A Quilting Life Block of the Month (Jan's Quilt)

If you need more projects to work on or you're looking for a quilty podcast to listen to, check out Sherri's blog, A Quilting Life.  Just after the Covid isolation began my quilty friend Denise used that blog to entice me into doing a Mystery Block of the Month as a sew-along with her.  It turns out this Mystery BOM is an annual thing.  Now she's talked me and three other neighbors into making the 2022 mystery quilt.  More about that later.  

The 2020 quilt was designed using all half-square-triangles.  I decided to use bright batiks ..... 

..... with Kona white for the background .....

..... and a nice black and white stripe to give it some interest and make it my own.  I took the blogger's advice and made up all the HSTs I would need for the year.  

I decided to use the option to make eight inch blocks so I could set them on point and have a throw sized quilt instead of a full.

Putting one striped HST in each block was a good decision.  It's such a fun look.

After I finished putting the top together I felt like it needed a border.  I think the border really made the quilt, and to top it all off the quilting by my friend Shirley Jackson was gorgeous.  As always.

A green binding to match the cornerstones really made for a nice finish.

I sent this one to my sister-in-law Jan.  I hadn't made a quilt for her since her wedding.  Don't ask me how long ago that was!

This quilt is one of my favorites.  It's funny.  All the quilts I make are my favorites!

Linking up with So Scrappy.

A Quilt for Joan

I met Joan when I joined my first guild, The Flower Valley Quilting Guild, about twenty years ago.  More than fifteen years ago we both joined a small daytime group started by a mutual friend we fondly dubbed "Day-Quilters".  So I've been to many meetings, lunches, field trips, and retreats with her, and she is a dear friend.  Here she is with a paper doll of herself; we were each asked to make one for a 50th Birthday Party/Quilt retreat we were graciously invited to a while back.

Sadly, Joan is losing her vision which means she has to give up quilting.  When I saw her a few months ago at Day Quilters she asked each of us to take what we wanted of her fabrics and UFOs.   I came home with this scrappy little 35" top.  

She thought I could make it into a doll quilt, but I decided to turn it into a "Joan Quilt".  Scrappy it began so scrappier it would become.  I just grabbed some scraps .....

..... and black & white prints, then kept making borders until I thought it was done.

Of course, it definitely needed Scottie dog fabric on the back because Joan really, really loves Scottie dogs.

It finished up about 53" square and pretty cute, I think.

Now it's washed and dried and has that comfy, crinkly look every quilt looks better with .....

..... which means it's ready to mail.  I hope it brings up a lot of sweet memories for Joan when she uses it.  I know it did that for me while I worked on it.

Linking up with Confessions of a Fabric Addict,

and Quilting is More Fun than Housework, 

and Tish's Adventures in Wonderland.

A Pulse Quilt Finish

My Pulse Quilt is in the mail making this seven finishes for me this year.  Check out #quiltsforpulse  on Instagram to see all the beautiful quilts that are being made for this effort.   Last week I made the backing using the last of a bolt of white fabric I had.  It didn't stretch quite far enough (again!) so I needed to add a few strips.  I thought this fat quarter would be perfect considering all the great colors in the top .....

..... but, when I showed the completed backing to Hubby he smiled.  That might sound okay, but normally he gives me a lot of positive feedback and praise.  I knew I needed to rethink it.

I cut out those strips and threw them into the strip basket.  The print I really wanted to use from the front only had a bunch of 7-inch squares and assorted strips left, but I pieced it so I could have large enough sections to use.  That's a lot of seams!

Straight-line quilting on the background with white thread and stippling on the heart with matching colors was just the look I was going for.

It made sort of a shadow of a heart on the back, which I especially like.

The back looks a lot better without those dark strips, doesn't it?

Isn't the binding perfect?  Hubby helped pick that out, too.  He definitely has a good eye.

I had a great selection of Black and White prints available to use.   

So now My Pulse Quilt is in the hands of the United States Postal Service, winging its way to the Orlando Modern Quilt Guild.  

I only hope it brings some small amount of comfort to whoever receives it.   I definitely made it with love.

My Pulse Quilt

Whenever there is a disaster of any kind quilters do what they do best.  They make donation quilts.  That's the best way we can extend comfort to people we don't know and will never meet.   Right now there is an effort underway to make quilts for the survivors and families of the victims of the mass shooting at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida.  The Orlando Modern Quilt Guild is organizing the drive for donation quilts.  Information can be found here.

I made blocks for a group quilt my friend Teajuana is making .....

 ..... and, then I started making a quilt of my own to donate.  This is just a tiny part of the black & white stash I decided to use.

I cut 4 1/2" squares and started sewing them into rows.

Most people are putting a heart of some kind on their quilts.  I wanted my heart to be a little different from everyone else (naturally), and I also wanted it to have some significance so I sketched out a broken heart, chose colors, and got busy.  I even set up a sewing corner at the beach condo when we went on vacation.

I'm pretty happy with how it turned out, though I think I could have had more interest between the purple and blue fabrics.  ( I know.  Quilters aren't supposed to point out the negatives about their quilts.  But, anyway.)

When I originally sketched out this heart on graph paper, I thought it would be soooooo simple.  Squares and Half-Square-Triangles.  Easy.  (This is sounding familiar - I think I have set out to do a simple design with HST's and gotten into trouble before.....)  After a lot of ripping, re-cutting, and re-stitching I had SO many components left over it was ridiculous.  I could probably make another project with them! lol

Hopefully, I can get the backing made and get this finished quickly.  I've already submitted the form saying I would mail it ten days from now.  Does that make me kinda crazy or just really confident?

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Oliver's Quilt

Now I can tell you about the most recent baby quilt I made.  The last time I posted I was getting ready to mail it to our newest great-nephew, Oliver.  I had actually started this one in plenty of time instead of waiting until the last minute, I just couldn't post about it until now.  I wanted to make his quilt with black and white and brights because I had given this quilt to Oliver's mama, Nikki, when she was a teenager.

I decided to appliqué stars onto a black and white print marked off in 5" squares.

Then I found a great black and brights print to use for the alternate blocks. 

Love the green I used for a little accent border!

Hand-quilting is one of my favorite ways to relax in the evening.

I wanted to use another shade of green for the binding, but after I made it and started sewing it on, I decided I really didn't like it .....

..... so I tried out a red and a yellow and didn't like them either.

Do you ever find large pieces of yardage in your stash and you can't remember why you bought it?  I didn't think so.  Anyway, I found five yards of this in my stash, and it looked perfect.

I really love this quilt.  Hubby smiles when I say that.  I say that after every quilt.

The backing is pieced with a few bright strips to make it wide enough.

I think little Oliver likes his quilt.  I know his mama does.  

That makes this quilter really happy!

I'm linking up with Oh Scrap! at Quilting is More Fun Than Housework and WIP's Be Gone at A Quilting Reader's Garden. 

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I Spy Another Finish

I think I have my mojo back because I just finished another quilt, the I Spy quilt I started at retreat in June.  Wait -- that means I made this quilt from start to finish in less than a month?  That sounds like the old me!  I found this really fun fabric in my stash for the backing.  It's called "Crazy Stripe" by Cynthia Rowley for Michael Miller Fabrics.  

To make the backing wide enough I inserted a 10" strip, but turned it first which gave it am interesting look.  I may need to buy more of this print.  I just love the effect.

I wanted to use another black and white print for the binding so I looked through my black and whites and found a floral that was perfect.  I had just this much left over!

The quilt finished at 49" square, the perfect size for a toddler to use for a while.

I got it mailed a few days ago so in no time it will be wrapped around a little guy with all the love I stitched into it!