My Quilt Parade

Last year, before my granddaughter Emily left for Georgia, she told me she really liked my fall wall hanging because fall is her favorite season. I decided that I would make one like it for her.  I was happy that I still had some of the same fabrics to use in her quilt.  I think I actually like hers better! I love the backing with the beautiful fall colors! And a quilt is not really complete until the label is on! The quilt measures 58" square, and the batting is pieced from different leftover batting remnants.  There are 121 five-inch patches in an 11 x 11 grid. Emily now lives in Georgia so I mailed it to her.  I hope it was what she expected and that she loves it as much as I do. Read more about this quilt here . August 2020

My daughter made these two similar quilt tops over five years ago for her two girls, who are now young women.  She thought the prints with jungle animals and butterflies were too juvenile for them and told me to donate the quilts to a kids' charity.  But now that they are finished, I think we should hang on to them. Maybe someday her daughters will have their own little girls who would love a quilt made by their  grandmother and great-grandmother. The tops are a simple design of 5 x 8 rows of alternating squares that finish at 7-1/2 inches.  The orange one has top and bottom borders with squares-on-point. I quilted them with FMQ on my Mega Quilter with an allover design of flowers, hearts, and loops.  I used a natural cotton batting with a pink twin-size sheet for the backing on one.   The quilts measure 51" x 65" and 56" x 82". Read more about this quilt here . August 2020 Update:  These quilts were donated to Project Linus in February 2021.

This is the third and last quilt kit I've completed for Touch of Comfort Quilts for Kids. This was a kit my daughter ordered in 2015 but never started.  I accidentally stumbled upon it in 2019 and decided to finish it myself. I quilted it with FMQ on my short-arm Mega Quilter and used an all-over hearts and loops design. It's not perfect but it gets the job done. I used a fluffy polyester batting which gives it a textured look.  The quilt measures 36" x 41" and I'm pretty happy with it.  I hope the recipient will be happy with it too. Read more about this quilt here . August 2020

Warm Wishes Pattern These charity kids' quilts are the last two from the 2009 stack of quilt tops.  The pattern for both quilts is Warm Wishes from Quiltmaker magazine 2000.  This is one of my all-time favorite patterns.  They each measure 36" x 47".  They were quilted on my short-arm Mega Quilt with an all-over squiggle and loop design. This is the original stack of 11 quilts from 2009. And here are the 7 finished quilts today, minus the 4 that were gifted.  Ten+ years in the making but better late than never! July 2020

These quilts were made from kits from the Downey Touch of Comfort program in partnership with Quilts For Kids.  I'm a little abashed because I've had these kits since 2013 and I can't believe it's taken me this long to get them finished. In 2010, I made three quilts from requested kits and thought I had made my final contribution.  I honestly do not remember requesting any more kits but in October 2019 I discovered not 2 but 3 kits!  Two had a packing slip dated 2013 with my name.  The third kit had a slip from 2015 with DD's name. This 4-patch pattern is so simple and easy to make.  They measure 36" x 42" and are a perfect size for a small child. Read more about these quilts here . These are the first quilts I've finished this year.  They are also my first quilts of the new decade.  So far 2020 has been a turbulent year, starting with a pandemic and national emergency, then add to that riots and public outcry over police brut...

When DGD told me she and her friend were moving back east, I wanted to give them something special for their new adventure.  Of course, a special quilt would fit the bill! Emily and Her Ombre HST Quilt Emily searched online and selected this free pattern.  It is Ombre HST Quilt Pattern by Sarah Goer  and was out of my comfort zone, but the half-square-triangle design was fairly easy.  The instructions were also easy to follow. The fabrics are all KONA cotton and it was a fun quilt to make. I gifted this to her on Christmas Day.  Her smile and hugs were my rewards.  I will miss her very much! December 2019 Patches of Life And so ends another 10 years of quilting (2010-2019) with 40   quilt projects -- definitely not as productive as the previous 10 years but I'm happy to still be quilting.  This also marks 11 years of retirement.  Wow, time flies by too fast. Of these 40 projects, I created and donated 13 charity quilts, mostly ...

When DGD told me she and her friend were moving back east, I wanted to give them something special for their new adventure.  Of course, a special quilt would fit the bill! Kalauni and Her 4-Patch Quilt Kalauni picked the colors for her quilt, but DGD picked the pattern from a few I showed her.  It is 4-Patch Slice by Inspiring Creations  and is a free online pattern.  I gifted this to her on Christmas Day, and the smile on her face was priceless. December 2019