Thursday, June 29, 2017

A Starry Autumn Sky

This beautiful star quilt is a tag team effort by Teri from Texas, who pieced it, and Judy from Arizona who quilted it.


You might remember Judy and Teri's previous collaborations from here.  I adore these fall-colored stars with the pretty blue.  The neutrals and oranges are scrappy but Teri used the same blue through out the top.


This is a generously sized quilt.  I can't remember exactly, but it seems like it was in the 60+" x 70+" range.  Judy custom quilted it to accentuate the precise piecing.


This beautiful quilt will go to a family mourning a loved one through Covered in Love.  Covered in Love is nearing 200 quilts given to grieving families, thanks to the support of quilters like Judy and Teri!


The new Covered in Love block drive just began and fittingly it's stars as well! This one will run until the end of August if you want to help out.  More info here



Linking to Crazy Mom Quilts and Confessions of a Fabric Addict.

Listening to... the KONGOS.

"Oh my Stars!" CiL Block Drive

Welcome Quilters to Covered in Love's July/August block drive!  Covered in Love makes quilts for patients who pass away in the hospital which the families can take home as a memento.  One big way we do that is through these bi-monthly block drives.  Anyone is invited to participate and make as many blocks as you like!


This will be another throwback quilt drive. We're repeating last summer's popular "red, white, and blue stars" theme. Families love these patriotic quilts!  The original post is HERE, but to sum up:
      1. 12.5" (unfinished) blocks
      2. red, white, and/or blue
      3. any pattern you would call a "star"
You can take a look at last year's finished quilt for inspiration here, here, and here.  You can also find links to a lot of patterns on last year's block drive page here.  As you can see, there's plenty of room to be creative. You can make a smaller star floating in a 12.5" block or make a single block with several small stars in it.  


Paper pieced, scrappy, wonky, modern or traditional, all stars are welcome!

I am so grateful to Cynthia for helping out by hosting last month's block drive. This time we're going back to me, so if you have two addresses for CiL now ship your blocks to Texas! If you would like to participate in the block drive please leave a comment below (make sure I can contact you) or email CoveredinLoveTx@gmail.com for the address to ship blocks.  This block drive will run through the end of August.


To see finished quilts from previous block drives click here.

Tuesday, June 27, 2017

Sew Some Love Linky

Welcome to the Sew Some Love linkup!  Please link-up any post about a project you're sewing for charity.


I'm doing some traveling again this summer and posting a lot of content to the blog that was finished earlier.  I came across this photo today from a few weeks ago of Rory holding down a pile of quilts awaiting binding. No quilts escaping on her watch!


If you don't read Cynthia's blog at "Quilting is More Fun Than Housework" definitely head over there and check out the progress she has made on the current block drive. She is doing a beautiful job putting together your blocks! The May/June block drive is almost wrapped up and the new one will launch Thursday night, so be on the lookout for that post!


Covered in Love has been so blessed by donations from quilters, I want you all to see what each other have going on!  For purposes of the linky, I'm going to define "charity" really generally.  If you're sewing a quilt for you co-worker's mom with cancer or your friend's uncle who lost his home, that totally counts!  Anything you're sewing out of the goodness of your heart for someone outside you immediate circle of family and friends. 




Some Quilt Charities:
Books and a Blanket - quilts for needy children in central Texas, promoting literacy
Covered in Love - quilts for mourning families
Kennel Quilts - small quilts for animals in need
Margaret's Hope Chest - several programs for children and adults
My Very Own Blanket - quilts for children in foster care
Ovarian Cancer Quilt Project - quilts auctioned to raise money for cancer research
Project Linus - quilts for children in the hospital
Quilts Beyond Borders -  quilts for poor children around the world
Quilts for Kids - quilts for abused and ill children
Quilts of Valor - quilts for veterans
Threading Hope - children and families in poverty and war torn countries
Victoria's Quilts - quilts for cancer patients
Wrap-a-Smile - quilts for children treated for cleft palate on medical missions
Wrap Them in Love - quilts for children

If you know of any that need added to the list let me know!

