Halloween is Coming!

I got a very sweet thank you card in the mail yesterday.  Georgia and her son James sent a note thanking us for the beautiful quilt he received while he was a patient in the hospital.  She says he uses it every night.  I love hearing from a family that takes home one of our quilts.  It makes me wonder which quilt he received.  And I always hope what the illness was is long gone.

I was supposed to be getting things done around the house today.  Greg and I are traveling tomorrow to Connecticut for a few days.  There was laundry to do, packing and general picking up around the house.  Did I do it?  Well....the last load of laundry is in the dryer.  The suitcases are sitting out but nothing is in them.  I did put away the clean clothes and I have in my mind what to pack.  But the answer is no.   I didn't get them done as planned.  Instead I sewed.  I always intend to get ready and then sew, but something comes over me and I end up sewing while I try to get ready.  It really doesn't work very well, but I have a great time!  And in my defense I took time out to take six Halloween quilts to the hospital today.  The holiday will soon be here!  Enough about my lack of progress today.  Here are some awesome quilts!!

First of all, I apologize that the picture of this quilt is not as sharp as it could be.  The quilt is absolutely darling.  Judith took scraps of Halloween fabric and somehow made it all work.  She cut the kit, Teresa sewed it and Shannon quilted it.

I love this quilt!  I usually am not drawn to scrappy quilts but there is something about this one that warms my heart.  I had lots of triangles that I pieced together.  I started sewing them together.  Deb took over and pieced the top.  Be sure to notice the sashing fabric.  It looks like chicken wire!  Sandy added the backing and quilting.  I think it turned out so sweet!  And it used up a lot of scraps that some people throw away!

I admit I am responsible for this girl quilt.  I cut the kit for this disappearing nine patch.  It is shades of blues and purples with some neutrals thrown in.  The color combination is very soft .  Nan added the backing and quilting.  

Kathy sewed and quilted this quilt that will be great for a little boy.  It has all kinds of space aliens on it.

This quilt was made and donated to us by a wonderful lady from our local quilt guild.  It is larger than many of our quilts which makes it great for a teenage boy.  She quilted a different motif in each strip.  It turned out stunning.  A big thank you to her!

Here's another one of our Halloween quilts.  Judith cut a kit from scraps once again.  She gave it to Teresa who sewed it.  Kathy quilted it for us.  The spiders on it are spooky!

This last quilt for today is a sweet thing that Paula pieced for us.  It has circus animals in the diamonds.  Shannon added the backing and quilting.  It's a cute pattern that will work for either a boy or girl.

One of the things I love about our group is that we all get to do the parts we want.  Some cut kits, some sew, and some quilt.  There are those of us who like to do bindings and some who like to do it all.  The key is we get to do whatever we want!  It feels good when you finish your part and it moves on to the next person to add their part.

We've been very busy trying to get quilts ready.  I have so many more I want to share with you but I really have to get packed.  My procrastination is now catching up with me!  I hope you enjoyed looking.  Thanks for checking us out!

Could It Be Fall????

It seems fall may be here.  There is a hint of crispness to the air and I suddenly noticed a couple of days ago the trees are beginning to turn.  I look forward to the fall days when you get a bit of rain--or at least drizzle.  You can curl up with a cup of tea, a quilt and a book.

Last week was a great week for me.  I started it out with attending the local quilt guild meeting.  I went not as a member but rather was asked to come and say a few words about PIECES.  I did that with a bit of apprehension, but found I truly enjoyed myself.  I was able to meet some new people and see what creative things they were doing.  I've even considered joining the guild.  That is a big step for someone who loves to spend the day uninterrupted in my quilt room.  Maybe attending the meeting is part of expanding my world.  I ended the week with a trip to the Salt Lake City, Utah area for a couple of days.  I have never been to Utah so that makes another first for me.

Here's a few fun quilts for you.

This was a panel that I passed on to Deb.  She tends to get things that I am unsure of what to do with.  She always comes through with just the right thing.  Sandy added the fun backing and quilting.

This charming quilt was made by Lois.  It is exactly what we need for the little boys that are at LMH.  Shannon added the bright turquoise backing and quilting.

Kathy made and quilted this Seven Dwarf's quilt.  It's another great one for boys.

This is a classic quilt by Paula.  She uses white and pastels for that modern look. The turquoise and coral stripe fabric on the back really adds a nice touch.  Shannon did the beautiful quilting.

Flannel says Shelly made this!  Red, blue, and yellow bubbles and stars are just the ticket for any child.  It's bright and soft and will be loved for sure!  Shannon added the quilting.  Hopefully you can see it on the backing.  It is gorgeous.

This beauty is pieced by Sandy.  She also pieced the backing for a country feel and added the quilting.  It is a great use of scraps.

You've seen six very different quilts today.  Each one will be loved and cherished by a child.  Thanks for taking the time to check out our quilts.  As always, we put a piece of ourselves in every quilt.  See you soon!

