The One That Got Away

Our internet service is back so I thought I would post the other quilt that I sent to Basic Housing Inc.  My daughter liked it until she realized that all of the charm squares are insects.  I think it's fun.

This is the last of the donation quilts I sent for the 100 Quilts for Kids project.  Now it's time to do something for myself.

The Post Office Loves Me

Our phone service is out, so we are without internet.  I am posting from the Library across the driveway from our local Post Office.  There are 4 Post Offices within an 8 mile radius of our house.  Two of them are in CT.  I have been bringing so many boxes to ship quilts for the 100 Quilts for Kids drive that today when I stopped by with 2 more boxes; they told me they loved me.  I guess things are as bad for the Postal Service as you hear on the nightly news.  In the 21 years that I have lived in this area, I have used the various offices depending on what errands I had to run afterwards.  None of the offices are convenient.  Actually, nothing is convenient to where we live.  Over time, I have found myself using the other 3 offices rather than the one for our town.  With the reception I have been receiving lately, I guess it's time to become more loyal to our town Post Office.
Two of the quilts I mailed were for Wrap Them In Love  The mission of WTIL is to collect donated quilts and distribute them to children in the United States as well as around the world, so they can be wrapped in love and comfort.  Many of the children are in orphanages awaiting placement in loving homes.  Some of the quilts are sent to areas experiencing natural disasters or extreme poverty.  With the economy in trouble, they are receiving more requests to provide quilts to children needing warmth this winter.  Although the 2 quilts were made last summer, I never got around to mailing them.  The 100 Quilts for Kids drive was a real wakeup call for me to get motivated and send any quilts already finished out to the world where they can be used.

This quilt went to The Basics, Inc in the South Bronx.  I mailed 3 quilts to them in September.  Victoria at Bumble Beans is trying to collect 250 more quilts for this group by Thanksgiving.  If you have a quilt looking for a home this is a great place to send it.  They help homeless families get into permanent housing.

I included another quilt in the box with this one, but was unable to down load it to the blog from the Library.  It uses the Storytime pattern for the 100 Kids Quilt Along with mottled blue sashing and insect print squares.  If we get internet service back later today, I will post that one too.  I am so happy that the project was a success and the numbers of quilts donated far exceeded the goal of 100.

The Post Office Won't Go Broke With Me Around

When the 100 Quilts for Kids Challenge was posted it really captured my heart.  This year, like many other bloggers, I decided that I would make eleven quilts for donations.  Some bloggers have called it, "Eleven in 11.  As of July, I had donated 8 quilts. I have been trying to reduce my stash and clear out some UFOs.  The 100 Quilts for Kids Challenge  seemed like a perfect way to accomplish both goals  I originally thought I would make 3 quilts to accomplish my original goal of 11 for the year.  While we were without power, I spent my days going through my stash and looking for UFOs.  I started cutting kits and when the power finally came back, I was ready to rock.
This little quilt was completed in April, but I wasn't sure where it should go.  It will be added to the box going to the Basic Quilt Drive in the South Bronx in memory of my husband's great Uncle Joey.  He was a lifelong resident of the Bronx and Supreme Yankee fan who died in July.  He volunteered with the Saint Vincent DePaul Society arranging for donations of food to local families and soup kitchens in the Bronx.

The third quilt packed in the box was started using fabric left over from a UFO that I repurposed.   I planned to donate it to the Hands 2 Help Charity Quilt Challenge, but didn't finish it in time. I didn't like the layout so I moved the blocks around until I was satisfied.  Now it is ready and on its way.

The dot on the picture is not on the fabric, it must have been on the lens.

This quilt is traveling to Texas.  Debra of Debra's Design Studio is collecting quilt tops she will quilt on her long arm machine and distribute to local veterans and their families.  I think this quilt would be fine for a toddler.  The binding I prepared for the quilt is the same fabric as the outer  border.

I have 2 other tops that are waiting for quilting, a set of blocks ready to put together for a baby quilt, and a group of blocks for Debra's Texas Veterans' quilts.  Hopefully, I can finish them next week.  After that, the rest of the year is reserved for projects just for me.

A Few More Quilts for The 100 Quilts for Kids Challenge

Unfortunately, it is still raining out so the pictures are less than ideal.  This little quilt is for Quilts for Kids.  It's made from an Eye Spy panel that I bought a few years ago.  It's hard to believe that the quilting took 2 full bobbins.

