In honor of 'Breast Cancer Awareness' and with support for anyone battling cancer of any kind, I have updated my free quilt, cancer ribbons and other patterns with the addition of links to free patterns for chemotherapy caps, pillows, and breast and arm comfort pouches patterns.
I am also supporting Melanie Testa and her "Breast Pocket Project" which has been featured in this months issue of Quilting Arts Magazine. That's my little red velvet heart above, and on page 10 of Quilting Arts Oct/Nov 2014.
Please remember...supporting breast cancer awareness doesn't have to be 'pink' even if many of us use, or mention that color in reference to this cause.
There are many breast cancer survivors are tired of the focus on buying pink and not on helping those who battle this horrible disease or the havoc that it wrecks on their lives.
So, while I am offering links and projects that feature the color 'pink' in honor of the tradition of using the color pink as a symbolic show of support for this terrible disease and the many women, and a lot of men, who have faced its challenges, its ravages, and been heroic survivors, I also want to honor those who do not feel that many of the 'for show' causes out there truly honor or support finding or funding, research for this disease.
Please read it and understand that many, many breast cancer survivors are fed up with the color pink: Nation Breast Cancer Awareness Month or Please Put That Pink Can of Soup Down and Put Your Bra Back On! http://cancerinmythirties.wordpress.com/2012/10/13/national-no-bra-day-and-breast-cancer-awareness-month-or-please-put-that-pink-can-of-soup-down-put-your-bra-back-on/
And if you don't believe me, do read this article and the very first comment that was left on the blog where a survivor describes how her own insurances company refused to pay for breast cancer treatment. There is a lot more work that needs to be done is advancing awareness, support, and understanding of what it is truly like to battle this disease. Until then, we do what we know how to do and we use what we are used to using..in my case it was sewing and quilting and the color pink.
When you know better...you do better. May we all learn, grow, and do...better and better. But we all need to work together, to support and find funding for cancer research and yes, even a cure!
My mother discovered it, and not because she thought she had cancer. IBC does not appear in the form of a lump that you can feel ..she was simply red and she was worried that the mammogram had 'injured' her somehow and that is the reasons she went back to the doctor. That doctor, bless his heart, realized then what she had and immediately ordered her to head south to Seattle for immediate treatment.
In spite of all of the very negative odds against her, she beat this terrible disease in less than a year.
She beat this terrible disease, went onto many good years, long past her 5 year milestone, and made it until her 10th. Unfortunately, she also battled diabetes, and an intense family history of Alzheimer's Disease and after 8 years of battling Alzheimer's, she passed away in 2013 from Alzheimer's, ironically cancer free.
And now, this August, I lost my youngest sister-in-law, after her own 10 month battle with cancer.
In honor and in support, I have just recently updated my huge list of " Free Cancer Awareness and Support" patterns, tutorials, and links.... and some really fun small projects that make wonderful gifts for those battling any illness. And remember, anything with a support ribbon on it makes a great gift, as well. All patterns at their links along the way, below!
Some of my own fun projects, first!
String Pieced Prayer Pocket Pillow designed by Michele Bilyeu Heartstrings and Prayers for any time they are needed. A little pocket in the back for a note of support and love. Bigger Pillows:Making a Heart Shaped Pillow Make Breast Cancer Comfort Pillows for anyone who needs a little love. These are also wonderful for those recuperating from chest surgery of any kind, as one does after Cardiac Surgery etc. See, my pieced pillows ormake your own from solid fabric or fleece using my link above.
My Prayer Flags: The simplest of prayer flags, made with raw edges of fabric and strings to flutter in the winds of time. Inkjet printing on my home computer...link to the right in my side bar of links.
Free Patterns for Cancer Ribbons, quilts etc.
Breast Cancer Pillow by Kaye Wood pdf
Cotton Spice :download PDF pattern: Square in square/rail fence around pink ribbon.
Cure Inspired Quilt
Heartstrings Quilt Project October_Project_Pink3.pdf
Make Mine Pink, Please (Scrappy Stars with Pieced Pink Ribbon Label)pdf
Pink Chalk Studio: Square fence block-2.pdf Pink Ribbon Comfort Pillow
Pink Ribbon Block
In honour of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Connecting Threads has available a free tutorial to make paper-pieced Pink Ribbon Pins. Help raise awareness by sewing this simple quilted ribbon for your family, co-workers, and friends. Two sizes are available: large pin is 3″ x 4″ and the small pin 2 1/4″ x 3″.
