Pink Ribbon Quilt Tops for Breast Cancer Charity

My favorite online quilting group is doing some charity projects in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness. We started in October. We had 56 people volunteer to make pink and white ribbon blocks, 15 members volunteered to assemble all those blocks into quilt tops, 16 more people volunteered to quilt the tops, and 12 people volunteered to finish the quilts by binding and adding a quilting label. Then these quilts are to be donated to charities that would use them for fundraisers to promote efforts toward breast cancer research, awareness, or related activities.

I volunteered to quilt the tops that other people made. I did 5 of those and it was so much fun picking out what quilting design to use to highlight the quilt but not overpower the quilting design. I got to try out a bunch of designs I hadn't used before. Someone misread the volunteer list and thought I wanted to assemble the tops, so she sent me 9 pink ribbon blocks. I was supposed to send them to someone else but I kept forgetting. Then another member posted a design she came up with and I liked it so much, I decided to use her design and the 9 blocks sent to me by mistake and make a top. It came out great. I posted on the group that I needed some more blocks and got 9 more, so another top is in my future. Don't think I'll get it done before my surgery though

I went to the local quilt shop looking for fabric for the backing (when I was there previously they were having a clearance sale and had a bunch of pink fabric). Of course when I went back (after the inventory) there wasn’t hardly any pink fabric left and none with enough fabric to cover the back of my quilt. So I ended up paying full price for some really cool pink ribbon backing fabric. I'm so glad I did, it looks perfect. I also got some fabric on sale from a friend who has a fabric shop. I ended up buying 10 yards at a little over $4 per yard. Quite a deal. I used it on the back of 3 quilts.

But I had the hardest time picking a quilting design for the top I made. So I decided to use my favorite quilting design which is just swirls. It takes a long time and a lot of thread, but I didn’t care, it was what I wanted. Then I added the binding, including the hand stitching I hate. But the hand stitching wasn’t holding well, so I had to add machine stitching around the binding too (something I hardly ever do). So this charity project ended up costing me a bit more than planned and taking a lot more time than I dreamed, but I am so happy with the end results, it was definitely worth it. Now I just hope the charity it goes to will be able to use it to raise a bunch of funds for Breast Cancer Awareness.

Below are photos of the quilts I quilted (I didn’t piece 4 of the tops, they were each someone else’s design/work); the one with 9 stars is the one I made the blocks for (except the center ribbons) and added the perfect backing, quilted, and machine and hand-stitched the binding. Wish I was keeping it, but hopefully it’ll raise money for the cause and provide comfort to someone special.

A New Twist for Me

I haven't been motivated to do much of anything lately and that includes sewing. But I had promised my baby girl that I would make her a throw quilt to match her tree skirt that she liked so well. I already had the Layer Cake in the same fabric and had planned on using the Twister tool I bought more than a year ago. I had to force myself to do it but I laid out all the blocks and sewed them together. That's the first step.  When I was finished I thought it looked pretty cool and with some fancy quilting it might be okay just like that. So I sent a pic to my daughter of the blocks and then a pic of a twister quilt in similar colors I found on the Internet. And wouldn't you know it she wanted the Twister. So I got busy. The next step is to use the Twister to cut those blocks apart and then sew them back together. Sounds like a waste of time and fabric. But, it wasn't. It really is as easy as they say and I have to say I am awful glad I did it. It looks even better than I thought it would.  This picture just doesn't do it justice.  No two fabrics are the same -- all but 3 are prints.  I've got the top done and that means all that's left is the quilting and binding, which I'm going to get started on as soon as I find out if she wants a border around it first. But I have to say, that little tool is pretty awesome. So I'm a little more motivated now. And when you're finished cutting them all apart, you end up with a bunch of much smaller squares in the same colors that you can use a smaller Twister tool with (of course I bought all 3 sizes) and I can make a mini quilt from those and I have the charm pack I bought before I even bought any of the fabric that I could make a matching wall hanging. So I may have some other twister projects in my future -- but probably not before this Christmas. Here's the before and after pictures. And I've also included a picture of the finished quilt, the front and back, with a closeup of the quilting.
 

