Monthly Archives: March 2013
Charity Quilting: Quilts for Kids
More than two years ago, I requested quilt fabric for a quilt from QuiltForKids.org organization. Unfortunately, it arrived near the time I was diagnosed wtih MS, so the kit sat in my to-do pile for a couple of years. Of the quilts I was able to make while dealing with the MS and the symptoms, the charity quilt was not a top priority in my life.
Enter my foster mother in January this year, who demanded I keep her in stitches (literally) so she didn’t get bored while wintering with us. Unfortunately, the quilt she made with the fabric the QuiltForKids.org sent for us met a sad demise. My foster mother is new to domestic machine quilting and she didn’t pin her backing well enough to the front of the quilt and ended up with a huge “bubble” (fold) on the back of her quilt. Not to mention that our lab claimed it as her own even before it was quilted, regardless of whether is was made for her or not!
Therefore, I gave my FM one of my original precut quilt kits and that is what she made for us to send to QuiltForKids.org!
My foster mother with the quilt she made.
My foster mother, showing the back of the quilt.
The label that QuiltForKids.org sent to us for our quilt.
My foster mother wanted me to make sure to take, and show, a photo of the different patterns and thread colors she used.
She always has fun with the backs of her quilts!
The finished quilt – an original design by TK Harrison of BOMquilts.com and QuiltTherapy.com
QuiltForKids.org appears to be a very legitimate charity organization. No information comes up for them at BBB.org (Better Business Bureau), which usually means there are no complaints about the organization and they are not a member of the BBB.
Here is a couple of images from their website:
BOMQuilts.com’s Block of the Month Quilts
We are having a great time piecing the 2013 free block of the month quilts at BOMquilts.com! The “Pendleton Inspired” quilt is a 12-month BOM quilt project with colors so rich you will feel like you’re living in Morocco! The “Chocolate Cake and Roses” quilt is a six-month BOM with extra yummy fabrics that will make your desire for chocolate necessary! Here are the current block instructions for those two quilts:
“Pendleton Inspired” Block #2 – March 2013
“Chocolate Cake and Roses” Block #5 – March 2013
“Chocolate Cake and Roses” Block #6 – March 2013
Please join us at BOMquilts.com in making these beautiful BOM quilts!
Both BOM quilts are sponsored by AbbiMays.com Fabric Shop and Aurifil threads.
Another Satisfied Baby
I guess I went on a baby quilt piecing binge last year because it seems I had four or five baby quilts to gift away this year! Not that there is anything wrong with that, I am pretty sure it happened because I finally learned to handle my MS symptoms to the point that I was capable to sew again.
This past weekend, my daughter got to be the one to enjoy that oh-so-special feeling of giving away a quilt to a special person. She had asked me last year, when a friend of hers had a baby, if I would make a special quilt for the new little man. I said no, but I would make one WITH her – to which she readily agreed. Using one of my “Six Fat Quarters” quilt patterns, we chose the fabric, cut the pieces per the pattern and I sewed while she used the iron to press my seams and then we both put it all together. Mrs. Kathryn Rister quilted it for me and then my foster mother whip-stitched the back binding and blind-stitched the label on. It was definitely a family affair plus Ms. Kathryn!
Here is my oldest daughter with her special little man:
And here is the quilt she and I made for him:
This photo is a close-up of the quilt pattern Kathryn Rister quilted the quilt with:
And finally, the happy mom and still-uncertain-about-me baby, along with my daughter, with his new little baby quilt:
BONUS! BABY FEET!!! 🙂
Prayer/Comfort Shawl Blocks
I wanted to share the blocks that I made for the comfort shawls I posted about. I used my EQ7 to re-size the blocks to 15″ finished squares (15 1/2″ unfinished) each, and added a sashing and a 2″ finished border around both of the shawls.
Here are the two blocks I used:
 
 “Jacob’s Ladder” Block
For a 15″ finished (15 1/2″ unfinished) block, these are the cuts for your fabric. I have three of these on the shawls I made:
- TEN (10) neutral-colored  3″ squares
- TEN (10) Green 3″ squares
- TWO (2) 6″ neutral-colored squares – draw a diagnonal line, corner-to-corner, ONE (1) time on the back of these squres
- TWO (2) 6″Â focus fabric squares
Sew the larger 6″ squares by following the line you drew on the back of the fabric, 1/4″ on EACH SIDE of the line you drew. Then cut the squares apart ON the line you drew. Square up the half-square triangles so they are 5 1/2″ square.
Next, just follow the image of the block above to create your nine-patch block!
“Garden of Eden” Block
For a 15″ finished (15 1/2″ unfinished) block, these are the cuts for your fabric. I have three of these on the shawls I made:
- Cut SIXTEEN (16) 3 7/8″ neutral-fabric squares – then cut all of these squares in half diagnonally
- Cut ONE (1)  3 1/2″ focus fabric squares
- Cut FOUR (4) 4 3/4″ squares
- Cut FOUR (4) 3 1/2″ x 5 1/2″ strips
Sew the neutral-fabric triangles to the sides of the larger focus fabric large squares. Once that is finished, follow the image above to put the rest together – it is technically a nine-patch, so use that as your guide.
The 2″ finished (2 1/2″ unfinished) borders are made from the focus fabric and the binding is made from either the focus fabric or the complimentary fabric.
Enjoy! These are wonderful to have for friends or family who may need a bit of comfort.