Ribbon Quilt Block Pink Ribbon and Soaring Past Time
Pink Ribbons: A Contrary Wife Quilt Top Quilt of Many Ribbons (rail fence w. appliqued pink ribbon in center)
Rosie's Pink Ribbon Quilt String Pieced Prayer Pocket Pillow
Think Pink Pink Ribbons Quilt Blocks or Quilts for Breast Cancer Awareness:
Cancer Ribbon Quilt Block
This
Cancer Awareness Ribbon quilt block is a foundation pieced pattern.
The block isn't difficult to make, but it does contain long triangles
that can be a little tricky to align on the foundation the first couple
of times.Designed by Janet Wickell.
The block is assembled with quick piecing techniques.
Easy to make. instructions and yardage for a small heart wallhanging on the last page of the pattern.
Cotton Spice :download PDF pattern: Square in square/rail fence around pink ribbon. Heartstrings Quilt Project October_Project_Pink3.pdf Make Mine Pink, Please (Scrappy Stars with Pieced Pink
Ribbon Label)pdf
Spring Ribbons Quilt
Pink Chalk Studio: Square fence block-2.pdf
Pink Ribbon Comfort Pillow...free with Connecting Threaders order or make yourself; Post surgery support Making a Heart Shaped Pillow
Anti-Ouch Pouch - American Sewing Guild...like a hanging purse under your arm, only its a pillow that eases pain as you move around ; free pdf just click on it's hyperlink to download
Pink Ribbon Block
Pink Warrior from Fat Cat Quilts and Patterns...check out her wonderful site!!Ribbon Butterfly from Fat Cat...check her out! Think Pink (ribbon and hearts) Tudor Rose Garden
In the Pink by Sarah Wise from Popular Patchwork online:
http://www.
Quilt Pink Squares Lap Quilt Paper-Pieced Pink Ribbon: designed by Carol Doak for Mimi Dietrich's Pink Ribbon Quilts book back in 1999 and made available by Carol for others to use as a free download.The block is made in two halves to make a 6" finished block Click to download the pdf
Heart With A Ribbon from Carol Doak:
The
crossed ribbon has become the symbol for support of many causes. The
pink ribbon symbol supports breast cancer awareness. This block shows
both love and support by having the ribbon placed inside the heart.
The pdf file is a 3" finished size paper-pieced block (two on a page)
and the second page contains the cutting list for one block. This
block is for personal use only.
Click to download the pdf
Ribbon Quilt Block 
by Dori Hawks
Rays of Hope Carol Doak designed this wall quilt for a class on an Alaskan Cruise for a Cure (Breast Cancer) Click to download the pdf Breast Cancer (and other Cancers) Awareness Ribbon Quilt Blocks
Cancer Awareness Patterns: free for personal use by Angie Padilla
In honour of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Connecting Threads has available a free tutorial to make paper-pieced Pink Ribbon Pins.
Help raise awareness by sewing this simple quilted ribbon for your family, co-workers, and friends. Two sizes are available: large pin is 3″ x 4″ and the small pin 2 1/4″ x 3″. use together to make a quilt Pink Ribbon and Soaring Past
Time Pink Ribbons: A Contrary Wife Quilt Top Quilt of Many Ribbons from Humblebee
Rosie's Pink Ribbon of Concern Quilt Think Pink (McCalls now requires a free sign up and then the search)
Patchwork Cancer Ribbon Quilt Block
Cancer Ribbon ColorsShow Us Your Awareness Quilts
Helpful Web Sites
About.com Breast Cancer Home Page
Sewing for Cancer Pations, from About.com
SewingCrafting for the Cure to Support Survivors, from About.com Breast Cancer
block made into a quilt with any colors.