Thursday, June 22, 2017

3D Geese, Fly Home

This is a super cool quilt, y'all.  Jannette from Canada sent in 4 tops, including this one, for me to finish for Covered in Love.  This one has a really neat 3D flying geese technique.  You can see some more close up pictures of how the geese work here.


This is such a sweet, soft quilt. I stippled it all over, avoiding running over the geese (mostly. There was so me unstitching that had to be done a couple times...)


The colors are not quite as washed out and soft as the pics make them look. I adjusted the colors on the one below to give a truer representation.  I wish I'd gotten a close up of that pink fabrics. It was so sweet, with little puff-ball flowers on it.



This is also a generously sized quilt, which is always nice. I'm sure it will be truly treasured by a family who needs it.


I love this design! It's essentially a rail fence block with 4 "rails" in each, 2 of them being the geese.  Thank you Jannette for sharing this quilt with CiL!


The current Covered in Love block drive is going on until the end of June if you want to help out.  More info here



Linking to Crazy Mom Quilts and Confessions of a Fabric Addict.

Listening to... this very talented violinist covering pop music.

Tuesday, June 20, 2017

Sew Some Love

Welcome to the Sew Some Love linkup!  Please link-up any post about a project you're sewing for charity.


Ok, you might need to put on some sunglasses before you look directly at this quilt! Inspired by my pretty patchwork top I decided to attack my charm squares.  I seem to have an excess of BRIGHT charms, so I went that direction.  I always enjoy the feeling of helping a fabric find its home in a top.



Covered in Love has been so blessed by donations from quilters, I want you all to see what each other have going on!  For purposes of the linky, I'm going to define "charity" really generally.  If you're sewing a quilt for you co-worker's mom with cancer or your friend's uncle who lost his home, that totally counts!  Anything you're sewing out of the goodness of your heart for someone outside you immediate circle of family and friends. 




Some Quilt Charities:
Books and a Blanket - quilts for needy children in central Texas, promoting literacy
Covered in Love - quilts for mourning families
Kennel Quilts - small quilts for animals in need
Margaret's Hope Chest - several programs for children and adults
My Very Own Blanket - quilts for children in foster care
Ovarian Cancer Quilt Project - quilts auctioned to raise money for cancer research
Project Linus - quilts for children in the hospital
Quilts Beyond Borders -  quilts for poor children around the world
Quilts for Kids - quilts for abused and ill children
Quilts of Valor - quilts for veterans
Threading Hope - children and families in poverty and war torn countries
Victoria's Quilts - quilts for cancer patients
Wrap-a-Smile - quilts for children treated for cleft palate on medical missions
Wrap Them in Love - quilts for children

If you know of any that need added to the list let me know!

Thursday, June 15, 2017

Batik Lightning

Over the past year Jean has sent me some beautiful home-dyed batik fat quarters.  Since Cynthia is so generously hosting the block drive this time I have had more time to focus on projects on my wish list. Using some of these pretty batiks was one of them!


I pulled blue and yellow shades, cut them to 4.5" wide on my AccuQuilt and then sewed them together in a braid pattern.


Initially I had planned to trim off the jagged edged and piece them together as usual, but I ended up liking the effect so much that I did raw-edge-applique onto a back background instead.


I quilted it all over with a stipple in black thread.  This one has already been taken up to the hospital for donation through Covered in Love.


Here's an obligatory cat picture of Rory lounging on the back side of this just after it was quilted. Isn't that backing fabric wild? Gail gave it to me with a note saying she had no idea what she was thinking when she bought it!  Well, just goes to show every fabric will find its home eventually.  It doesn't exactly match the top, but I think it does "go".



By the way, a reprint of the paper article on CiL cropped up on AllPeopleQuilt this week.  It's nice how they say I've "touched the lives of many patients in more ways than one" considering they don't know me  :) Thank you to all of you who continue to contribute to CiL. You guys are the real heroes!