Getting My Groove Back

Have you ever been in one of those funks where you just aren't sure what to do next?  What fabrics go with each other?  What fabrics would look good with that pattern?  I've been trying to cut kits for some of the piecers.  But I found myself in that funk.  I wanted to be very productive but it just wasn't happening.  Fortunately for me, I think I might have just gotten out of that funk today.  My sister came to visit.  She needed to pick up some stuff, drop off some stuff and we hadn't seen each other for what seems like a long time.  It is amazing that just a few hours together energizes us and the creative juices are back!  She confirmed some of my fabric choices and added some of her ideas.  Suddenly I could see the potential again!  We had a wonderful day together and I am ready with my cutter in hand to attack that fabric again!  Before I do that, I thought I would show you some of the latest quilts.  We are doing some really great ones!!

This is a quilt Nan made from a jelly roll.  A jelly roll is a collection of two and one-half inch wide strips for those non-quilters.  We added a border, Nan quilted it and I added the binding and label.  I love this quilt!  The picture doesn't really do it justice.  It looks a bit long for the width.  Trust me, it is perfect!

Because we use fabric for our quilts that are usually scraps some kind soul has donated, you never know what we may come up with!  Judith put together this kit out of those donated scraps.  If I remember correctly, Teresa pieced it and Kathy quilted it for us.  I think it turned out just darling.

For those of you who follow this blog regularly, you will know that flannel means Shelly has been busy.  Pinks, dots, and rail fence blocks make this one a winner.

It seems as though we are always needing more quilts for boys.  I was delighted when someone from our local quilt guild donated this one.  Jungle themed fabrics will be just right for one of the boys!

Paula made this charmer out of charm square.  Those are five inch squares.  It turned out charming!!  Sandy quilted it and did a great job.

This is one of those disappearing nine patches that I am so fond of.  Rayna pieced this for us and Sandy quilted it modern-style.  The combination goes together very well.

I wanted to share this quilt with you.  It is actually one I made for Simon to have at Mimi's house when he comes to visit.  It is four large log cabin blocks with a border.  The border, as you can hopefully tell, have clouds made out of Minky fabric.  They are soft to touch and fun to play with.  I think Simon liked it and Mommy and Daddy said they did too.  I called it a success.

Speaking of Simon.....

Here's Simon playing with Papa on his visit to our house Labor Day weekend.  We had a wonderful time.

I have many more quilts to share with you.  Check back soon!

Creighton Gets a Quilt

When I started my day yesterday, I had no real plans for the day other than to play in my sewing room.  I am still working on reorganizing.  I think that is a never ending project.  I knew I needed to sort some scraps that I had been given and I wanted to do some sewing on a children's quilt.  I stopped on my way to the sewing room to quickly check my email.  To my surprise I had an email from Melissa.  Here's what she had to say....

Dear Marla,
I am overwhelmed by you and your quilting groups kindness to do such a great think for our sick kiddos!  Creighton absolutely loves his soccer quilt that you all have made for him!  It has been on him for the past two days since he received it.  It is so adorable and amazing!  My mom quilts and I know how much time goes into each project.  You have made a sick 7 year old very happy and I am very appreciative of your hard work and kindness.
Thank you so much,
-Melissa Mom of Creighton :)

As you can imagine, I was thrilled to get her email.  Positive reinforcement for what we are doing!  Hopefully this evening finds Creighton at home and feeling better.  He's had a long stay at the hospital and I think his new quilt has helped to at least make his stay a little better.

I went to my sewing room with a little more energy in my step and a renewed sense of purpose.  I couldn't wait to get another quilt finished.

Here's a few of our latest quilts for you to look at.

Shannon pieced and quilted this  fun quilt.  With lots of animals and birds someone will have a great time looking for all the different items.

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Shelly is our flannel fabric expert.  She likes working with flannel and pieces most of our quilts that have flannel in them.  This soft quilt was quilted by Shannon.  The backing Shelly chose is timeless.  I love all the baby footprints.

Paula pieced this top.  She did a great job of color placement to make the double diamond design pop. Sandy quilted it for us.  I think it is stunning.

Many hands were involved in this quilt.  I gave fabric to Judith.  Judith cut a kit.  Teresa sewed the top and Sandy quilted it.  She quilted lassos to go with the cowboys and cowgirls!  I added the binding and label.  

Some kind person from the local quilt guild donated this quilt to us.  She made wonky blocks and added some appliqued hearts.  She quilted it and finished the binding.  All I had to do was add a label and wash it.

It's safari time!  This quilt was also donated to us by a member of the local quilt guild.  It is so generous and once again, all I had to do was add a label and wash!

I'll save a few quilts to show you next time.  In the meantime, here's Simon with two teeth now!

I'll leave you with this thought...You never know when something small that you do for someone else makes a big impact.  Hopefully all of you will have that chance.