Charity Quilt

 It has finally stopped raining here along the Gulf Coast and we have had three nice days in a row!  Woo Hoo!  That must mean it is Spring.  This lovely dogwood is in my neighbor's front yard.  I love dogwoods when they are in bloom.

Spring also means it is time for the Opera's annual Ball and silent auction.  For the last several years I have made a quilt and my friend makes a sweater and booties and they are auctioned as a set.    Last year, I made a Whirly Wheels quilt out of Kate Spain Central Park for the event from a pattern I found on Moda Bake Shop.

 The quilt and sweater set made over $100 last year. 

This year, I was looking for an easy pattern, as I didn't have much time.  I had one Hoopla charm pack and a bit of another, along with a bit of yardage.  Luckily, my LQS still has some Hoopla because after I got the quilt made, I didn't have enough fabric to bind it.

Pinwheels are easy.  But apparently not for me.  Thursday night, I must have been more tired than I thought because I sewed the wrong end of every block.  They looked like deformed hourglass blocks.  I actually thought it might be fun to use them, but then the rows didn't go together right and I decided to take it apart - all apart - and go with my original plan.

Once I got the blocks together correctly, the quilt went together very easily.  Even the points match up.

I actually love how bright and cheerful this quilt is.

And I really am a sucker for brights on white.  There's just something so fresh about that combination that gives me chill bumps.  Weird, I know.

Happy spring!

Bar Harbor Gets a New Home

Last Monday Night, I attended the Pensacola Quilt Guild meeting for the first time in maybe 6 months.  I have missed meetings first because I was busy with wedding preparations, and then because I was out of town and then because I forgot, and then because I was just plain lazy.  But this month, even though it was waaaay early in the month, I actually remembered and went.  The Guild has new digs, and they are much nicer than their previous ones.

I suppose most Guilds have a Show and Share time, when members can show off their recent creations.  Some of the things these ladies create just blow me away.  I am not nearly so awe-inspiring, but since I was looking for a suitable home for this joint effort Bar Harbor quilt, I decided to share.  A super talented lady, Ingrid, was in line in front of me with maybe 10 quilts to show.  Frankly, I felt slightly intimidated. 

 But when Ingrid's turn came, she thanked everyone for coming to work parties at her home and helping her create 27 quilts for kids in Shoal Creek, Alabama who lost everything in the floods this year.

Perfect?  Oh yeah.  And since I'd been looking for a new home for Bar Harbor, I gave it to her on the spot.

Now, 28 children will get a lovely new quilt for Christmas.

I may need to go make another quilt.

Three Quilts - Finished!

Among several other projects that I completed this weekend, I finally got the last of the 3 quilts that have been sitting in my basket finished.

The top one was pieced by BD#1, and then put in the pile to go to Goodwill or DI.  I just couldn't let that happen, so I brought it home, added borders and backing, and quilted it.

It is destined for 100 Quilts for Kids.  Yes, a little late, but better late than never.

The middle one I called "Woodland by the Lake."  It was a duvet cover I made for BD#2 when she first went off to college.  After that first term, she decided on different decor and brought this baby home.

Not one to let a good effort go to waste, I took it apart, sandwiched it, and it has been languishing in the basket for months.

Officially titled "The Leftover Quilt", the bottom one was made from the leftovers of the tree quilt I made sometime in the summer of 2010.  I had actually bound and quilted this one, stitch in the ditch style, and declared it finished but just wasn't satisfied with it somehow.  It has been sitting in a bag in the sewing room waiting for something...  but I wasn't sure what.  Finally, I decided that it really needed more quilting to make it something special.  I really love the fabrics, and the Disappearing 9-Patch was a ton of fun, and at the time, a real departure for me.  So, over the past few days, I finally sat down and quilted it.

So there you have it - three finished quilts.

Three items out of my "to do" pile.


I'm feeling pretty proud of myself.

Belated Birthday Pinwheels

Today, I am visiting Beautiful Daughter #1 and Dear Son-in-Law and their adorable Abby-girl.   Even though I have seen Beautiful Daughter #1 recently, I haven't been able to give her the last of her birthday gifts - not enough room in my luggage.  So this is her gift.  The fabric is 2 Summer Basket of Flowers Charm Packs by Moda, and the design is just a basic pinwheel.  It was more fun to make than I thought it would be.  I hope it will look nice in her guest room.

Today we were busy here.  We went to breakfast, then to several garage sales, and then to a fabric store (imagine that - the two of us in a fabric store!!)  We exercised a great deal of restraint, however, and bought only what we needed.  We came back and made some banana bread, cored and peeled a ton of apples (Beautiful Daughter has such a neat tool for this - it was fun to use and went so quickly!) and made applesauce and 2 apple pies.  I made some banana bread, but it was a little dry.  It might have been the altitude, but....

Then we started to organize Beautiful Daughter's sewing room.  Her sewing space is a corner of her laundry room, so space is at a premium.  We made good progress.  And in between, I got to play with Abby.  She is such a little character.  I had a blast.  All in all, a fun, productive day.