. This pattern is great thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI am now a FB follower.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous quilt! The hardest thing I had to wait for was my son to be born. I was very sick and in bed most of my pregnancy and it seemed to drag on and on and on. When I was sick and feeling miserable I thought it would never end. He is worth every minute of it!
ReplyDeleteI now follow your blog, happy too. :)
ReplyDeleteI already like your facebook page. :)
ReplyDeleteLovely quilt! I'd love to win the pattern. Hardest thing to wait for??? The guy I loved to figure out he loved me and ask me to marry him. ;)
ReplyDeleteFollowing your blog now. :)
ReplyDeleteI had to wait for a daughter and then we got two. Both Adoptions through foster care. One older daughter now 22 and a sweet baby now 6. I had two bio sons and then we could not have any more. So we waited many years until God Gave us these two joys!! And I am Carol Schneider not Eric Schneider :-)
ReplyDeleteFollowing your blog. Carol Schneider
ReplyDeleteFollowing you on FB now Carol Schneider
ReplyDeleteOH MY GOSH! I HOPE TO WIN! I couldn't wait for my 4th baby to be born! He was SIX!! days late, but any day overdue feels like a week, so that felt like 6 weeks!! SO GLAD HE WAS BORN!!
ReplyDeletefollow on FB!brianna byman
ReplyDeleteFollow your blog now!
ReplyDeleteI'm now a follower of your lovely blog. I found you on Pinterest.
ReplyDeleteI'm also following you on FB. I'm so looking forward to seeing your future projects.
ReplyDeleteI came across your quilt by chance on flickr and just HAD to visit the blog to find out more! It is truly stunning, such clean lines and I can imagine wonderful variations depending on fabric choice :)
ReplyDeleteAnd you have a giveaway! wow! is it ok to enter as an international? (I do have a friend in the US it could be sent to if I was superlucky and won)
xxBettina
ibs102 (at) hotmail (dot) com
Waiting for those ill-fated bangs to grow out...
ReplyDeleteWaiting has always been difficult for me, as I'm a very impatient person. The hardest thing I've ever had to wait for was the end of the long-distance part of my relationship. My boyfriend and I started dating in high school, and continued throughout college, even though he stayed in Texas and I moved to Colorado. In June of 2011, after 7 years of being apart 95% of the time, we finally made our home together.
ReplyDeleteJanie R
lady_ponies_23 AT hotmail DOT com
I am now following your blog via GFC.
ReplyDeleteJanie R
lady_ponies_23 AT hotmail DOT com
I am now following you on FB.
ReplyDeleteJanie R
lady_ponies_23 AT hotmail DOT com
That quilt is gorgeous! And I love the story behind it. I'd love to win a copy :-)
ReplyDeleteLet's see here..... It took me a long painful year to talk my husband into baby #5. He was worried about my health but I just KNEW that I could do it one more time. And darn it, I was right!
I follow!
ReplyDeleteThis is a lovely lovely pattern. I can't see it in your etsy shop anymore at all! I'm still waiting for kids. . not sure if this will happen now. Le'sigh
ReplyDeletei've been a follower of your blog for a bit I love the things you come up with.
ReplyDeleteI am a new FB follower. . yipee!
ReplyDeleteI follow your blog.
ReplyDeleteI like you on FB
ReplyDeleteI'm a very patient person, so it's had to choose something that was hard to wait for. Maybe when we were traveling and my daughter went into labor, we waited for word of the birth via cell phone.
ReplyDeleteI would have to say waiting on my daughter to be born :)
ReplyDeleteAlready a blog follower
ReplyDeleteFB fan
ReplyDeletethe hardest thing i've had to wait for ... each of my children to be born! ARGH!! those last days are soooooo LONG!!
ReplyDeleteI'm following you on FB under my etsy shop "twogreenolivetrees"
ReplyDeleteLOVE LOVE LOVE this beautiful quilt!! won't you give one of them away?!?!!!!
I'm following your blog too!!!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful quilt! I always find it hard to wait for spring after a long winter.
ReplyDeleteI follow your blog on bloglovin!
ReplyDeleteLove this Quilt! Your blog is amazing...
ReplyDeleteThe hardest thing I've ever had to wait for is the birth of both my children; in those last days, the discomfort, but also the anticipation of wanting to see them and hold them. :)
This quilt is beautiful! The hardest thing ever to wait for....ACL surgery on my knee. It is crucial to my job that I be in shape and healthy and very active - tearing my ACL put me out of commission for 10 months! I waited once - had the surgery - surgeon made a mistake - had to wait another 6 weeks for another surgery....I am about three more weeks before I am back to work full time - Can't wait now!!! Love your blog BTW - so cute, inspiring and very informative!!!! Looking forward to following you!
ReplyDeleteThe hardest thing I have ever had to wait for was last year. My husband had just finished medical school and we were waiting to find out where he was going to go for residency. We had to wait for two month to find out if we could stay where we had grown up and our families and friends were, or if we would have to move. We ended up having to move 800 miles away.
ReplyDeleteFollowing you on facebook now!
ReplyDeletehardest thing i had to wait for...............my son to come home from the hospital. he was there for 48 days because he was born 2 months early and weighed 2lbs 14oz
ReplyDeletei am following you on facebook
ReplyDeleteUh, my husband ordered a MINI Cooper Convertible for my Christmas present in 2007 and I had to wait for it to be manufactured and shipped. It didn't get to me until March 12, 2008. That was a hard wait!
ReplyDeleteI just liked you on Facebook.
ReplyDeleteYou are beyond talented my friend!
