Last doll quilts

Even though the doll quilt project has been placed on hold for now, 2 more boxes of doll quilts came last week.  Mrs. Claus is ageless and tireless.




   A large group came from Mrs. Claus in California.
 Mrs. Claus is Jan and she apparently has a very willing helper....her granddaughter.  Together they made 10 doll quilts, and her granddaughter experimented with machine quilting to finish these up.

  Lots of wonderful color.....and I think the quilting is great!   She will be ready to tackle new patterns soon.

Cute prints for these two.

  More cute prints and a clever idea.  The little quilt on the left that appears to be a striped fabric has vertical rows of  eyelet sewn over the strips.  Very clever and so cute.

Thank you, Mrs. Claus.









   The next duo is from the Southwest.  Mrs. Claus from New Mexico is/are Ellen and Kathy.
  Three little quilts made from "crumbs"......I bet they laughed and giggled their way through a sewing session when making them.

  Isn't this one adorable?  Their note said they were sending southwestern love and it is expressed so well in this little doll of a doll quilt.  It just makes me smile and will surely be enjoyed by a little girl soon.

  The last two are  a pair of cool blue ones with bright yellow flowers appliqued on.
  A wonderful collection from the Southwest.  Thank you, Mrs. Claus, Ellen and Kathy.







    I have so enjoyed showing all the great creations from the Mrs. Claus participants.  I hope you gained some inspiration  along the way.   The woodworkers have made no final decision and are still seeking a volunteer to lead the program for the next year.   I am asking that you hold off making or sending any more quilts at this time, as we are covered for this year and have some for next year.  Instead, please check around your local community for a need and share your love in fabric with them.  That way, Mrs. Claus can keep on stitching.   Big hugs to all....thank you.  

More doll quilts

    I am having internet service problems this week.  Two hours to write a post is way too long.  Email is sporadic also.....so if I miss replying, please understand.  So enjoy the photos....some would only load as extra large.......a great collection this week.

  Three very cute quilts from Mrs. Claus of California.  Suestitches is a member of the Our Circle of Friends group.    The paper pieced kangaroo is just adorable, and hexagons and strings are always welcome!

 
Mrs. Claus of Ohio, aka Chlynn1129 is also a member of Our circle of Friends.  Her little quilt proves you can never go wrong with lots of 4 patches.  I love seeing a wonderful assortment of fabrics.   Mrs. Claus finished this off with decorative machine stitches for the quilting and binding.

Just for comparison, this Mrs. Claus used rectangles.  PatriciaAnne  is Mrs. Claus of Maryland and a member of Our Circle of Friends.  This is a great way to use up some scraps and still make something a little bit different.  She also used decorative stitching for the quilting.

Mrs. Claus of Texas, aka Nicki, finished off her little quilts with these two.  The pinwheel.....red and white is so striking....was made using the Easy Pinwheel method from Missouri Star Quilts.   And check out her Lots of Dots.....each of the fabrics features dots.  both of these turned out so cute!

What a beauty......sent by Mrs. Claus of Arizona, aka Kaylaquilts.  She is also a member of Our Circle of Friends.  The colors and stars are just beautiful.....and hand quilted.   She chose to represent Alaska with this quilt.  And she sent more....

 Two wonderful quilts of hexagons.  The dotted sashing is also used for the bindings.....and again Mrs. Claus hand quilted both!  Of course, I am partial to the purple one  :)  These represent Arizona and Missouri.

  Can you figure out which state this little quilt represents?  Hawaiian quilting in the traditional way for the island state of Hawaii.  And this is heavily quilted by hand in the Hawaiian style.....Mrs. Claus you out did yourself !



  Thank you all.....each Mrs. Claus is so special to me.  I cherish all the support and help.  The first delivery is soon.....the season is beginning.  Thanks again.  

A huge round of doll quilts

The mailbox was stuffed, and boxes stacked on the porch this week.  Mrs. Claus around the world has been busy.

From my next state over neighbor....Mrs. Claus of Georgia, aka wannaquilt2 of the Our Circle of Friends group sent 2 quilts that made me smile.  Jumping frogs, frogs on surf boards....too cute....and a pink and purple strip quilt.  Her quilts represent the state of Washington this year.   Thank you, Mrs. Claus of Georgia.

Three cute ones arrived from PattyJ, who is Mrs. Claus of Wisconsin.  She is a member of the Our Circle of Friends, also.  She made a blue patchwork quilt, and 2 out of soft flannel.  Just perfect.

Thank you, Mrs. Claus of Wisconsin.









Another package....Another "recruit" from Our Circle of Friends forum  is Mrs. Claus of Australia, aka Trish.  She made this beautiful color wheel star!  What a wonderful little quilt that grabs your attention.
  Yet, as I read her note,  I was over-whelmed.  There were 6 more quilts in the package that had been made by her son.