My best quilt ever

In 2007 my son asked me to make him a quilt for his bed.  The online quilt group I belonged to had just started a block of the month.  I hadn't even been quilting a year, but I told him I would make the blocks of the month in whatever color he wanted and in a year he would have a quilt.  He wanted red, white and black.  So that's what I did and I kept up with the blocks and after a year I had 12 blocks.  But he said he wanted the quilt to fit his queen size bed so I needed twice as many blocks.  So I used some of the free ones offered on the group site.  But he wanted it to hang down the sides so I figured I needed 49 blocks.  And then I thought it would be best if it was longer so that it could cover the pillows, which meant I needed 56 blocks.  This quilt just kept growing and growing and needing more blocks.  Finally I decided to just make 28 blocks (I had 24 already) and alternate that with 28 solid black fabric squares.  That made it easier.  But then I had to quilt something pretty in those empty black blocks.  He wanted a celtic design so I gave him some options and picked what he wanted.  But the pieced blocks were stars so the design he picked wouldn't work well so I got a different one for the pieced blocks.  But it didn't go into the corners and left a lot of unquilted space so I added some quilted celtic triangle knots in the corners.  Then I wanted to try a different border and corners.  So that was another quilting design -- all celtic.  When it was finally done, 5 years later, it was the best quilt I ever made.  I'm so glad it's done and I was able to give it to him for his birthday which landed on Thanksgiving this year. 

Easy Christmas Table Topper

Had some cute snowman fabric and decided to make a table topper out of it using the 60 degree triangle ruler I have.  I used it recently on a chicken table runner and table topper for my daughter.  It was so easy I figured I'd make a Christmas one too.  I recently got some hexagon shaped quilting designs so I figured I'd try one of them out.  It came out pretty good.  It's got a kind of country flavor to it and is red, white and blue (mostly) too.  So it made me think my daughter might like it.  I guess it'll make the trip with hubby.  He has to take an extra suitcase for all the stuff I have for him to take her.  But when he comes back he can just put one suitcase in the other for the trip home.  I have another one cut out in traditional Christmas colors for me.  Just gotta sew it, quilt it, and bind it.  Wednesday is my day off so I figure I can finish it up then. Plus I have some other quilting projects I'd like to get done.  The photos didn't come out too good, but this is the front and back and hopefully you can see the quilting.

Trick or Treat Time

When hubby and I were on the Quilt Across Texas Shop Hop he found a Halloween panel on sale in one of the shops and bought it.  He figured I'd do something with it.  He thought I'd make a wall hanging and just quilt the panel as is, but I decided to cut it apart and make four trick or treat bags.  Each one has a big block (front of bag), smaller block (as pocket on back) and strips (used as handles).  I used a spiderweb quilting design and used white thread on solid black fabric.  Think they came out pretty good.  And I had a lot of fun making them -- even though it involved a lot of hand sewing.  Tomorrow they will be on their way (with  my hubby) to my daughter's house for her and the three grands.  Didn't have enough to make one for my son-in-law.  Guess he'll have to wait until next year.

It's a surprise - kind of

Hubby gets to go see daughter, her hubby and the grands next week in Washington, but since I used up all my vacation time recuperating from knee replacement, I have to stay home and work.  So instead, I'll be there in spirit and made a surprise for my baby girl.  She loves chickens now. Of course she hated them when she went to school where the sports team was the gamecocks and where there were a dozen chickens in every store.  But now .... she likes them.  So I made her a few.  I found the fabric last year on my Quilt Across Texas shop hop and it just screamed her name.  I finally figured out what to do with the fabric.  The original plan was the table runner.  I took pictures of the quilting on the front and back even though you can't see it very good.  It's a real cool pattern.

 

The leftovers from the table runner became a table topper. Same quilting, but different backing so I took pictures of the quilting on front and back again.  The back of this one shows the quilting the best.



But the wallhanging is my favorite.  I actually have enough fabric to make two but ran out of time and hubby said she doesn't have enough wall space for two.  We'll see if she agrees, I could always send it later.

Was tons of fun but so glad to be done.  And I was able to finish in time for hubby to take with him, so no shipping costs.  Life is good.

Christmas Tree Skirt #2

I finished my second Tree Skirt and as usual it's even better than the first.  Still not perfect but definitely pretty.  On Nov. 1 it'll be at it's new home and underneath a Christmas Tree.  Here's what it looks like pre-tree.

Close up of quilting on back.

Close  up of quilting on front.