Quilts for Carolina hurricane victims

From my Carolina Home quilt 

   Carole at From My Carolina Home shared a post today about her hurricane project.   She has  also prepared a PDF of the split 9 patch block she will be using.   mIt's the same as those used for the California Fire quilts.  So instead of me "plaining" it all, please drop in and read her details.
 




  Quilts of Compassion are also making and collecting quilts for the Hurricane Florence victims.   Their latest posts lists a couple of shops who are helping collect quilts, as well as address for mailing quilts. 

  The news here is showing rivers are still cresting and rain is in the forecast for the next couple of days.  Some of it actually may be leftover parts of Hurricane Florence that has circled around and reformed into a small system!  Unbelievable -----I have never seen a hurricane refuse to die like this one.  The flooding continues and people are still waiting to get back to their homes.  Many of them know all is lost.  So if you want to help at all, these two projects will be wonderful to support.  Thanks. 
Happy stitching. 

Disaster Response for quilters

   Today Sir Old Man is off to take training for Disaster Response Team in our area......like he needs another volunteer project?    He attempted to interest me....but for some reason I do not have a desire to learn "Mud Out/Ashes Out".  And secondly it can be intensely physical and guess  who is a total klutz?

  Yet......I am joining a Disaster Response Team....for quilters.  Sharon at Vrooman's Quilts  shared a call (very timely for me)  from  Quilts of Compassion---Facebook link here ---- for quilts for their Disaster Response Team.   There is an urgent need for quilts for the victims in Illinois after the tornadoes.   I have one ready to go.  And a real purpose for those scraps I love to stitch.

  So while I am changing the layout of my Let's Book It project....that means I am adding sashing strips after doing a reset.....I am also doing a leader/ender  of lots of 4 patches.  I can then turn the 4 patches into another Disaster donation quilt.

  I also had time to think about why I hate to do sashings.  You can wander thru my house and look thru my quilt stack and not see a quilt with sashing between the blocks.
Insight:  Adding sashings to blocks is so absolutely boring for me.  I feel like I am running in place and getting no where.   At least when I am adding a border, I know I am approaching the finish.
  OK, break is over....time to take photos of the table runners....got those finished and will post tomorrow.  And then back to the sashing salt mine!  Happy stitching.  

A little thawing please

  After 4 days of temperatures not reaching the 32 degree mark, I was ready for some "warmer" temps!  It was too cold to even stick your nose outside and so the result is a little cabin fever here.
  I managed to stay busy.....taxes are done, and helped  Sir Old Man with the final paper work for his Dad, which has gone surprisingly smooth.  I also spent a long day re-vamping supply lists, and handouts for a watercolor workshop I will be doing.  

   Quilting and binding on a Habitat for Humanity quilt is done!    I mentioned this earlier I know, and it had been hanging around way too long.  It was still too cold for me to do a real photo shoot.....so I grabbed a couple of photos as quick as I could.  This is a very scrappy rail fence block that creates a woven design.  I only did the quilting and binding on it.







 One reason I put it off was the backing......really, it is an ugly fabric.  And to top it off, the yardage I was given was 4 inches too short.   This  meant I had to creatively piece it running across the quilt on its side rather than top to bottom.  LOL.....someone may get sea sick looking at the back of this one.

 
    Then I spent a day pinning.....pin basting the butterfly wings baby quilt  and the English Garden quilt.  It was a sunny day to spent in the sun room with clamps and pins.   Our breakfast table is out there and a nice size for pinning smaller quilts.    You might notice the border here.  I nixed my original idea of a picket fence.  I did a small section and realized it was too busy and over whelmed the butterflies.  So I used the old faithful favorite....my  simple border.

    It was more of a struggle with the English Garden quilt, as it is almost full size.  I had to shift it and re-clamp 4 times to get it completed....but I wasn't going any where and it was sunny out there.   It is ready to go under the needle now.
   Did I mention that I am already tired of the gray days and cold temps?   I think I have that seasonal disorder....I need bright sunlight on a more regular basis.  Guess I need one of those special lamps.   But then, come summer I will whine about the heat.......:)D
   Tomorrow is a grocery run......freezer is getting bare after a full week of lunches and dinners.  And I will finish cutting fabrics for a future project, a repeat of a favorite.  Happy stitching.

What to do with strings

   I ended up with only 4 string blocks from the weekend play time.  The rest of the time was spent hemming slacks, but that is another story.  So only 4 string blocks, and a little imagination, some fusible pieces and  you get......

A small table topper hanging!  Ready to be quilted and displayed next month.

   A small project always motivates me to tackle what needs to be worked on....so  next up are the scrappy blocks on the design wall.    I have 3 rows sewn.....and it really looks much better than this photo shows.
   I get to the assembly stage on some projects and just get a bit bored.  OK, I get a lot bored.   But I rely on my self imposed rule of  3 to prevent this from becoming a full/total/complete UFO.



    So I am numbering rows and hoping for a good movie just made for sewing rows while watching.  This will go in my stack of quilts for donations.....to replace one I will deliver on Wednesday.  You can never have too many quilts to share, and there is always someone who needs to be covered.   Especially at this time of year, I am thankful I can share my gift.   Stay warm, and  Happy stitching.  