 I have named him "Elf Caleb"....a wonderful Mrs. Claus helper.  Trish said he is 9 years old, and very kind hearted.  He completed these next quilts on his own after she did the cutting.









 Wonderful....and I bet he helped pick out the cute fabrics too.  The jungle fabric is so great....and more frogs!

And his final two.....Thank you, Mrs. Claus of Australia, and to your big hearted helper, Caleb, for participating and making this project successful.











 
The largest box so far this year arrived from Missouri.  Shirley is a new Mrs. Claus and she has really been rolling.  I counted 35 quilts from Mrs. Claus of Missouri.  A big assortment of doll quilts made from panel fabrics and novelty prints.....alphabet, to frogs, to tea pots and cupcakes.  Just adorable.

And scrappy ones!  Just a delightful  mix of fabrics, and colors, and prints.  Pinwheels, and squares....it all goes in and comes out so cute.













 I think she put a dent in the stash.
Thank you, Mrs. Claus of Missouri.








  Then there is the long awaited box.  We thought it was lost.  I got an email from Mrs. Claus of Montana  checking to see if it arrived.  We both began following the tracking number....from Montana it went to Washington state, as Mrs. Claus said "you know, way over there on the west coast".     It reminded me of the 2 summers I worked for the post office while in college.  After 8 hours of tossing packages in huge bags,  what does it matter if one goes the wrong direction?

  But I digress.  The box returned to Montana, and then was sent to the central US.  Didn't they know I lived east of the Mississippi?  Then it was the holiday....which was probably the cause of the mis-direction.  Finally, Sir Old Man checked and said the box was in NC.  Closer.....and then it came.  Since I have played around with this, here is what was inside.

Bozie of the Our Circle of Friends is Mrs. Claus of Montana.  I class her as a master quilter with a special talent for small quilts.  The color choices and piecing are spectacular.
  Her reputation precedes her.  She is  well known through her donations to the Art Quilt Initiative for Alzheimer's Research.

Two more.....see what I mean?  That Dresden plate quilt is just fabulous.  And the striped binding looks like it is piping.

And she did not fail me....but included a purple one on the butterfly applique.  Be sure to enlarge this photo and see those tiny, tiny cornerstones on the other one.
Thank you Mrs. Claus of Montana for helping  and your wonderful work.


We are over the top in the number of quilts needed to complete this year!  Ahead of schedule and yet right on time!  Any future quilts that arrive will start our next year donations.  Thank you to all the effort, and work done by the Mrs. Claus participants---and helpers---you are the greatest!  

A Mrs. Claus quilt show

Ho! Ho! Ho!  Mrs. Claus has been busy.  Let's show those elves our stuff!





From Mrs. Claus of Washington, aka crazy'boutquilts on Our Circle of Friends.  She explored new horizons with some out of this world fabric in the bottom quilt.
The upper quilt is so cute....lots of decorative stitches for the quilting and the three appliques are layered with more decorative machine stitching.
Thank you, Mrs. Claus of Washington, for these 2 beauties.



















    Mrs. Claus of Kansas, aka wildcatmom on the Our Circle of Friends forum sent two also.  The puzzle quilt is such a playful delight.  A simple design that reminds us of the fun a child has putting together those puzzle pieces.

Her second quilt is just beautiful.  Wonderful pastel fabrics make this little postage stamp quilt so sweet.....and the zing comes from the purple and turquoise accents.  A random arrangement is unexpected and I love it for inspiration.

   Nicki is Mrs. Claus from Texas.  She is also the fearless, and supportive leader of the Mrs. Claus project on the Our Circle of Friends forum.

Both of these quilts are flannel....so very soft and colorful.  She used left over fabrics from make burp pads and baby quilts.  One has a backing of minky fabric.  Mrs. Claus says she learned not to iron this fabric or you have flat dots.  A good tip to remember!

    Two more from Mrs. Claus of Texas.....an adorable cat applique with a purr-fect kitty print for the backing.   She says the pattern is from Fat Cat Patterns.  I love the flippy tail wrapped around the heart!


 She used leftovers from another quilt for the blue pinwheels.  She thought they were a little wonky, but I think they are delightful in this one of a kind setting.
  Thank you, Mrs. Claus.....each one is great!

  Will Quilt for Chocolate is Mrs. Claus from Texas, too.  She is also a member of Our Circle of Friends.   This little quilt may fool your eye.....it is all raw edge appliqued.
    Mrs. Claus used a zig-zag stitch around each piece, as well as the outer edge.  A quick finish in place of binding.
Thank you, Mrs. Claus!