Victoria of Bumble Beans Inc is hoping to collect 700 quilts for the Basics Quilt Drive.  These quilts will be donated to homeless families in The South Bronx.  My husband was born and raised in the Bronx so this donation is a perfect fit for me.   It was started with some blocks and fabric left over from my H2H challenge quilt.

 I love the polka dot fabric on the back.

100 Quilts for Kids

I can't believe I finally have something to post.  We lost power for 5 days as a result of Hurricane Irene and our internet service was not restored for 17 days.  Without electricity, I spent the daylight hours cutting fabric to prepare kits to sew as soon as power was returned.  While the internet was out, I discovered how many hours there really are in a day.  Although I missed visiting my favorite blogs and keeping up what was going on, I managed to finish 2 UFOs and several quilts for the 100 Quilts for Kids challenge.  It's not too late to participate.  Check the button on the right side bar and you can get more info.
The 2 quilts below will be donated to Quilts for Kids.  The pink quilt is from a kit provided by Q4K.  The bug jar quilt is a former UFO that has been hiding at the bottom of my fabric closet.

The Hearts and Flowers quilt  below was also a long term UFO.  It will be donated to the Down Syndrome Assoc. of Middle TN.  This quilt will become part of Diane Wingo at Dew Quilting's  dream to give every newborn with Down Syndrome in her area of Tennessee a quilt in honor of her son Stevie.

When I pieced the backing, the blocks seemed too large.  After it was quilted, I found that I really liked it.
I have one more quilt that is finished and 3 tops waiting to be quilted.  It's raining here today so hopefully the weather will be good enough to take photos of the rest tomorrow.

No Sewing Today, but...

Today we made our annual summer visit to the Aquarium in Riverhead.  They have added a butterfly/exotic bird exhibit that was really fun.

I managed to snap a picture of an Isabella Luna moth.  You may be more familiar with how they look as a Wooly Bear caterpillar.

A butterfly tried to hitch hike out of the exhibit on the back of my husband's shirt.

We were able to hold a bird.

Pieceful Quilting is a great shop just down the street from the Aquarium.  The ladies who work there are really friendly and helpful.  I wandered through, but I only found one fabric that interested me.  At $11.25 a yard, I was able to resist.  I was not able to resist the fabric by the pound bin.  I found two bags that were an incredible bargain at $6.95 each.  They both contained several slightly less than 1/2 yard cuts, with lots of smaller pieces and some strips.  This one had several cute prints including fabric from "The Hungry Caterpillar" line and a beautiful seashell print (the $11.25 fabric was from the same line).  There was also a quilt block. 

 The green pack has a really lovely sea themed batik and even had a few 2 1/2 inch squares tucked in.

It was a great bargain.  All of it is quality fabric and will come in handy.  My only regret, is that I didn't buy another bag.

It's a Gold Mine in There

 "Nothing [is] so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task." 

--William James

William James must have been a quilter describing his relationship with his UFOs.  Despite my attempts to make friends with my UFOs, they continue to taunt me and refuse to be tamed.   I have decided to ignore them and go on to something new.   While I was looking through my collection of 5 inch squares in preparation for Debra's Quilt Smack Down, I discovered some hidden treasures.

I remember buying a Tumbler template for 5 inch charms from the Missouri Star Quilt Co. awhile back, but didn't remember cutting out any shapes with it.  For those of you who don't own a shape cutting machine, this is a lovely template.  If you have charm squares already cut, you can turn them into a pile of Tumbler blocks in no time.  I also works well with 5 inch strips.  I don't know when I'll get time to work on it, but I created a kit that I can start on when I'm just looking for something to sew.


In June 2010, I completed this quilt called "Quilter's Bounty." 

 I must have really enjoyed piecing it because I found the pattern packed in a baggie with enough of the sewn strip blocks and 2 1/2 inch squares to make another one.  All I have to do is cut the setting squares and strips and I'm good to go.  It's an older pattern so the instructions are not written to be used with a jelly roll , but it would really work up fast if you used one.  The finished quilt is very deceiving.  It looks as though you frame four patch blocks and alternate them with strip blocks.  I'm sure that would be an easy way to go but the pattern offers a quick alternative that works very well..  One more quilt added to the list.