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.

Travel for Business and Pleasure

The last couple of weeks have been spent traveling for business and pleasure.  Greg and I spent four days in Arizona.  Arizona in the summer you ask?  Yes, and it was cooler there than it was here.  Yikes!!  We had the chance to spend a day in Sedona which is absolutely beautiful.

And surprise!!  Look what we just happened to find while looking at the beautiful scenery.

You just never know what you are going to run across when sightseeing.  Time to stop to stretch our legs!!

Here's some great quilts for you.

I love this quilt.  Judith took a variety of scraps that were all florals.  She cut a kit, I passed it on to Teresa who pieced it and it ended up with Shannon who quilted it.  It is just so soft and peaceful.

Susan took lots of red scraps and added some white fabric.  She came up with this graphic top.  I added the dotted fabric which I found in my fabric closet. for the border  It just screamed to be added to the top.  Nan continued the dot theme with a great black and white backing and wonderful quilting.

This was a panel that Deb cut apart, added the orange sashing and the green border.  Nan added the perfect backing and the quilting.

This charmer was a kit I put together and Paula sewed it.  Shannon put a blinding orange backing on it and her always great quilting.  The backing  couldn't be any better!

You can never have too many cowboy quilts.  Judith cut this kit and Teresa sewed it.  Shannon added the blue backing and the quilting.

This is a product of my never ending mission to use up scraps.  I hunted for pastel strips that were two and one half inches wide.  I made rail fence blocks and pieced them together.  I think it turned out darling.  I love the soft pastels.

The week after Arizona found Greg and me in Indiana.  From there we traveled to Washington, DC to visit Simon and his parents, Joel and Cara.  We had a fun visit but it was time to come home all too soon.  

These six quilts are lots of fun but I have more awesome quilts to show you soon.  Thanks as always for looking.

Summertime in Kansas

Kansas in the summertime.  Heat, heat and more heat.  This past week found me in the Phoenix, Arizona area for a couple of meetings.  Believe it or not, it wasn't quite as hot as Kansas.  Of course, it was still hot.  I've decided the only thing to do when it is this hot is to stay in and quilt!

While I was in Phoenix, I got a message saying the hospital needed more quilts suitable for boys.  This morning I took a nice stack of quilts to the hospital.  When I entered the lobby area of the hospital, a couple of delightful ladies who were manning the information desk asked me about the quilts I was carrying.  I ended up having a wonderful conversation with them.  It is always so rewarding to have someone notice our work and be interested in this project.  It confirms we are making a difference in the lives of others.

Although I spent four days in Arizona, my time wasn't wasted by any means.  I took a couple of quilts with me to sew on the bindings.  I have some great quilts for you.

Isn't this a fantastic quilt?  A dear lady made this and donated it to us.  All I had to do was add our label.  We so appreciate her work and her thoughtfulness.  Some little girl is going to fall in love with this quilt.

This great quilt was sewn and quilted by Kathy.    It is bright and just right for a young child.

For some reason, the hospital always seems to need more quilts suitable for a boy.  Is that because we make more suited for girls?  I don't think so.  Are boys as a rule sick more than girls?  I don't know the answer, but this quilt fits the bill.  Cowboy fabrics and boots and cowboy themed motifs are quilted into this charmer.

Beatrix Potter is a classic that is still popular with little ones.  This will be a popular quilt.

Red, blue and numbers all over!  This is a great quilt to practice counting.

Soccer balls!  A border of kids playing soccer makes this quilt the complete package.

Plaid flannel and Dalmations make a soft and snuggly quilt for a dog lover.

Seven darling quilts are on their way to sick kids.  A big thank you to those who helped in any manner with these.  A big thank you to you for stopping by.  See you next time!