Thursday, March 19, 2020

Three for the Donation Pile

In this time of sequestering ourselves in our homes, there are two things to do - begin spring housecleaning and quilt.  Oh, let's not kid ourselves, there's really only one thing to do!

This has turned out to be a productive month.  Last night I finished the third of three quilts for our quilt ministry donation stash.  The first two are my One Monthly Goal for March, and I'll be linking this post with Patty at Elm Street Quilts when she posts her end-of-month linky party.

The first is Occasional Stars:
Finishing at around 57x68 inches, I quilted a diagonal grid within the blocks and free-motion quilted a simple stencil design in the borders.  You might be able to see the quilting a bit better in the next photo, along with the back of the quilt.

I've been more than a little hesitant about quilting this one mostly because the homespuns were so finicky as they were being pieced, stretchy, and the seams kept rolling up on themselves rather than staying pressed flat. The diagonal grid was a perfect choice for this one though as it turned out, the fabric seemed to behave better diagonally than it might have by just attempting ditch quilting with the walking foot. So yay for this one!

The second quilt for my OMG is this baby quilt, based on a pattern called Sweet Dreams found in Fons & Porter's Love of Quilting, Nov-Dec 2005, page 52.  It's actually a smaller version of my original quilt made of the same fabrics from the same pattern back in 2012.


This quilt measured 39x49 inches and was quilted in an overall meander.  Binding is made up of bits and pieces from my leftover binding strips bin.  I love this little quilt as much as the original, and hope some little person will one day love it just as much.

I love that Grandma is also a quilter!

The back:

The third quilt, completed just last night, is another homespun.  The top was donated to our quilt ministry, and I decided to quilt it.  This one shrunk up quite a bit after washing, the top started at 63x63 inches and after washing it now measures 58-1/2 inches square.  The backing is a heavier fabric, donated to the group, definitely not the usual quilting fabric, but it softened up in the wash, and I think this one will make a great camping or tailgate/stadium quilt, or just a really durable quilt for a hunting cabin.  Diagonally quilted through every other square with alternate squares free motion quilted using a wonky star cardboard template.  The first photo taken before the quilt was washed so the markings are still visible.
After washing and drying, it looks like this, sort of.  I could never get a really accurate color rendering as all the photos were either taken at night or in cloudy weather with only the light from the window.  The first photo above is probably most true to the actual colors.  Looking forward to the day when outdoor photos are a possibility again!

A bit of the back, again not true to color as the yellow background is really more of a butterscotch color:

So that's what I've been doing this week, and I'm so happy to have this trio about to go out the door.  How is your week progressing?  This is day 2 of our home stay-cation, not much different from normal life for us retirees living in the boonies.  Hubby has ordered us a take-out fish fry for tomorrow since all the restaurants here are closed for dine-in service.  We'll see how that fares after a 10 minute trip home and a quick warm-up in the oven.

Happy quilting!

22 comments:

Janet O. said...

Read your opening paragraph to DH. He got a chuckle out of it, as did I.
Oh, how Occasional Stars calls to me. I really want to make one--someday.
Very cute baby quilt, and I like the cabin quilt, too. Okay, I confess--just make anything out of plaids and I will love it.
Know what you mean about having to heat up take-out. We are 15-20 minutes from anywhere that I can get a gluten free meal. By the time you get it home it isn't that fresh, but sometimes we do it anyway. :)

Lizzy D said...

All are wonderful. You' ve been very productive---oh my back would be killing me, how do you do it!? I love plaid/ woodland/ cabin quilts like both of these, and the child's quilt is darling.

love

lizzy

Cathy said...

Wonderful group of donation quilts! Congrats on getting them all finished! I have a Sixteen Patch/Star UFO made with homespun that you reminded me I need to get finished. When I do I will know how to quilt it. And you have also given me a good idea as to what to do with some fabric I have with pieces similar to those in Sweet Dreams.

Debbie said...

You have been productive! Great finishes and love your homespuns! Live is forever different I fear. So we sew on.....when we can. Stay safe.

Barbara said...

I know what you mean about those homespuns. Probably a lot like the Guatemala fabrics I was working with a few months ago. Your quilts turned out beautifully. I love a diagonal grid sometimes.

Sandy said...

I'm normally not a fan of pre-starching my fabrics, but a light spray of sizing might have helped those homespuns. I've been working with vintage fabrics lately, some of which are kleenex. Pre-sizing is key in some cases.
Nice finishes!

Chantal said...

Spring cleaning? What's that? Hahaha! Husband is home, he can do that, I'll sew. :^D
Lovely quilts. You are so generous with your time. Stay safe. ;^)

Hill Top Post said...

I almost can't imagine these three beautiful quilts on a donation pile. Occasional Stars in homespun fabrics really fits my style out here in our boonies (as you like to say). But, it's your "Sweet Dreams" that I love the best. Oh, I do hope some happy child loves it until it is threadbare! I am sure you are already off on another quilting adventure. Enjoy and take care!

Quilting Babcia said...

Thank you so much. Yes, of course I'm working on another quilt top, alternating with hand quilting on my oldest ufo. A little bit every day.

Cynthia@wabi-sabi-quilts said...

A fish fry dinner sounds good. You've been busy and have three nice finishes to show for it. I like them all but really love the first! And the backing for it looks awesome. Looks so comforting and "homespun" but also sprinkled with brightness.

Barb said...

what nice quilts! They all look cuddly and will be loved.
Take Care and SEw on

Ruth said...

We just got back from Hawaii Thursday night, so yesterday was mostly unpacking and shopping for food. However, it did enter my mid to do some spring cleaning (especially washing the front windows), however, that part will probably wait a while. After a whole week of no sewing except some hand work, I NEED to get to the sewing machine! The occasional star quilt looks extremely cuddly! And I love the picture fabric on the baby quilt - just adorable. The third quilt looks perfect for camping or a picnic. Great job on all three!

cityquilter grace said...

beautiful quilts...it is true that the only place housework comes before quilting is in the dictionary...LOL

FlourishingPalms said...

Hey there Pat! It's great to see how productive you've been! I used homespun in a quilt... once. Never liked it for the reasons you noted. But gosh, good for you to make one and finish one for donating. They will surely be loved, as will the smaller quilt. I know how nice that was for practicing meander quilting, though your walking foot quilting is great too. I admire you for being so generous with your time. I hope you're still self-isolating, and still finding the motivation to keep sewing/quilting. I had a major mess-up today, and am kicking myself for my oversight. Well, it's time to move onto something else until I can resolve the mistake. Thankfully, there's no shortage of different projects to work on! Ha!

Quilting Babcia said...

Oh, extremely true!

audrey said...

I really love your Occasional Stars quilt. It looks so soft and comfy! My sister used to make a lot of quilts with homespuns and it seemed like they just softer and softer with use. All these quilts will be wonderful additions to your ministery stash.

Sharon - IN said...

Ok, so I chuckled at your opening lines, but really, I need to clean out my sewing room. It is such a mess! Your donation quilts are great and will be so appreciated!

Cathy said...

Your three new quilts looks so comfy and cuddly! How wonderful that you finished all three of them this month! Housework? Surely you jest! LOL....

Kathy S. said...

I love all those plaids! Great finishes!

Marly said...

What a lovely collection of finishes. You do work fast!

Patty said...

Great quilts. Thanks for linking up with Elm Street Quilts One Monthly Goal and congrats on your finish.

Janice said...

They all look like nice, snuggly quilts. Great work.