And the Quilting Marathon Goes On!

 Another finish!

40 x 60

This one was a round robin I participated in last year with members of the Sunshine Online Quilt Guild.    It will be donated to Wrap-A-Smile. 

I started the ball rolling with this row of kaleidoscope blocks. 

 I did something I've never done before - quilt each row differently.  The elephants got some stippling and the background was loops and stars. 

 This section got some circuit board type quilting. 

 This section with sailboats and an octopus and fish got some waves and bubbles. 

We aren't supposed to use holiday fabrics in these donation quilts but, shhhhh, I hid some Easter Eggs in the binding - some fabric sent to me by a quilty friend. Since no one will be going on an Easter Egg hunt I'll bet no one notices what is in that binding. 

The backing??  Some giant polka dots. 

This was my goal #5

for

Q4 Finish-Along

Do you feel like you have an addiction to charity quilting??  If so, then Sunshine Online Quilt Guild might just be able to offer the support you need so you don't kick the habit! 

And Another Finish!

 Butterfly Happy Blocks

A donation quilt

40 x 60

 Happy Blocks with 6.5 inch centers and 2.5 inch sides.   Some of these centers were from swaps and some of the blocks were swapped years ago. 

 I have accumulated a variety of  centers and Happy Blocks in different themes, sizes, colors over the years.  Every once in awhile I dig around in that Happy Place for completed blocks and centers that fit some kind of theme and then make enough additional blocks for desired size of  quilt.  Last year I made two sport themed tops and this butterfly top. This is the last of those three Happy Block quilts to get finished.  Must be time to dig around in there and make a few more tops. I will probably have to replenish my tone on tones and solids first. 

Sunshine Online Quilt Guild (SOQG) has been holding a retreat June 12 - 15 in Mendota, MN.  I'm sewing along at home.  We make quilts for kids around the world. We donate to two programs: Wrap a Smile and Quilts Beyond Borders. Quilts go to kids, teens, and adults undergoing cleft palate surgery and to under-served children, often in orphanages, worldwide.

The backing was pieced with some old floral calico and some backing trimmings from other quilts.  And once again I quilted it on my DSM with flowers and leaves. 

This was goal #18

for

Q2 Finish-Along

It's a Finish!

 It's a finish!

40 x 60

Ready for donation. 

Sunshine Online Quilt Guild (SOQG) is holding a retreat June 12 - 15 in Mendota, MN.  I'm sewing along at home.  We make quilts for kids around the world. We donate to two programs: Wrap a Smile and Quilts Beyond Borders. Quilts go to kids, teens, and adults undergoing cleft palate surgery and to under-served children, often in orphanages, worldwide.

 Last year members made lots of Mendota blocks that they are now sewing together at retreat into tops. A Mendota block is basically a framed offset square that finishes at 10 inches. I like to think of them as offset Happy Blocks.  Mendota Cats is one of five tops I made last October when I was cleaning up cat themed scraps. 

And now it is finally a finished quilt.  I quilted it with leaves and flowers on my DSM with navy blue thread in the bobbin and neutral on top.  Binding was two different florals that kind of matched one of the florals in the top.  Backing was fabric I bought on sale years ago specifically for use as a donation quilt backing. 

This was my goal #23

for

Q2 Finish-Along

You Win Some. You Lose Some.

 Periodically I play the Lotto. There's no money involved - just fabric. 

One of the Lottos I participate in is one at the Sunshine Online Quilt Guild.  Each month there is a theme and if you want to join in you make 12 inch blocks with your interpretation of the theme.  The blocks are made in multiples of two. One block goes into the drawing and the other goes to the lady who runs the Lotto to make quilts for Wrap-A-Smile or Quilts Beyond Borders.   If you are a winner you are free to do as you wish with the blocks. 

The October theme was Sunshine and I won 16 blocks. 

 I made 20 Flying Geese and used 15 of the Sunshine blocks to make this quilt top 42 x 60. 

 The other Lotto is Block Lotto.  There's a block of the month and if you participate you can make as many blocks for the drawing as you wish up to the maximum. 

A Nine Patch Star was the block of the month for November. I wasn't a winner so I now get to send them to the ladies who did win. 

December's Block Lotto block of the month is a scrappy six inch Sawtooth Star in blue or purple.  I made the maximum of nine blocks.  Do you think I'll be a winner or loser in December?  I think I'll be a winner. You know...the power of positive thinking...

Both Lottos give me an opportunity to try new blocks and new color combinations and very often use scraps.  Every once in awhile I win some blocks and have fun figuring out how to set them. I also have fun looking at all the fabrics everyone used in their blocks.  

I've Got Sunshine on a Cloudy Day

 Two Donation Quilt Tops

The first was inspired by Star Bright at Swim, Bike, Quilt.   but I changed it up a bit and used 6.5 squares so I could use what I have on hand and end up with a quilt 42 x 60. I also wanted to see how I liked a purple, gray, yellow color scheme. (I like it). 

