March Quilts

March is almost over.  We've had warm weather, two snow storms, warm weather again and I had a week with Simon.  We've also made it almost through March Madness---my favorite season.  Watching  basketball is one of my favorite things to do and it provides lots of time to sew bindings or to pin fabric to run through the sewing machine at half time.  The more exciting the game, the faster I tend to sew or pin.  I feel like I made great progress the last few weeks.  So.....

let's look at some quilts!!

This is a quilt that Amy pieced.  It is wonderful soft flannel and so sweet.

This quilt has the cutest cats on it---they are doing yoga!  Deb pieced this one and Jean quilted it.  I'm not mentioning who took the fuzzy pictures!

Paula pieced a fun quilt in purple and light green.  I can see a little girl loving this quilt.

This is a Paula creation.  Shades of  peach flannel with blocks containing the alphabet!

Amy pieced this gorgeous quilt.  Shannon quilted it.  The colors are great and this quilt will be a favorite for sure.

I pieced this quilt with 4 1/2 inch squares of pastel fabrics.   It  was a quick one to make and looks so sweet.  Once again, I do not want to take credit for the poor photographs!

This is an Amy quilt.  I absolutely love the colors.  They are modern and so girly!!  I even love the fabric I used to sash the label.

This quilt was a kit that I cut--simple snowball blocks.  Teresa pieced it.  Sandy took some fabric that I had and pieced the backing and then quilted it.  It turned out great.

Eight awesome quilts.  Everyone involved always puts their best work into the quilts we give and it shows.  I hope you enjoyed seeing them.

One last picture for you---

Simon loves to read.  Mimi and Papa spent LOTS of time with him reading books the week we were there.  Papa reads and Simon pushes the button to make the rooster crow.  It seems to be a good system!

Number 500!!!!

On March 1, 2013 PIECES  donated our five hundredth quilt to the Pediatric Unit at Lawrence Memorial Hospital.  Yes, that's right--500 quilts!!!!  Several of us gathered to make the delivery.  Here's a picture of us with the 500th quilt.

Rayna, Judith, Beth, Sandy, and Paula joined me in giving the quilt to Debbie who works at the hospital and often helps me when I deliver the quilts.  A big thank you who everyone who helped to make this possible.

Here's a better picture of that quilt.  My sister, Susan, pieced the quilt and Shannon quilted it for us.  It is a very special quilt and I am happy that some child will totally love it.

Isn't it great????

You've heard March comes in like a lamb and goes out like a lion.  You've also heard it the other way around.  I say it comes in and goes out like a whirlwind!  I can't believe tomorrow is the last day of March!

This is a quick post tonight.  I'll be back tomorrow with some great quilts for you.

Snow, Snow, Snow!

We've had not one, but two, record setting snowfalls in the past week and a half.  What are you going to do when there are blizzard-like conditions (besides wonder what the difference is between blizzard and blizzard-like?)  You make quilts!!!

This disappearing 9-patch was sewn by Deb and quilted by Jean.  Aren't the little frogs on the back cute?

Lois pieced this sweet little pink quilt.

One of my favorite color combinations is turquoise and coral.  This sweet one was made and quilted by Kathy.

Red, Black and White is a wonderful combination that works so well for an older boy or girl. Paula pieced this top.  The backing is so much fun!

This quilt started as a kit cut by Judith and was sewn by Teresa.

I love this quilt.  Maybe it's the bright colors with the white.  Maybe it is because it has a modern quilt look.  Maybe it's because it is such a good use of scraps.  Judith sewed this one and look closely at the quilting.  Sandy went nuts again and did a lot of modern quilting on this one.  How can you not love it?

This is a favorite pattern of ours.  Susan pieced this yummy quilt full of giraffes on the front and the alphabet on the back.  Shannon added her wonderful quilting.  This one is a keeper (if I were keeping any!)

I have so many other quilts to share but I'll save them till next time.  Thanks for looking!

Wisonsin

Earlier this week Greg and I traveled to Middleton, Wisconsin.  A lot of people questioned my sanity in agreeing to go to a northern state in the middle of the winter.  Wednesday morning we awoke to about an inch of snow and snow flurries all day.  Our flight wasn't until five p.m. so we had part of the day to drive and see a few things.  Of course, being the quilt shop lover that I am, we found a quilt store just a few miles from our hotel.  Greg took me and it was a treat!  Here's a picture of the quilt shop.

The shop is in a gorgeous building in a small town.  It sits along side the railroad tracks just down a bit from the historic train depot.  The inside of the shop is wonderful.  It has wooden floors, quilts everywhere, a wide range of fabrics and patterns and last, but not least, a sale room.  What else could you want?  I can home with a little sack of goodies.  If you are in the Madison area, I highly recommend finding this shop.

I finally did it.  After giving it a lot of thought, I decided to go for it.  I decided I had been working hard on the quilts and I deserved a treat.  Not only did I get one but I got a second one too.  Yes..a new ironing board cover!!!  Is there anything better?  Well...yes, but not at that price.  Now that I "splurged" and bought one with one for a backup, I have run across several tutorials for making your own.  Apparently, the advantage to that may be that you can throw the one you make into the washer and always have a clean cover.  I am considering that too.

Here's some quilts for you.

This is a disappearing 9 patch that Deb pieced.  With fish and frogs some little boy is going to love it.

Lois pieced these snowmen and embroidered the faces and buttons.  A bright backing gives it a fun punch of color.

Here is a fun cowboy quilt.  I have no idea why I don't have a picture of the backing!

Deb pieced this cutie with giraffe fabric.  I don't have a picture of the backing for the same reason as the last quilt!!

Amy pieced this flannel quilt with pirates.  I mentioned last time that Amy is a piecer that has recently starting helping us.  I also told you she is from Wichita.  That would be wrong!  She is actually from Olathe, KS.  Sorry for the confusion, Amy.

Judith cut this kit, and Teresa sewed it.  Sandy added the gorgeous backing and quilting.

Sandy artfully pieced the back of this cute quilt.  She also quilted it for us.

Lois pieced this simple but great quilt.  With equipment on the front, the perfect backing has wheels and road signs.  Jean quilted this for us.

Shelly pieced this flannel top.  It is so soft and cuddly.  Any little girl who likes pink and purple is going to be excited to receive it.

Judith put this kit together, Teresa sewed it and Sandy quilted it.  Sandy took some fun Winnie the Pooh fabric and inserted an orphan block on the back.  Great job, ladies!

In case you were wondering, yes, it was cold in Wisconsin.  Lake Michigan had lots of ice!

And finally, Joel and Cara have purchased a home and will be moving soon.  Simon is more than happy to help pack the boxes.

See you next time!!