Ending out July

  I'm ending out July a day early.....in hopes of having my computer re-built in the next couple of days.  Sir Old Man has taken on another challenge for me---with the enlisted help of  Hunter, Wonder Geek,  from next door!  Computer parts are arriving daily and a newly created computer will arise from the mass of stuff sitting in the office and hallway.  At least I am telling myself that----fingers, toes, and eyes crossed.

 

July 2014:  Quilted donation for Habitat for Humanity; Cascade wall hanging for guild auction; Pot Luck Supper completed;  Quilted donation quilt for Quilts of Valor.

   Two donation quilts were quilted, one donation wall hanging made and quilted, and a finish for the Let's Book It monthly challenge.  Hot Legs had a work out this month.   

   This is Pot Luck Supper that I started in May for the Let's Book It challenge.  Here's the post where I began.   The pattern is Hot Dish, but in the South we love to hold Pot Lucks.....bring your favorite recipe in your prettiest dish and share.  Throw a quilt on the ground and dig in!  I used a new to me motif to quilt this one.....the swirl flower in an all over pattern.  

   So that leaves one quilt to be quilted, and one on the wall.......the scrappy trips.  I added a few more blocks.  And yes, I am absolutely loving this one.  I have about 20 more strip sets selected to sew, so there is still a ways to go. And I have not made much of a dent in the floral stash....those strips just keep multiplying.   

    Still more prep work for the feathers workshop and trunk show.....I am dragging my feet there, so that's got to be my push for the next week.  Then I will be ready for some fun and a new project......and absolutely no idea where that will take me.  I also need a good day to take some photos of some very special doll quilts that came from Mrs. Claus in Arizona.  Stay tuned, you don't want to miss them!

Happy stitching.  

The quilts we give

  I am fortunate to be able to give quilts and receive some too.  The doll quilt project, Get Your Mrs. Claus On, is on-going and the small ones keep arriving.  I appreciate all the support and help that comes from individual and groups of quilters that want to share their heart  each year.
 

  Mrs. Claus from Michigan, aka FayeJean, sent two adorable doll quilts.  Faye is a member of the HGTV Message Board that keeps this rolling on.  Mrs. Claus used decorative stitches for the quilting on these.  A clever idea that is really cute.  Thank you, Faye!

      A cute golden checkerboard quilt, and a printed panel  of puppies were sent by Mrs. Claus of NY, Sharon of Vrooman's Quilts.  Sharon has been piecing up a storm this year, and does the most wonderful small quilts---doll quilts are a specialty of hers.  Check out the next 2........












 
  I am so in love with the tiny pinwheels!  You can see that she does not waste a scrap of fabric  She used a soft color palette in this simple design that has that wonderful old quilt feel to it.
  Mrs. Claus loves pink!  She  used leftovers I know for this cute bargello style doll quilt.  Thank you, Sharon, for sharing your talent and such a variety of  doll quilts with us.






    I mentioned that a friend of mine, Suzanne, gave me a little something to quilt for her.  Suzanne is the Upstate Coordinator for Quilts of Valor.....it is her mission in life to wrap every veteran in this area with a quilt.  She had this quilt turned in...basted and ready to quilt....with all that wide open space just waiting to be filled.  :)

I probably went a little over board....but I wanted that beautiful star to jump right out at you.

   The quilts we give cover young and old, warm each heart, and touch each soul.  The quilts we give say things, like we love you, be encouraged, and we thank you for your service.  The quilts we give, whether small or large, may not change the world, but I believe they make a difference in lives that we touch.
  Thank you all.
Happy stitching.  

Bound and determined!

   Bound for a Habitat for Humanity home.......made by a guild member from donated fabrics.  I only did the quilting and binding.  At guild, Susan said they gave 11 quilts in one weekend this month to new home owners.  That means their quilt stash is low.











    Bound for the guild's Auction..... I finished up another cascading watercolor wall hanging  that will be donated for the auction booth at the guild Quilt Show in October. I really like the banner size.  This one is 12" by 36".   I used a swirl quilting instead of the usual meander which I tend to do on these.  Just for a little variety.



   So two are cleared out....and one added.  Susanne said she had a little something for me at guild meeting Monday night.  Her something little was a Quilt of Valor that needs to be quilted.  So since I have nothing else on my plate---ha!----I brought it home.  I will consider it an honor to quilt it so a service man/woman can be "covered".   It is a striking one, and I will be featuring it when quilted.  And I am bumping it to the head of my list....my two can wait a few more days.











  That leaves the design wall project.   I sorted a lot of strips into sets to be sewn....about 20 stacks of those.  Eventually they will be added to these.   My photo just does not capture the glow that is developing here.  The arrangement will change as I progress, as I keep twisting and turning the blocks.  But I am loving it so far.

    I am working on the database/listing of quilts I have here that I will narrow down for the trunk show.  I keep finding ones I over looked/rolled up/stored away/absolutely forgot about!  I realize there is no way to show them in chronological order.  I would be jumping from one focus or influence  to another.  So I think I will figure out 3 main influences to focus on and find quilts to show how I grew in these areas.   Just putting this idea into words helps.....thanks for putting up with that.     So far, I think my break is working.
Happy stitching.