Category Archives: Quilt Gifts

Another T-Shirt Quilt

Quilt Therapy Posted on by

This quilt I was commissioned to make made my heart sing – because the gentleman who the quilt is for rode his bicycle in a number of MS races!  Extra Tammy points for the soon-to-be recipient of this special quilt!

This is no ‘regular’ t-shirt quilt, though.  It will be two-sided, or reversible.  He had white t-shirts and colored t-shirts.  His wife, who asked me to make the quilt, only wanted a lap-size quilt of 60″ square..  Hence, with all of the shirts she sent, we agreed to do a white t-shirt side of the quilt and a colored t-shirt quilt on the back.  Essentially, I am piecing two lap-quilts that will become one.

While the back quilt is in-progress, I thought I’d share the front of the quilt:

HaagQuilt

I’m certainly having fun!  Do you make t-shirt quilts?

Friday Funday!

Quilt Therapy Posted on by

Let’s just make this Friday a Funday with some quilting entertainment in preparation for the holidays that will be upon us before we know it.  Stop what you’re doing and start on some small and simple quilted (or sewn or crafty) holiday decorations that you or your gift recipients can enjoy for years to come!

This is a super (to me) project – very simple and yet it makes a very lovely statement.  I would exchange the Christmas fabrics with blue and white fabrics for my Jewish friends so it’s all-encompassing for everyone!  I am thinking this would make a very lovely teacher gift – with a smaller polystyrene rings (but big enough to make sure the pins are safely hidden in the ring).

wreath

The directions are very simple though you need to read through the comments to get them at Craftsy.com
(photo credit also at Craftsy.com by the designer, Angela Collins)

No matter how much we complain about the stores starting to set out their holiday decorations before Halloween, it seems that I am still scrambling for Christmas ideas at the last minute!  What about you?

Underwater Quilting

Quilt Therapy Posted on by

Do you ever have so many quilt projects going on at one time that you can’t seem to focus on any ONE of them because you’re thinking about your ever-growing list of other projects that need attention, too?  I found myself in that exact situation this past weekend – *needing* to work on one project but thinking about all of the other projects I have lying around in my sewing room.  I could NOT focus.  I did not meet my weekend goals of at least completing a big project so I could work on the other projects.  I occasionally feel like I’m drowning in quilt projects – in a good way, with my scuba gear on 🙂

Perhaps you’d like to peek in my sewing room at the projects:

IMG_0659

IMG_0660

This is the project I need to finish ASAP – a two-sided t-shirt quilt.

IMG_0661

This box is chock full of shirts & sweatshirts for my next t-shirt quilt.

IMG_0658

Two of my children are getting confirmed this month, so these are their stoles that need pressing and embellishing.

IMG_0662

This is the cut-out fabric for a tote bag exchange that is not required to be finished until March 2014 but it’s such a fun & quick pattern that I want to make it now!

IMG_0663

This is the cut-out fabric for another tote bag, except this one is for me and my iPad.

IMG_0664

This is one of two Quilted Lovies in progress.

IMG_0665

And here we have the retro fabric to bind an antique quilt for a cousin – just waiting for me to get to it.

And without sharing the photos, I also have a lap quilt and a baby quilt that need the binding attached so I can send them on their way to their intended recipients.

Whew, just listing all of these quilt projects out makes me tired…and it certainly hasn’t gained me any more motivation to work on them.  Guess I’ll keep plugging away until that oft-hiding quilt mojo returns!

How many projects to YOU have going on at one time?

Quilting Love

Quilt Therapy Posted on by

As you may recall, I recently made a baby quilt for a local friend.  You can read about it here and here.  The quilt was a challenge, to say the least – since most of the fabric from my quilt friend was basically a couple of shirts, some khaki pants and a load of golf towels.  It took me a few days of laying out the parts and pieces before I settled on a design that would work as well as keep the memory of the recipient’s father alive.

Some quilters choose to make show quilts in hopes of collecting ribbons (and prize money) from all over.  Other quilters quilt mainly for charity – giving their quilted gifts to those in need.  There are also others who quilt for a purpose, particularly those groups associated with a church, and the quilts are sent off to the needy in other countries.

Me?  I have a passion for quilting and quilt for the recipient.

After making that baby quilt I spoke of above, I wanted reassurances from both the friend I made the quilt for as well as the mother of the recipient.  The mother is a life-long quilter (creating most every quilt by hand – start to finish)…hence my desire to do right by her husband’s memory as well as to do right by my quilt friend.  After a neck hug, she assured me I’d done good.

Then, the friend I made the quilt for, shared some info about the quilt from the recipient’s point of view:

At the shower, Ray’s quilt was the first one opened. Mandy and others loved the “look” and complemented the longhorn fabric and designs. But then I mentioned that Linda had given us permission to use Ray’s things and they began to see the details. I think Mandy tried to keep composed, so she moved on to the next gifts. There happened to be about five quilts in a row, so I kind of felt bad that there were so many of the same thing. But after all the gifts were opened, Mandy and Callie bee-lined for Rays quilt and spent a lot of time admiring the details and reminiscing about the clothes and golf towels. It was pretty special!!

THIS is the reason I quilt.  THIS is what makes me enjoy making special quilts for folks.  THIS is quilted love at its finest.

Smiles and Love for a Gifted Quilt

Quilt Therapy Posted on by

The baby quilt I spoke about here was lovingly received by the mother-to-be this past weekend.  I am always worried when being commissioned to make a lasting quilt legacy that it is or is not well received.  I am super happy to report that I was told that everyone LOVED the quilt I made.  And in making this quilt so much more special was that everything that was put into the quilt were either from the recipients dearly departed father or fabric the recipient held near and dear to her heart.  This was definitely a quilt made of love.

MandyQuilt

And I was just one cog in the wheel.  A local friend commissioned me to make the quilt, the mother-to-be’s mother gave me her husband’s fabrics, I purchased the fabric for sashing and backing, the quilter quilted it and I finished it by putting on the binding.  A true labor of love from all who put their hands on this beautiful quilt.

Thank you D.Z. for allowing me to be a part of this tangible legacy of the life of one man, to his daughter and to his soon-to-be first grandson.