Nine patch comfort

       I finished the quilt that was given to me as a kit from someone who was passing it on because they know I make comfort quilts. I love the back more than the front. Yesterday, I was able to get it washed, packed up with pocket quilts, CD, book, handmade card, and custom pocket ready and gifted to a friend's brother in law facing a bone marrow transplant in early September. He is very ill and scared I am told. I pray the quilt will give him some measure of comfort. I heard from my friend, that her brother in law took it out of the bag and has been cuddled in it on his couch since he opened it. Can't ask for any better than that for a quilt.

     This the quilt bag and accessories that I send with the newly washed and dried quilt. If anyone has other suggestions what to put in, I would love to know that. I am always looking to upgrade.

Bag with custom pocket, devotional book, handmade card, 2 pocket quilts, instrumental CD

All packed and ready to go in XL ziploc bag and sealed to deliver.

Mystery quilt all sewn, seeks backing

       My guild's mystery quilt for this year is all sewn. I am not going to put a border on it. I am looking for an appropriate backing so I can get it done to show at guild.

Flannel seeking borders

     I found a free pattern from Riley Blake called Beach Towels that worked with the pieces of batik flannel that I was given. The blocks are 10 1/2" unfinished. However, I do not have flannel for the border, which it needs to be a good comfort quilt. I looked all over online for flannel that would work (not pastels or cutesy prints). I can't find anything. If you have any idea of where else I could find some flannel to finish this quilt with, let me know. I am not going to dye flannel to finish this. The flannel is of a high quality.

Magic Stars sewn up!

      Over 2 years ago, I posted the blocks called Magic Stars that I found from the Joyful Quilter that does not seem to be there any more. I finally got them sewn, up on the wall and then web sewn. I had a great piece of blue for the border. For a very simple and large block made from 10" squares, I really like the way it turned out.

     I think I have a layer cake that I will cut up into another one!

Beauty Break

      I got a break in the action when my painting teacher invited us to the once a year paint in her garden. I had not painted in a while, so I welcomed the opportunity to photo, sketch and flex the painting brushes. Although her garden is not huge, it is very eclectic and creative. Enjoy some of the plantings! Besides the garden, Jody sets up little still lifes as focal points.

     And some of her demonstration painting.

Special fabric delivery!

      One of the joys of life is receiving fabric in the mail. Knowing someone trusts you enough to make comfort quilts with it and sends it to you is an awesome humbling position that I have blessed with. Gwen has sent me fabric, especially backing fabric, before and it has so helped me to complete quilts to give away.
     Her latest box had all kinds of goodies in it. How exciting! I sorted by size and type, color. It got my brain thinking.

      An absolutely gorgeous group of batik colors were in the box also. However, they are flannel and I don't know how or what quilt to make with them. I have made lots of pillowcases in flannel, but never a quilt. I do not like rag quilts and will not make one. I will not tie a quilt either. So, please, if you have any ideas from your experience, please send them my way so I can transform them into an adorable quilt. They are about a half yard apiece. I washed it and it is a nice heavy flannel.

Orange HSTs final arrangement

      I played around with the HSTs for a while, and finally decided to put the greenish, lightish squares in the center and the darker oranges around it. Sort of. I like the unpredictable quality of it. This layout is instead of the long skinny symmetrical one I showed in an earlier post. The fabrics are wonderful. I have it clipped together to web it soon.

     Also, here is the sewn green/gold HSTs top with border choice.

If you give a mouse a cookie...

     There is a children's book that is one of my favorites over the years. It is called "If you give a mouse a cookie". The story follows a mouse's one simple request and all the ensuing rabbit trails and requests that follow. The author made more in that vein like "If you give a moose a muffin". I admit I have many moments like that.
     I have a closet in my guest room with a top and bottom bar. The top holds backing fabrics (over 72") and the bottom has sewn tops. It is a disaster packed zone. I can't even remember what I went in the closet for, but after having it almost swallow me, I decided to take all the tops out and lay them all over the floor. My husband was on an overnight camping trip, so I spewed tops everywhere. Then I took out all the backings and did the same. Whole downstairs surfaces covered.  I do mark a post it note for each top what size it is and what size backing it needs. I pin it on the lower right corner when it goes on the hanger. I mark the length of the backing fabric the same way. So, there is no remeasuring. Still, I make mistakes. I got one backing ready and on the long arm and found when I put a top from Wanda on it, it was not wide enough.
   Anyways, I paired every top with some backing fabric. I sewed nine backings for nine tops and put them on the same hanger. The rest of the quilts are on a hanger- top and unsewn backing- in a big pile in the guest room, but paired. It seemed like the job kept growing and expanding like the mouse's requests.
    As difficult as it was, it beats doing one backing, one top at a time fighting the closet clogs.

     I laid tops on the sewn backings to see if they fit before they were hung in the closet. I found one error that was not wide enough, so I chose another top and it is on the longarm now.

This comfort quilt from Wanda was too long for the backing I sewed.

For the quilt below

Matched up the flowers pretty good, huh? Surprised myself.

Rosie thought this was a good spot. Always amazes me that she lays on the center of any quilt.

Guild mystery quilt

      The final clue of the guild mystery quilt came in and I was able to lay it out. The paper copy showed a square. I don't know why, I hate square quilts. Maybe because people are rectangular, not square. I stopped subscribing to Block magazine because most of the quilts lately were squares. I like the colors I picked not knowing what the quilt looked like. Relief.
     I pondered with some graph paper and added a top and bottom row which I think finish it off better and makes it a rectangle. Win-win. Now to find a backing. Not sure I can get it quilted by the reveal in September.

Nine patch combo all done!

      A long while ago, a quilt guild friend gave me a kit someone gave her to use as a comfort quilt. Love to get stuff like that. It was not difficult, but it was not a color combo I like- browns. It doesn't matter what I think, the person receiving the quilt is the point.
     Since the backing was made over a year ago, I was able to throw it on the longarm since I was out of sewn up backings. It was fun to quilt. The finished quilt looks better than when I sewed it. I think it is because I had cataract surgery in May and my vision does not have all that yellow in it. Things look clearer and more vibrant. With me, it is all about color (and value). A friend suggested a flange binding with light blue strip. I know A Left Handed quilter would agree.