About

 

 

The Lourdes Cates Quilt Project is an opportunity to celebrate the life of Lourdes through the creation of beautiful Hawaiian quilts.

It’s my hope that this project will accomplish two things.  First, to celebrate Lourdes’ love of her Hawaiian roots and second, to support The Brain Aneurysm Foundation, whose sole purpose is to provide critical awareness, education, support and research funding to reduce the incidence of brain aneurysm ruptures (http://www.bafound.org/).

As a quilter, I’m constantly trying to push myself to achieve greater ability, both in my technical skills and as a designer.  In almost 20 years of quilting, I’ve admired Hawaiian quilts, but never considered making one due to the complexity and challenge they present.  Over the last month I’ve been mulling over how to marry my love of quilting with a service project to celebrate Lourdes.  Each time I thought of the Hawaiian quilt, a nagging little voice in my head said “too hard, you’ll never accomplish that!”  And so, the days passed to weeks and I did nothing.  But last week, another nagging little voice came to me, and she said “what are you waiting for…if you want to do something, do it!  I know you can.”  That voice was Lourdes.

And so, The Lourdes Cates Quilt Project was born.

I’ve been at many crossroads in the last 5 years and the one consistant has been Lourdes believing in me…even when I didn’t believe in myself.  Even now, I’m not convinced that I can accomplish what I’ve set out to do, but I know that Lourdes knows I can.  And if Lourdes believes in me, that is enough for me!  I’m marching forward, armed with determination, desire, and scissors…a thought that I know would have Lourdes in stitches.

Aloha,

Wendy

Quilters – if you would like to participate in the project, please send mail to quiltproject@hotmail.com.  I understand that a quilt of this type will be a labor of love.  Quilters and crafters of all skill levels are welcome – I have a number of traditional patterns I can share with you and will be happy to provide a guiding hand if you need assistance with your quilt.

Admirers of quilts / lovers of Lourdes – please participate by following this blog.  I plan on posting progress reports on each of the quilts along the way.  As each piece is completed, I’ll work with the designer to determine if the quilt will be auctioned or raffled, again, to benefit The Brain Aneurysm Foundation.