Cancer Ribbon Quilt Block Templates
list of colors for each cancer at bottom of these lists
What the colors of ribbons signify support for:
Amber Ribbon: Appendix Cancer
Black Ribbons: Melanoma, narcolepsy, sleep apnea, sleep disorder,
Primary Billiary Cirrhosis,
Brown Ribbons: Anti-tobacco, colorectal cancer
Burgundy or Maroon multiple myeloma, cesarian sections, headaches and migraines,adhesions, thrombophilia and other coagulation or blood factor disorders, meningitis, polio survivor, Post-Polio Syndrome, Hughes Syndrome, brain aneurysm, Hirschsprung's Disease (Congenital Megacolon),children undiagnosed or misdiagnosed with rare disorders or diseases, myloidosis, hemangioma.
(Dark) Blue Ribbons: Colon Cancers Blue Ribbons: Histiocytosis Awareness, Child Abuse Awareness.Child abuse prevention, arthritis, gout, colon cancer, Dysautonomia, hystiocytosis, histiocytosis, Erb's Palsy, Ankylosing Spondylitis, Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), ke, dystonia, interstitial cystitis, bracial plexus injury, Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV), Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) , Alopecia, Reyes Syndrome, Steven Johnson Syndrome, short bowel syndrome, Myositis, Leukodystrophy, Huntington's Disease, Malaria, Syringomyelia, Neurofibromatosis, , Cri du Chat Syndrome, Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome, polio awareness, Primary Immunodeficiency Disease, Sensory Processing Disorder (reflex blue shade), Angelman Syndrome, Von Hippel-Lindau
Denim and denim fabric: Rare Disease Awareness
(Light) Blue: Prostrate Cancer
Burgundy: Multiple Myeloma
Gold Ribbons: Childhood Cancer
Gray Ribbons: Diabetes & Brain Cancer (Silver) Gray Ribbons: Parkinson's Disease
Green Ribbons: Kidney, Liver, Gallbladder/Bile Duct Cancer, Lyme Disease, Lymphoma,Kidney Cancer, Gallbladder/Bile Duct Cancer, Lyme Disease, Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, Lyme Disease, Muscular Dystrophy, Ivemark Syndrome, Sandhoff Disease,
Forest Green: Liver Cancer. Hepatitis, Tissue and organ transplants, depression (both adults and children), bipolar disorder, mental health, mental illness, eye injuries, Tourette's Syndrome, Fanconi's Syndrome, Von Hippel Lindau, glaucoma, Fibrodysplasia Ossificans, neural tube defects, Mitochondrial Disease, Cerebral Palsy, Neurofibromatosis, Lissencephally, Cornelia de Lange Syndrome,
Lt. Green: Pelvic Pain (chronic), Celiac Disease, STD Awareness, Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD)
Cream (the color cream wouldn't show here so I'm showing them in this color) but these should be cream colored: Cervical Cancer,Liver Cancer & Hepatitis Cream: Paralysis, spinal cord injuries, spinal diseases or disorders, Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) Teal green or teal green and white together: Cervical Cancer Jade Or Emerald Ribbons: Liver Cancer & Hepatitis
Green/Blue Ribbons: Mental Heath Awareness, interstitial cystitis (IC Network designation),, Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH), green-blue or turquoise with a zipper Global Chiari Malformation Awareness Gray Ribbons: Diabetes, hyperglycemia, hypoglycemia, brain cancer, glioblastoma, Parkinson's, asthma, allergies,
Jigsaw Puzzle Ribbons: Autism
Lace Ribbons: Osteoporosis
Lavender: General Cancer
Lime Green Ribbons: Lyme Disease, Lymphoma
Maroon Ribbons: Mulitple Melanoma
Orange Ribbons: Leukemia, Multiple Sclerosis, Kidney Cancer, self injury, reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD), skin cancer (with a sun in the center of the loop), Deep Vein Thrombosis, Agent Orange Exposure
Orchid Ribbons: Testicular Cancer
Periwinkle Ribbons: Hypertensionm Stomach Cancer, Esophageal Cancer,Eating disorders, pulmonary hypertension, esophageal cancer, stomach cancer, GERD, IBS
Peach Ribbons: Uterine Cancer Endometrial Cancer, Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency
