I was searching for some fabric one day and came upon a number of blocks I had sewn but never put them together into a quilt. I knew I wouldn’t be doing it, either. So, I donated them to the quilt ladies at our church. I was tickled the receive photos of the quilts that were put together with my cast-offs:
Glad to see my blocks and projects used to make beautiful charity quilts for others to enjoy!
I am not drinking the water. Nope. I refuse. I already have four teenagers in the house (pray for me!), I do not want nor need a baby in the house, too!
But, that doesn’t mean I don’t love babies – and making baby quilts seems to be a niche I’ve enjoyed and even thrived at over the years. Right now, I have two baby quilts in-the-works. One, I am just beginning to sew the borders on (it’s a panel) and another is already quilted and just waiting for the binding.
Got Babies?
This was one of the most amazing quilts that I made and there’s a wonderful (even tear-jerking) story behind it. I designed and pieced it from one of Ellen Medlock’s earlier quilt fabric lines.
It sat on my cutting table for a while before my Aunt Leonard asked me to make a baby quilt for one of her nieces (my first cousin, whom I didn’t know). Since I already had this quilt made, I sent it off to Kathryn Rister (www.quiltkitsandquarters.com) and asked her to quilt it. Her beautiful quilting (and I *do* mean beautiful) enhanced this quilt in a way that I had never expected.
Once I had the binding and tag put on, I sent the quilt off to my Aunt Leonard so she could add a card and send it to my cousin and her baby girl. She was very pleased with the quilt.
Not too long after all of this occurred, I was able to take a trip to Iowa, staying with my third (out of four) foster parents and one evening, they watched my kids while I went over to visit with Aunt Leonard and Uncle Honey. They had purchased a new (to them) house some years ago and I had never seen it. After hugs and moochies, I turned around to sit down and was STUNNED speachless. In Aunt Leonard’s living room window were glass butterflies, hanging from thin fishing wire, in front of that window.
I had NO IDEA she loved butterflies. I have been a part of Aunt Leonard’s life practically since I was born and never once did she mention she loved butterflies. But, there it was. No wonder she loved the quilt for her niece! What precious memories that baby will have, not just from the quilt but also knowing about Aunt Leonard’s love of butterflies.
In a word:Â PRICELESS!
Every quilter has scraps…and many quilters save those scraps for other quilt or craft projects. So, my inspiration for these miniature quilt projects came from me cleaning out a set of drawers that were full of fabric scraps I’d saved!
Mini Charm Mini Quilt from Sew Lux
Animal Badges Mini Quilt from Absolutely Small
Simple Triangle Block Sew-Along from Sew Mama Sew
Woven Hearts Mini Quilt designed by Sheila Reinke for OLFA
Scrappy Nine Patch Mini Quilt from Diary of a Quilter by Amy Smart
Indian Hatchet Miniature Quilt by Terrie Sandelin
Have you ever designed and made (or just made) a quilt where you felt, down deep in your soul, who the quilt was for…before ever choosing who to gift a quilt to? This one was mine. When I started it, I had no clue who I would gift or sell it to. But once it was complete, I knew who should have it.
Ultimately, this is a quilt made of nine-patch blocks. Each block is different and yet, each is the same.
Bittersweet Churning 2011 Block of the Month Quilt from BOMquilts.com
I gifted this quilt to my foster mother, when she came to winter with us in early 2013. And to say that she loved it would be an understatement. She was tickled, excited and felt beyond blessed that I gave her one of my quilted creations – from my quilted heart to hers.
It’s never too late to give a quilt of love to a special someone in your life!