The current Covered in Love block drive is going on until the end of June if you want to help out.  More info here



Linking to Crazy Mom Quilts, Confessions of a Fabric Addict, and Oh Scrap!

Listening to... something a little different.


Tuesday, June 13, 2017

Sew Some Love

Welcome to the Sew Some Love linkup!  Please link-up any post about a project you're sewing for charity.



 Recently a quilter named Jannette sent in a few tops to be finished for CiL. You may remember her green stars quilt from a couple weeks ago.  I wanted to show you another one of hers I've been working on. This quilt has neat 3D flying geese, different from what I've get seen before.



These pictures were taken before I put the binding on, so you can see how the middle of the goose is caught in one seam and the bottom gets caught in another seam leaving the "wings" free.


Sorry for the crappy night-time photo, but here's how the geese look all sewn down and lined up. Isn't it cool?  I'm looking forward to showing off this quilt is a future Friday post.


Covered in Love has been so blessed by donations from quilters, I want you all to see what each other have going on!  For purposes of the linky, I'm going to define "charity" really generally.  If you're sewing a quilt for you co-worker's mom with cancer or your friend's uncle who lost his home, that totally counts!  Anything you're sewing out of the goodness of your heart for someone outside you immediate circle of family and friends. 




Some Quilt Charities:
Books and a Blanket - quilts for needy children in central Texas, promoting literacy
Covered in Love - quilts for mourning families
Kennel Quilts - small quilts for animals in need
Margaret's Hope Chest - several programs for children and adults
My Very Own Blanket - quilts for children in foster care
Ovarian Cancer Quilt Project - quilts auctioned to raise money for cancer research
Project Linus - quilts for children in the hospital
Quilts Beyond Borders -  quilts for poor children around the world
Quilts for Kids - quilts for abused and ill children
Quilts of Valor - quilts for veterans
Threading Hope - children and families in poverty and war torn countries
Victoria's Quilts - quilts for cancer patients
Wrap-a-Smile - quilts for children treated for cleft palate on medical missions
Wrap Them in Love - quilts for children

If you know of any that need added to the list let me know!

Thursday, June 8, 2017

Shine!

Happy weekend everyone! I've just dropped off some more Covered in Love quilts at the hospital.  We're up to 190 quilts given to grieving families!


You might remember a couple weeks ago on my charity link-up, Sew Some Love, I showed off this HST top.  A local quilter, Kathy, was kind enough to finish off the HST top I made from a donated "Shine" fat quarter bundle.  She did some stitch in the ditch that really brings out the design and lets the cute fabrics shine.
 

I wish I had taken pictures of the process of making this quilt.  Basically I went through the FQ bundle and paired light and dark FQs, laying them right sides together. Then I drew on the back of one of each pair, outlining (4) 8.5" squares and then drawing diagonal lines 0.25" to either side of the center line. Sew on the diagonals and cut on the straight lines and it makes 8 HSTs at once with minimal waste.

There are four quilters helping with Covered in Love now and I can't tell you what a relief it is!  For this quilt the FQ bundle, backing, and quilting were all donated.  Thank you to everyone who helps.  I hope you have a great week!


The current Covered in Love block drive is going on until the end of June if you want to help out.  More info here



Linking to Crazy Mom Quilts and Confessions of a Fabric Addict.

Listening to... a classic :)

Tuesday, June 6, 2017

Sew Some Love Link-up

Welcome to the Sew Some Love linkup!  Please link-up any post about a project you're sewing for charity.



Sometimes you just want to sew something simple... something pretty. I got the urge to make a quick, pretty patchwork and clear out a little stash last week.  Usually with projects like this my first step is to find a fabric I like with several colors in it, then pull fabrics to match those colors to fill out the quilt. I used my AccuQuiltGo to cut 4.5" strips and strip-piece 16 patches.


The strip piecing used up some remnants from my stash and made a quick top for Covered in Love. What have you been sewing for charity lately?