ReplyDeleteHmmm...good question. I think he hardest thing I ever had to wait for were MRI results...I think the waiting is worse than the actual news. Your quilt is beautiful!
ReplyDeleteHardest thing to wait for? When we adopted our daughter Caroline from China. We were sent the referral documents and her photo -- but then had to WAIT before we got permission to travel to China and get her. Seeing her picture (which I carried everywhere I went) and knowing she was there in an orphanage and not being able to go get her was the very hardest thing! But when we got her, she was lovely and wonderful -- and she's now a lovely, wonderful 16 year old. The agony of waiting pretty much disappeared once I held her in my arms! (PS I love love love this quilt and hope I win the pattern!)
ReplyDeleteThat hardest thing I have waited for was for my then boyfriend to realize what a catch I was and make me his wife. We will be celebrating #12 in August. =D
ReplyDeleteI found you a couple of days ago and began to follow you then. =) As a fellow lover of Jesus and sewing, I knew I had found a friend when I stumbled upon your blog.
ReplyDeleteFanned your Facebook. =)
ReplyDeleteI think the hardest thing I have ever had to wait for is the birth of all 5 of my kids. I'm telling ya, those last couple months, weeks, days are the LONGEST ever!
ReplyDeleteI follow your blog!!
ReplyDeleteI liked you on FB!
ReplyDeleteThe hardest thing I have waited for is watching my mom and hoping the times that she would feel better, such as after my dad died and after she went thru chemo for breast cancer. She is a lovely person and it's hard to watch someone you love struggle so much.
ReplyDeletethank you for the chance!
I am also following your blog!
ReplyDeleteLOVE this quilt, your color choices are sooo pretty!
I love this quilt and the story of how it came to be. Waiting for a child is the hardest thing that I have had to do and I did it twice. both my daughter and son are adopted and very much worth the wait.Thanks goodness I had my husband to be there with me.
ReplyDeletei also follow your blog
ReplyDeleteThe first thing that popped into my head that was the hardest thing I had to wait for was my youngest son. He was 15 days late, which I was kinda my fault, because I wouldn't let the doctor induce me. Regardless, it was very difficult waiting for the Lord to decide to send him. I was scheduled to be induced later that morning of the day I finally had him. The 2 weeks mark landed on a Sunday so I was scheduled for the next morning and after much prayer I finally went into labor on my own on Sunday evening and had my sweet little comedian at 2 am. I'm grateful I waited because I was only in hard labor for about 3 hours and had him an hour after I got to the hospital. The best gifts in life are worth waiting for!
ReplyDeleteI am a new follower on your blog!
ReplyDeleteI "like" you on fb!!!
ReplyDeleteI'm about to be finished waiting for my adopted nephew and his new parents to arrive home! My sister and her husband began this process four years ago. In February the adoption agency called with news of this baby boy and we were able to start counting down the days. They are in China now and I can hardly wait until July 8th - tomorrow!
ReplyDeleteI've been married 32 years now, and i can see remember how hard it was to wait for the wedding day. I thought it would never happen!
ReplyDeleteThe hardest thing to wait for was my graduation from nursing school. I was ready to get married and start a family! Love your pattern and would love to be the winner.
ReplyDeleteI started following you!
ReplyDeleteOooh, I'd love to win the pattern! I love the bright colors against the white background.
ReplyDeleteOops, ignore that last comment... the hardest thing I had to wait for was my son since he had me in labor for forty-eight hours!
ReplyDeletejust added you to my google reader!
ReplyDeleteand liked your facebook page!
ReplyDeleteso very pretty!
ReplyDeleteso far...waiting for the right man for me! :) married five years now though! :)
Liked on facebook!
ReplyDeleteThe hardest thing to wait for most days is bedtime. With a wild three year old and a nursing 3 month old, I wake up waiting for bedtime.
ReplyDeleteI'm about to start following your blog after i post this!
ReplyDeleteI think the hardest thing I have to wait for is to see my grandparents again. They lived long, wonderful lives.. And they are celebrating healthy bodies in a heaven far greater than this earth.. But the selfish part of me misses the twinkle in my grandma's blue eyes, and kissing my little grandpa's forehead after our weekly peanut butter pancake dates. <3
ReplyDeleteWhat a blessing it is to know I'll see them again. (:
Thanks for the chance to win this precious quilt.
Good luck to all the people trying to win!
I'm a blog follower. (:
ReplyDeleteI already like you on fb!
ReplyDeleteAs soon as I saw this quilt on Ashley's blog I loved it! Beautiful!
ReplyDeleteThe hardest thing I've had to wait for was for work on our house to be finished. Earlier this year I was very pregnant for our third child, and we were remodeling our entire house. Timing was terrible. We were living at my mom's house for 11 weeks while we waited for the house to be livable! I know in the grand scheme of things it wasn't a big deal, but for an expectant mamma it was!
I just became a blog follower!
ReplyDeleteI liked you on facebook!
ReplyDeleteFollowed you on Facebook
ReplyDeleteI signed up for your blog :)
ReplyDeleteI like it!!
I find it very hard to wait for fabric I've ordered. I usually get mine from Pink Chalk fabrics but sometimes I order from Sew Sisters.
ReplyDeleteGreat story and great quilt. It's been hard for me to wait to find a job...
ReplyDeleteIsthere still timeto enter? For I love the pattern.
ReplyDeleteHardest thing to wait for: TRUE LOVE
I had to wait 33.5 years for it and I'mrewardedevery day now
Anna, what a beautiful blog and quilt. I love it so much. I featured this post on my blog today! Hope you have a great weekend. http://missloviecreations.blogspot.com/2012/07/my-favorite-things-thursday-coming-to.html
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