 The second quilt came about because I was making blocks for Sunshine Online Quilt Guild's October Block Lotto. The theme is normally "Bright" in October; however, this year we are celebrating the 10 year anniversary of Tammy's reign as Block Lotto organizer so the theme is Sunshine. Many, many, many Block Lotto quilts have been donated to either of two projects Sunshine sponsors - Wrap-A-Smile  who partners with Rotaplast or Quilts Beyond Borders. 

Anyway,  I made some Sunshine themed blocks for the October Sunshine Block Lotto  plus I made some for myself to put into a quilt.  This one measures 40 x 60. 

And these are the blocks I'll be sending to Tammy for the October drawing. 

If you would like to join us at Sunshine (a MeWe group)  we would love to have you.  I don't really "talk" much but some ladies are pretty chatty. It's a fun group with some teasing whether you are chatty or shy like me.  We all have a common cause. 

We make quilts for Quilts Beyond Borders, a charity providing quilts to children (sometimes adults too) in under served areas of the world. I've seen quilts I've made and sent to Quilts Beyond Borders with children in orphanages in Ethiopia and Uganda and they have been sent to be distributed to Syrian refugees. 

We also make quilts for Wrap-a-Smile, a partner of Rotaplast .  They are "committed to helping children and families worldwide by eliminating the burden of cleft lip and/or palate, burn scarring, and other deformities. "  

Here's an excerpt from a letter about our quilts from a nurse who worked on several Rotaplast missions: 

"These hospitals we work in have NO linens at all, let alone on the OR tables or recovery rooms or wards. We use these quilts first to wrap each child in as they wait for surgery. It truly comforts them, no matter what age. Then, as they are moved to the OR, we use the quilt to cover them and keep them warm in surgery. This is actually critical to anesthesia and post-op healing. Warmth is critical!

At home we use electric warmers called Bear Huggers. On missions we use your quilts. But – we are very careful to protect the quilts from blood splashes during the IV start and surgery.

Then, as the patients are moved to recovery room, the quilts are a crucial part of the caring, medical equipment, and patient comfort. Again, if patients are not warmed, they do NOT do as well post-op. We cover them in PACU (recovery) again, being careful not to let blood or body fluids touch the beautiful quilts..."

So...I probably won't get these finished up until next year. I'm asking Santa for a roll of batting.  Meanwhile I'll keep on making tops from scraps as they happen.  I have about 8  donation quilt tops in the pile now. 

Sunshine

I added a HST border to a round robin I'm participating in with a group of Sunshine ladies. For the HSTs I raided my 3.5 inch scrap bin for pieces close to the colors of that striped fabric.  And in the scrap chunk bin I found a piece of gray/black/white I could use.  Now it goes on to Maine for the next round. 

In case you are not familiar with Sunshine Online Quilt Guild  we are a group of charity quilters that support both Quilts Beyond Borders and Wrap-a-Smile, a Rotaplast partner. 

And speaking of Rotaplast...I was delighted to spot this quilt I made in 2015 on a little one after surgery in Arusha Tanzania.  See the fourth photo down in the blog post.  You can mostly only see the light green backing; however, I spotted the tree fabric in the top border and knew instantly it was a quilt I made. 

A Finish!

Sunshine Lotto Quilt

To be donated

40 x 58

This was made from some of the 12 inch blocks I won last March from a Sunshine Online Quilt Guild block lotto when the block theme was green.  I didn't make a single one of these blocks - I just added sashing and just like that I had a quilt top!

I quilted it on my DSM using the serpentine stitch at irregular intervals. 

I pieced the batting for this. I use a wide zigzag stitch to do that. 

I'm getting better at doing the binding by machine as is requested by a lot of the places I donate quilts.  

This was my goal #19

for 

2018 Finish-Along Q1

and

18 (or 19?) in 2018

Oh Scrap! at Quilting is More Fun than Housework

About Sunshine Online Quilt Guild Block Lotto

 Four 12 inch blocks that will go toward Sunshine Online Quilt Guild's Block Lotto. 

I've decided this year I will use my 4.5 inch scraps to make blocks for this lotto every month. 

If you'd like to make a few blocks it's a great way to try new 12 inch blocks of your choice or to practice those perfect points on HSTs or a great way to use scraps...even crumbs!

Sunshine Online Quilt Guild is a Yahoo Group.  

I'm an extreme introvert so this is my type of guild! I don't have to say anything on list if I don't want to and can avoid those awkward social interactions I often dread that leave my stomach churning for days plus I can work with a group of talented ladies to make donation quilts from the comfort of my hermitage. 

Info on SOQG in case you would like to join: 

This list is for Sunshine Online Quilt Guild. We make quilts for kids around the world. We donate to two programs: Wrap a Smile and Quilts Beyond Borders. Quilts go to kids, teens, and adults undergoing cleft palate surgery and to under-served children, often in orphanages, worldwide.

Please join us if you enjoy making quilts for children in need.

An accounting of where the 2100+  quilts donated to Quilts Beyond Borders last year can be found on a recent blog post. 

Wrap-A-Smile partners with Rotaplast, an organization whose mission is to provide cleft palate and cleft lip surgeries for children world wide.  It's  always fun to spot a quilt with a child with one of the quilts you have made or helped to make.  Their blog lists missions past and present  and future with photos. 