Covered in Love has been so blessed by donations from quilters, I want you all to see what each other have going on!  For purposes of the linky, I'm going to define "charity" really generally.  If you're sewing a quilt for you co-worker's mom with cancer or your friend's uncle who lost his home, that totally counts!  Anything you're sewing out of the goodness of your heart for someone outside you immediate circle of family and friends. 




Some Quilt Charities:
Books and a Blanket - quilts for needy children in central Texas, promoting literacy
Covered in Love - quilts for mourning families
Kennel Quilts - small quilts for animals in need
Margaret's Hope Chest - several programs for children and adults
My Very Own Blanket - quilts for children in foster care
Ovarian Cancer Quilt Project - quilts auctioned to raise money for cancer research
Project Linus - quilts for children in the hospital
Quilts Beyond Borders -  quilts for poor children around the world
Quilts for Kids - quilts for abused and ill children
Quilts of Valor - quilts for veterans
Threading Hope - children and families in poverty and war torn countries
Victoria's Quilts - quilts for cancer patients
Wrap-a-Smile - quilts for children treated for cleft palate on medical missions
Wrap Them in Love - quilts for children

If you know of any that need added to the list let me know!

Thursday, June 1, 2017

Jannette's Green Stars

Jannette is a Canadian quilter who has very generously contributed to Covered in Love's block drives.  Recently she sent in four fabulous tops to be quilted up for the charity and I've got the first one done!

Spot the backward block? Yeah, neither did I until just now.  I'm not about to fix it... it's called character!
Covered in Love donates quilts to a Texas hospital where they are given to patients who pass away.  Quilts help bring comfort into a hospital room, and family members get to keep the quilt as a cuddly reminder of their loved one.


I love these sweet green stars!  I had the perfect matching backing fabric given to me by a quilter named Gail a while back.  I quilted it all over with a stipple and bound with black and grey fabrics.


The current Covered in Love block drive is going on until the end of June if you want to help out.  More info here



June 1st is Rory's birthday.  She's two, going on 70! Grumpy old lady :)


Linking to Crazy Mom Quilts and Confessions of a Fabric Addict.

Listening to... the Piano Guys.



Rory is Two!

Poor Rory. Sometimes I think she was born an old maid. She is the most anxious, irritable, high strung cat I've ever known!


It's strange that of our two cats Rey had a hard beginning to her life, alone and hungry in the woods, yet she turned out to be personable and laid back.  By contrast, Rory had a charmed kitten-hood growing up with her mom and siblings until I brought her home. 

Fuzzy jellybeans!
I did try (and partially succeed) to potty train her, maybe that's the source of her mental disturbance? I've read that it can send cats off the deep end.

 

Maybe it's just her. Just how she was put together.  Humans can have mental illness, and I suppose so can cats.


She is intensely curious. Mostly because she's scared of everything and needs to check it out and make sure it's safe.  We have to feed her a few kibbles at a time because otherwise she bolts her food and then throws it up. She'll even drink water until she throws it up.


She is terrified of strangers and turns into a feral wolverine at the vet's office.  She's only been  twice and they have to dart her in the carrier before they can examine her.


But don't let me give you the idea she has no quality of life. She enjoys wearing grocery sacks and deliberately puts one on anytime we bring home shopping.  She spends most of her days snoozing on my ironing board or in a chair.  She enjoys being near us, if not being cuddled, as long as it's on her terms.  At night after we've settled down she gets on the beds, and she has to be touching one of us to sleep.


She likes to go outside in the sun and fresh air, as long as there aren't any dogs or other cats or cars around, which makes the roof ideal.


I've had cats all my life, and somehow they still have the capacity to surprise me. They're all so different!  Rory may not be the affectionate, devoted companion I was hoping for after I'd lost my beloved Wilson, but she is undoubtedly her own cat.  And I'm glad she lives here, with us.  I think she has the best quality of life here that she could have, in her sheltered little world, with Rey to provide just enough excitement. Anyone else would have driven her miles away and thrown her out a long time ago!


Happy birthday, stinker.  It's a good thing you're so darn cute!