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Brenda was a Breast Cancer survivor from Massachusetts.   
Brenda traveled to Virginia to help our group sew together our
International Twenty Plenty I Breast Cancer Charity Quilts.

Brenda enjoyed her visit to Virginia and loved our
Nifty Fifty
Quilts that were displayed at our gathering. So she decided on
hostessing her own Nifty Fifty and Twenty Plenty International
Quilt Swaps.  Each of her groups would also make Breast
Cancer Charity Quilts.

Brenda Neily was our
Nifty Fifty 4   Hostess,  Nifty Fifty 6
Co-Hostess and our
Twenty Plenty II Hostess.   

Brenda left Virginia enthusiastic and full of energy ready to start
organizing her Nifty Fifty and Twenty Plenty Swaps. She was a
wonderful person and a great hostess. Unfortunately Brenda's
breast cancer returned as she was busy hostessing her groups.
She stuck it out as hostess for as long as she could.  When it
became too much for Brenda to handle, Vickie Ratthaler and
myself took over her groups.  

During Brenda's illness she wanted to make a quilt for me as a
thank you for the work I did in creating and maintaining our
Nifty Fifty and Twenty Plenty quilting groups.

As much as a struggle it must have been for Brenda, she and a
friend shopped for the theme fabric for my quiIt.  It was a
gorgeous Hoffman print...Brenda knew Hoffman was my
favorite fabric designer.  She bought a whole bolt of fabric
which she had planned to cut into fat quarters and ship out to
our Nifty Fifty Quilters so they could make state quilt blocks for
my quilt.

Sadly Brenda lost her fight to Breast Cancer on April 14, 2000.  
Marjorie Young who was one of our original New York
participants in our Nifty Fifty One Swap took over the project
and saw it through to the end.  

Marjorie was one of our very first participants to sign up for our
first Nifty Fifty Swap and we have remained good friends over
the years. Marjorie has participated in many of our Nifty Fifty
and Twenty Plenty swaps.  Her most memorable quilt blocks
from our swaps is her original design of the New York Skyline
with the World Trade Center buildings.






Marjorie mailed out the special Hoffman fabric to those who
would like to make a quilt block for my quilt. Everyone made a
very special and unique quilt block coordinating their fabric
around Brenda's chosen Hoffman print.  These blocks were all
returned to Marjorie in New York and she sewed the quilt blocks
together, quilted it and mailed it to my house.

I will never forget the day the quilt arrived in the mail. The first
time I saw the quilt I was overwhelmed with many emotions.

There were quilt blocks from all across the country.  These
blocks were made by some very special friends that have been
closely involved in our swaps over the years...there is the
Washington Monument by Pam,  a Wisconsin Barn by Nikki, the
Liberty Bell by Wendy.  Marjorie made some very unique quilt
blocks for the quilt including an
Arizona Cactus, Hawaiian Shirts
and a new design for the
New York Skyline.  Many of our Nifty
Fifty hostesses made some unique quilt blocks including Mary's
mountain peaks from Vermont, Steph's card trick quilt block
from Nevada, and then the traditional  blocks from Brenda for  
Massachusetts,  Vikki for Wyoming, Carolyn for North Dakota,
Suzanne for
Alabama and Mary for Michigan.  Then there are
those quilt blocks from all the others that have made this quilt so
unique. This includes their many stories that I have remembered
and treasured  along the way....which is another story for
another day.  
Brenda's Wish Quilt
Quilted by Marjorie Young
Marjorie's Original Nifty
Fifty One Quilt Block of
the New York Skyline
The quilt is stunning!!!  
The quilt's home is on a
quilt rack in my foyer.   
Those who visit my
house always comment
on the quilt. It is a great
excuse for me to spread
the quilt out and tell them
the story behind the quilt.
Close up photos of  the
very unique quilt blocks

Copyright 2011 Teresa Drummond
All Rights Reserved
Nifty Fifty Quilters
of America
We are collecting inspirational and
special stories of breast cancer
survivors or stories from family
members or friends who have lost a
love one to breast cancer.
If you have a story to share please
send it to us through our
Nifty Fifty Breast Cancer Story
Submission Form

We will post it on our Breast Cancer
Memory or Breast Cancer Survivor
page so your story can be shared
with others who have been touched
by this disease and to give them
inspiration, hope or comfort.

Photos can be sent along
with your stories.
Story of Brenda's Wish Quilt
By Teresa Drummond
I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to every Nifty Fifty Quilter
who contributed to this very special quilt.

I would especially like to thank Marjorie for her dedication to
Brenda's project and for seeing it through to the end.
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