Pearl Ribbons: Lung Cancer Pink Ribbons: Breast Cancer, cleft palate disorder
PINK RIBBON: Breast Cancer (Hot) Pink: Inflammatory breast cancer...rarer form Pink,Purple and Teal Ribbons: Thyroid Cancer
Purple Ribbons: Pancreatic, Prostrate,Testicular,Leiomyosarcoma,Alzheimer's/Dementia, and Fibromyalgia, pancreatic cancer, Chron's Disease and colitis, cystic fibrosis, leimyosarcoma, macular degeneration, Sjogren's Syndrome, fibromyalgia, lupus, sarcoidosis, the homeless, Mucolipidoses, thyroid cancer, ADD,ADHD, Arnold Chiari Malformation, Mucopolysaccharidosis, Hurler Syndrome, childhood or pediatric stroke
Red Ribbons:AIDS/HIV,Heart Disease,Alcohol, tobacco, and drug prevention awareness, MADD, DARE, Epidermolysis Bullosa, Disaster relief, Stroke, supraventicular tachycardia, Wolff-parkinson-White Syndrom (WPW), Pro-life, hypertension, Evans Syndrome, Vasculitis, Wegeners Granulomatosis
Silver Ribbons: Parkinson's Disease
Sky Blue Ribbons: Prostate Cancer
Teal Green: Cervical Cancer, Ovarian Cancer (some cross over of these previous two colors) Liver Cancer. Hepatitis, Tissue and organ transplants, depression (both adults and children), bipolar disorder, mental health, mental illness, eye injuries, Tourette's Syndrome, Fanconi's Syndrome, Von Hippel Lindau, glaucoma, Fibrodysplasia Ossificans, neural tube defects, Mitochondrial Disease, , Cerebral Palsy, Neurofibromatosis, Lissencephally, Cornelia de Lange Syndrome, Ovarian, cervical, uterine (all gynecological) Myasthenia Gravis, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, agoraphobia, panic or stress disorders (includes PTSD), Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Dissociative Identity Disorder, Fragile X, Batten Disease, Tourette's Syndrome (TSA designation)
Teal green or teal and white together: Cervical Cancer
White Ribbons: Bone Cancer, diabetes, hypoglycemia, hyperglycemia, sexual assault of students, retinal blastoma, blindness, carbon monoxide poisoning (CO poisoning), postpartum depression, survivors, Scoliosis, white ribbon with a knot tied in the middle for marriage equality, Gay-teen suicide
Yellow Ribbons: Sarcoma..bone cancer, spina biffida, endometriosis, sarcoma (with or without a sunflower), myxoid liposarcoma, bladder cancer, liver disease, liver cancer, cholangiocarcinomas, hydrocephalus or hydrocephaly, carbon monoxide poisoning, Ewing's sarcoma, chondrosarcoma =====================
- Click to download the free printable(s):
- Breast_Cancer_Awareness_Printables.zip
Red Dresses and Red Ribbons for Women's Heart Disease:
Extra: Red dresses for Heart Disease
(image for making a chemo cap from google free images)
Red Heart Yarn Free Chemo Cap Pattern shown above:
http://www.redheart.com/free-patterns/chemo-cap
Red Heart Yarn Free Yarn and Shawl Patterns:
http://www.redheart.com/finder/pattern?filters=tid:2802&retain-filters=1
Adult Chemo Hat Banded Scrub Hat - sewing tutorial
Bandanna with Tails
Chemotherapy Turbans
Chemo Cap - Head Scarf - sewing tutorial
Comfort Caps - sewing pattern for adult and child sizes
Covering our Hair - links to different patterns
Fast and Easy Chemo Cap
Reversible Chemo Hat - sewing pattern
Chemo Cap for Sewing - (pdf file)
From the Heart - more patterns here.
Creative Kindness Beret
Creative Kindness Easy
Creative Kindness Easy Hat Variations
Creative Kindness Beret Headhuggers - sewn, knitted and crocheted patterns
Snood
Reversible Chemo Hat
Reversible Fleece Cap
Polar Fleece Beanie
Quick and Easy Beanie
Michele Bilyeu blogs With Heart and Hands as she shares a quilting journey through her life in Salem, Oregon and Douglas, Alaska. Sewing, quilting, and wildcrafting, with small format art quilts, prayer flags, and comfort quilts for a variety of charitable programs. And best of all, sharing thousands of links to Free Quilt and Quilt Block Patterns and encouraging others to join her and make and donate quilts to charitable causes. Help us change the world, one little quilt at a time!