    From Mrs. Claus of Arizona, aka Wiley at Our Circle of Friends comes a pinwheel quilt.  These tessellating pinwheels always amaze me.  I love the color arrangement that she used.
  Thank you, Mrs. Claus of Arizona.

    Mrs. Claus of Pennsylvania, aka 3grandkids on Our Circle of Friends has been busy too.  She used leftover/orphan quilt blocks to make 2 similar quilts.....note the variations of the sizes and the borders.   A good lesson in design here.   By the way, her applique stitching is beautiful!

This special beauty is also from Mrs. Claus of  Pennsylvania.   It reminds me of a NC lily block.....but a little different.  It still is beautiful.  Thank you, Mrs. Claus.

 

   And a little extra surprise from a friend of Mrs. Claus.  Her friend wanted to participate and chose to make a red and green patchwork doll quilt.  Of course, we must so name her  Mrs. Claus of Pennsylvania II.  Thank you for helping.

   From Mrs. Claus of New York....aka Vrooman's Quilts.  She sent me a box full of little delights. The first is a colorful patchwork of squares.  I love that striped binding to pick up every color she used.

  Mrs. Claus of New York is known for her stash of scraps.....squares and triangles.  She used both here.  Check out those vertical rows of triangles.....he never tires of them.  If you need an idea about storing your bits of fabric stash, be sure to visit her blog and see what she does.  Sharon's blog at Vrooman's Quilts  click here. 

    Mrs. Claus of New York loves her cats.....be sure to see the antics of Moe.  Sharon used cat themed fabric in both of these.

   But look at what she did for the quilting!  She followed the zig-zag pattern of the fabric and got a wonderful chevron design.  I so love this one!

  I got to thinking that I should check the back of her other items.....sure enough there was an animal fabric on the back of one.












     And a final surprise was included.....3 of her minis all from her stash of leftover triangles.  Thank you, Mrs. Claus of New York.....you are so great in supporting this project.

  And more on the way, we hear.  Sir Old Man just checked the tracking on a missing package and finally.....the postal service figured out that the destination of SC is not on the west coast!
  This show is a wrap.....I do hope you find some love and inspiration from one of these.  I also hear the woodworking elves are in the final stages of production for the year.  Deliveries begin soon......thank you to all the Mrs. Claus who help keep this project going.  Hugs and happy stitching.  

Doll quilt time!

  This week just got away from me, so I apologize to Mrs. Claus for being late with this post.  But as Mrs. Claus is extremely busy right now, I think she will understand :)

From Mrs. Claus of Wisconsin, aka Sister Sue of the Our Circle of Friends, sent along 2 doll quilts.  She used adorable prints for the front and that heavenly purple on the back.  It is a soft flannel and will be enjoyed and cuddled I know.
Thank you, Mrs. Claus.

From Mrs. Claus of Illinois came three doll quilts.  She also is a member of Our Circle of Friends.  Both of these are whole cloth quilts in colors that zing!

Her third quilt is bright and cheery with that purple border I love!  In her note, Mrs. Claus said that a customer at the bank where she works, saw the doll quilts and brought her in a bag of scraps the next day.  How great is that!
Thank you, Mrs. Claus----and I will add a label for you.

From Mrs. Claus of Ohio, aka Malou on the Our Circle of Friends, made this very cute doll quilt.  She used a cute panel print  and framed it with a striped pattern print.  I think it is just adorable.  Her quilt represents the state of Virginia.
  Thank you, Mrs. Claus.













 
   From Mrs. Claus of NC, a big box arrived!  She is a great supporter of this project.....and a very busy Mrs. Claus.   Opening her box was like Christmas.    The first 3 are cute scrap quilts accented with tiny rosettes!  I enjoy her choice of bright colors in these.

The next group from Mrs. Claus of NC included this group of quilts.....a 4 patch, a hexagon, a split square, and one of bricks!  The variety is just delightful in these.

  Three more from her.....I knew there had to be one with purple!   And if you look close you will see that she used big-stitch quilting by hand on most of these.  I can't decide if the triangles or the coin quilt is my favorite here.

Just a photo of the detail Mrs. Claus of NC, Jo added.  A tiny label and crocheted rosette on the back, along with tiny rosettes on the front.











  The last two are covered in snowflakes....sparkling and beautiful. They lead  me to share part of this Mrs. Claus' email story......
    She recalled memories of her Mom wrapping gifts for kids in the neighborhood, saying they were from Santa.  As a young child she could not understand how gifts arrived unwrapped at her house.   Her mother explained that sometimes Santa needed help from us, and that Santa was someone who loved us.  she ended by saying she quilted these with love and hopes the children will feel the love sent their way.
  Isn't that just perfect!  Her sweet memory explains what this is all about.  A little help and a lot of love shared by quilters, who are a Mrs. Claus.  Thank you all.