Ok. Now back to the Block Lotto...

According to Tammy, the Block Lotto Coordinator, who makes gorgeous lotto quilts: 

January's theme is blue and yellow. Any shade is fine, just remember to add some
blue and yellow to your blocks.
This is a monthly block lotto. To participate, send in blocks in sets of two.
The minimum to participate is one pair of blocks but you are welcome to send as
many blocks as you like. I will keep one of each set to make quilts for Sunshine, 
the other will go into a pot for a winner to use as they please.

PLEASE NOTE: If you don't want your name in the lotto pot, but you don't mind
some of your blocks going to the winner, that's fine. Or if you want your blocks
to just go to Sunshine, that's great too. Just send me a note either in email or
in your envelope with your blocks to let me know. If there's no note, I'll go
ahead and include you in the drawing.

For every pair of blocks, your name goes into the drawing one time. The more
blocks you send, the greater your chances of winning! If you send an odd number
of blocks, I will keep the extra block for Sunshine.

Blocks need to be 12" finished (12 1/2" as sewn). Fabrics can be solid, tone on
tone or prints, etc. but must be 100% cotton. Prewashing is fine but not required.

You can use any pattern and any technique (traditional piecing, applique, paper
piecing, crumb blocks, etc). It's great if your pair of blocks match, but it's
not required.

Try to get your blocks to me by the last day of the month. I will post to the
list the blocks that I have received and post photos of the blocks. If I haven't 
posted a photo of your blocks, let me know.  I will draw the name of the winner
on or around the 1st of the month.


Block lotto monthly themes:

January - Blue and yellow
February - Reds
March - Greens
April - Boyish 
May - Nine patches
June - Novelties
July - Pink and green
August - Boyish 
September - Four patches
October - Brights
November - Fall colors
December - Potluck

Got scraps?

Join us!

Assignment Complete!

Quilts #7 and #8

I didn't make the tops but I finished them up. 

A few weeks ago about 17 ladies of the Sunshine Online Quilt Guild  met for a retreat in Omaha to make quilt tops for the projects we sponsor (Quilts Beyond Borders and Wrap-A-Smile).   The ladies expected to make around 100 quilt tops but exceeded expectations with 184 quilt tops in total.   I was unable to attend the retreat but volunteered to finish 5 quilt tops.   Well, I received 8 quilts to finish but that's okay...I used the opportunity to practice my free motion quilting.   

I used leftover pieces of batting to make what some refer to as Frankenbatts.   I received fabrics for three of the eight backings for a Fabric Fairy and I used thread I found on clearance.  The bindings on most of the 8 quilts were made from scraps. 

With these two finishes my volunteer quilting assignment is compete. 

This top has a cute and colorful lizard print (at least I think they are lizards).  One of the threads I found on clearance was a variegated brown thread. I decided lizards like to play and hide under leaves so I quilted some brown variegated leaves with a few berries thrown in here and there. 

 The leaves show up a little better on the orange dot back. 

On the string quilt I had the intention of quilting snowflakes in the red centers (ala Lori Kennedy at Inbox Jaunt) because I have a quilt that needs some snowflakes quilted on it and so need some practice.  BUT my thread kept breaking after numerous thread changes, bobbin changes, dustings, needle changes, rethreadings and cusswords.   So there's snowflakes around the two diamonds that are in the quilt but the rest of it is quilted with squiggly lines.    And I THINK the breaking thread problem was due to a burr on the face plate caused by a needle break but don't know for certain. I haven't quilted anything since but did file down the rough spot on the face plate. 

For the backing I had a piece of wide red backing leftover from another quilt that was the perfect size.  

More about : Sunshine Online Quilt Guild (in case you wish to join the fun). 

More about: Quilts Beyond Borders (quilts are provided to children in need both nationally and internationally.  This link takes you to the latest Giles Early Education Project [GEEP], an Appalachian community, and you will see one of the quilts I donated - a St. Louis 16 patch.  It's always fun to see where the quilts end up.)

Wrap-A-Smile- a partner of Rotaplast. 

Rotaplast provides surgery for children worldwide with cleft lip/palate and burn scarring.

This completes goals 9 & 11 for    Q3 Finish-Along

Lottos

The Sunshine Online Quilt Guild members make quilts for Quilts Beyond Borders and Wrap-A-Smile.  A monthly Lotto is one of the activities.   Each month members have the option to make  any number of pairs of 12 inch blocks of choice in the month's theme.   One block of the pair goes toward a charity quilt and the other goes into a Lotto drawing.   I haven't participated for awhile but decided to join in again.  This month's theme is GREEN.   From scraps I made two Tennessee blocks and two Nine Patch blocks and mailed them on their merry way. 

My blue scraps went toward four 8 inch Broken Dishes Stars

That is this month's Block Lotto block. 

I haven't won in awhile but it's fun to try at least one of the block of the month. 

Of course my sewing machine is a year old today and out of warranty so what happens? It starts acting up...thread keeps catching in the bobbin....cleaned bobbin area, tried different bobbin, tried different spool of thread, changed needle, messed with tension...cussed a little...tomorrow is another day.   Now I'm hand quilting.