October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Let come together to raises awareness and some monies.

In 2020 I designed and shared a FREE foundation paper piecing block and you can see details of this at the bottom of this page.

2024 QUILT GIVEAWAY

This October after the loss of another friend and meeting another lovely currently dealing with breast cancer I want to do more. I met Dee of Pixel Quilts at Festival of Quilts 2024 and having the same desire to increase awareness and raise some money we have hatched a plan. A GIVEAWAY – with a little caveat!

To raise as much money, enable as many people to be in with a chance we request a small donation to share this Instagram post (and the word in general to check your chest).

We will take each increment of £5 ($6.50) donated as an entry. So if you for example donate £20 we will include your name 4 times when selecting a winner.

ENTER HERE by donating via this Just Giving Page

All your money will go direct to Cancer Research UK. We selected this charity as though it is a UK based it funds and supports research WORLD WIDE so money you donate from around the world is used world wide.

MOST importantly please check yourself! Look here for details of how to check and what to look for.

Winners

Thank you so much to all who donated and shared. We raised over £500 and I’ve thrown a bit more in to make it a nice round number. Donations still welcome.

I put all entrants in a random selector for the and 4 winners and Dee randomly allocated prizes.

The winners are:
@sew_gail wins my rainbow watcher quilt
@sueashton337 wins the aurifil thread sets
@the_gay_church_lady wins Dee’s Check your boobies Quilt
@koalamommily wins the Oliso mini project iron

Thank you so much to @aurifilthread and @olisohome for your prize donations towards this.

Announcement and Delivery

On 31st October different person for each item will be selected at random from those who have donated.

The winners name (as entered at time of the donation) will be announced on this website and our IG profiles. You do not have to have an Instagram account to enter only leave your name visible on the donations page. You will be asked to contact us (we will not have access to any contact details from your donation only your name publicly visible). We will then send the quilt/goodie where ever you like – for yourself or as a gift, at no cost, anywhere in the world.

If I have not been in contact by mid November (and we can’t track you down with my MI5 skills) another person who has donated will be selected.

We do not encourage gambling and to avoid laws in some places I have deliberately used langue avoid this being seen as a raffle.

THE ITEMS

Helen (And Sew I) made this quilt using a printed panel and set of Fat Quarters, custom designing FPP boarder. The fabric is by Libs Elliott supplied by Sew Hot. It is 130cm x 106cm (51″x 42″).

Dee’s Check Your Boobs Quilt is Custom designed on her website (www.pixelquilts.com) and quilted by Happy Tails Quilting. Its 54″x74″.

We also have an amazing Oliso project iron and 2 and a couple of Aurifil sets generously gifted by the companies themselves.

FREE FPP PATTERN

A few years ago I designed an FPP (foundation paper pieced) block pattern and came up with this hashtag as a tribute/ reaction to the loss of a friend. You can hear a bit more about this in the video below (was LIVE on IG). Details of the pattern can be found towards the bottom of the page.

If you are not a quilter or one who likes FPP (don’t know what your missing) then you can still get involved!

Post using the hashtag #makeshareaware something you have made with a message, OR just share to your stories, to remind people to keep checking and take action even if they are scare. Lets collaborate for all of those who don’t have the energy or those who are no longer here and who wished they could so stop more having to join them.

This Foundation Paper Piecing (FPP) pattern is of the iconic pink ribbon (an international sign), symbolic sometimes of loss and sometimes of success with breast cancer. 

Its totally free! 12″x 12″ finished and suitable for a confident beginner. If you are a total beginner there is a How to FPP guild.

I would love as many people as possible to get involved!

Make – the block

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Share – post it on social media with details how to check your breasts and tell all your friends

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Aware

Doing these 2 things is enough but if any guilds or groups would pool their blocks and make a quilt that could be auctioned or raffled or donated to someone in need that would be amazing. You can also mail to me and I will add it to quilt I’m making.

I would appreciate any donation for use of the block to be paid to this Just Giving page.  This money will go to Macmillan nurses in the UK as that is the charity that our friend wanted any money to be donated too.  

MOST IMPORTANTLY

Please check regularly for any of these symptom and seek a medical opinion! Don’t be afraid to get a 2nd or 3rd opinion if you feel dismissed.

More information on how to check your breasts can be found on this Coppafeel charity website.

Love to you all

Helen xxx