Papa Bear
December 2015
I recently read a quilter’s comment that there are “so many quilts to try and so little time“, which I can totally relate to! Papa Bear marks my 57th quilt donation – not counting the numerous family and friends quilts I have made over the years – and this is the first time I have done a Bear’s Paw quilt design.
The inspiration for the name and color palette came from a family trip to Big Bear over the Thanksgiving holiday: the crisp blue sky, the evergreen pine trees and the snow that fell all day on Friday. Living in Southern California, it is a treat to be able to drive only a few hours and to enjoy a few days in the snow. Yes, we are spoiled. The majority of the fabrics were pulled from my scraps bin and represent too many past projects and pieces of the past to list here. Overall, there is a lot of good mojo that is at work in this quilt!
This quanket, along with Baby Bear and Mama Bear are being donated via the Hands2Help Challenge 2016 and will go to the Yukon Women’s Transition Home in Whitehorse, Yukon. I am inspired by these words on their website, “Kids deserve to feel safe“. These are words that fuel me to make and donate quilts for kids.
Love Hugs 
What a beautiful quilt! And the colors you chose are perfect. Thanks for sharing your lovely scrap quilt with Oh Scrap!
Thank you!
I like your choice of colors–I too like to plan my scrap quilts. And I like the use of the four-patch bock in the “paw.” Hadn’t seen that before. It adds nice interest. (One of my favorite blocks.)
I agree that the four-patch can add some variety to the paw. As noted, this is my first time doing the Bear’s Paw, but it certainly won’t be my last. Stay tuned for what’s up next: Mama Bear. One of the rooms in the cabin we stayed at in Big Bear is decorated in the “Three Bears” theme. I already have the fabrics on my cutting table, but it is currently “on hold” until I finish my current project of making fleece beanie caps for patients going through chemo.
I admire your works. Foster care has a special place in my heart, I worked with foster kids for years. They need the love poor kids. LeeAnna
Thank you for your kindness, not only in admiration of my work, but moreso for working with foster kids. While I am not involved one-on-one with these kids, my heart tells me that many need love. I try to put as much love as I can into each quilt I make. “Faith, hope and love; but the greatest of these is love”.