Raffle for Women's Retreat

Every year my quilt group at church has made a quilt to be raffled at Women's Retreat in support of Women's Ministries. This year we decided to make individual items so more women would have a chance to take a quilted item home and hopefully sell more tickets. These are my contributions.

"FLOWER GARDEN"

lap size

SPRING/SUMMER

reversable runner

(Sorry I haven't responded to your comments. I got a new computer and I'm having trouble with my email. Its on my list of to-dos but this involves one of my sons giving me some time.)

"BIG BROTHER" & "LITTLE BROTHER"

"BIG BROTHER" "LITTLE BROTHER"

My daughter-in-law saved my grandsons' "baby" clothes in hopes that I would make a quilt for each of the boys. They are now 5 and 3 years old. The challenge was to blend a variety of colors, deal with various fabric types and include key logos in both quilts i.e." DUKE" and "OXY".

I started by cutting and reducing the bulky clothing into usable "squares". As I was cutting up the T-Shirts, I realized that the brand labels and printed sizes inside should be used too. I also found that I could leave the ribbed neckline, pockets or the snap front from some body suits.

I laid out the various size pieces on the floor, distributing colors to repeat throughout. The remaining fabric was cut up and used for sashing and additional squares.

I did a lot of stitch-in-the-ditch and diagonal grids but I also had fun doing free motion designs that reflected the image in the logo. Since so many of boys clothing is made of plaids and stripes, it was natural to use plaid and stripe backing fabrics.

"LAVENDER BOXES"

My sister and I delivered this quilt to her granddaughter on her 10th birthday. Vanessa was so delighted with her grown-up quilt. Before I took it to the quilter, I realized I made it too long so I converted the bottom row into a pillow sham. I think its makes the whole package complete.

Compare her pose with the day she received her first quilt at age 4. To see her just as happy was all the "thank you" I needed.

Reliving the Adventure: "JOURNEY TO JAPAN"

The Journey to Japan began a year ago.

I'm more than pleased with my quilt but I'm sorry to be finished. I loved the inventive, creative process of choosing which patterns to use and the tactile feel of hand quilting. Many of the fabrics brought back memories of my trip to Japan, the hospitality of our hosts and being with my sister. The making of this quilt was a memorable journey in its self.

Is it worth ripping?

YES! I was trying to do with the fabrics I had without cutting too much from some that came from a friend. I purchased 2 fabrics for this quilt, used what I had in my stash and supplemented with some from a friend. After attaching the border, I realized there wasn't enough contrast so...I ripped and added a 1/2" border from my friend's stash.

The first was alright but I think the second is better. Now its time to machine quilt.

Ready for Quilting & a New Project

I'm very pleased with the finished top. Now to pick my machine quilter. My shoulders and the size of the top have decided for me to have someone else quilt this. I want a curvy overall design.

The backing, shown in the lower right corner, is a batik that picks up all the colors and its bright hues are perfect for the back.

It's time for my husband's sister and brother-in-law to get a quilt from me. Bob requested a cozy Patriotic lap quilt.

I found this pattern on The Quilter's Cache, called Independence Quilt.

This quilt has enough variety to hold my interest while fulfilling the request. I already bought a dark blue flannel for the back which is my first choice for a sofa blanket.

New Quilt for a New Room

Vanessa has grown up so fast. At 10 (in October) she deserves a new quilt in her new room. After moving into their new home, my niece has painted her daughter's room periwinkle and violet. Vanessa had a hard time picking out a pattern that fit her grownup room. She settled on this modern combination of off center squares.

The finished quilt will have 4 blocks across and 6 blocks down. Each block has 4 connecting 9"squares.

I purchased a few new fabrics to tie in with those from my stash.

I cut a variety of sizes and colors for the centers.

I will cut the strips for each center to maximize the use of the limited amounts of some fabrics and assure that colors and patterns are distributed. I like what I've done so far.