Burgoyne Blossoms

Burgoyne Blossoms is a Burgoyne Surrounded quilt pattern. I have been wanting to try this pattern for several years, and even though it uses a strip piecing technique which is typically easy, this pattern looked challenging. Probably because the smallest squares are really small. In this case, the small squares measure 1 1/4″ finished. Part of the challenge of small pieces in a pattern is that they don’t allow for seam allowances that aren’t fairly precise: they have a very small tolerance. I find that on bigger pieces, that there is a bit of fudging that one can do to make all the seams line up nicely. But on the small pieces, there is very little wiggle room! What is your acceptable tolerance for seams lining up? 1/16″, 1/32″ or zero? How much time are you willing to spend ripping seams to get them to line up perfectly? Do you allow yourself a bigger or smaller tolerance for point seams?

This is being donated to the County of Ventura, Children & Family Services, for a foster child.

You can follow my personal blog over at jeanswenson.org

100 Quilts for Kids Annual Charity Drive

This year’s 100 Quilts for Kids annual charity drive is being run by Alyson this year, who blogs over at The Hasty Quilter. In checking it out the other day, it looks like there is still a ways to go! In 2015, the quilting community donated 119 quilts, yet this year, there are only about a dozen quilts linked-up so far. Knowing how generous the quilting community is, let’s try to exceed last year’s number! There is still time, as this year’s drive will run through the end of November.

I encourage you to pull out those tops you have lying around that you can’t decide what to do with, add a fleece-back (see my Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 tutorial here), and donate them to foster kids in your community through your local government’s Family Services department.

I have linked-up my more recent quilts, including:

Maypole


Hakuna Matata


Sweet Slumber


Mon-star

Quilts for Quilts Beyond Borders

I just mailed a box with eight quilts for Quilts Beyond Borders.  6 of them are from monthly lotto drawing in the Sunshine Yahoo Quilt Group.  Members make blocks and then donate them and some are sent back to the monthly winner and some are kept by Tammy which she sews together in her unique style.  These are some that Tammy put together and then sent to me to finish by quilting and binding them.

These two I pieced and quilted and added them to the box.

Quite a nice variety of colors and designs!

Still Making Tops

Health issues (broken hip, arthritis in hands, kidney stone, eye surgery) have kept me somewhat sidelined for the first half of the year, but I've still tried to make tops for my charities when I can. They have been a healing salvation to get me through times when one needs something to forget about pain and the convalescing cycle. And it's great to be a part of a group (St. Anne's Sewdality) when all I have to do is make the quilt tops and the rest is done by others.  Sometimes it take a group to make a quilt. Here's a few I've made so far:

These last two were made using a great tutorial by Jenny Doan.  You can read about it here. Don't have time to make a charity quilt. I invite you to form a group and see how easy it will be.

Three Bears in the Yukon

Baby Bear
April 2016


Mama Bear
February 2016

Baby Bear was the final quilt in my Three Bears series, and I am thrilled to have it finished in time to include it, along with Papa and Mama Bear, in this year’s Hands2Help Charity Quilt Challenge!



The picture of the Papa Bear quilt was shown on this blog back in December. It had been my desire to have these three quilts stay together as a set, and I felt that it was serendipitous that this years' Hands2Help Challenge includes the Yukon Women's Transition Home in Whitehorse, Yukon. It is my hope the Three Bears will find a new home with a mom and her kids. I am inspired by these words on their website, “Kids deserve to feel safe". These are words that fuel me to make and donate quilts for kids.



 

Quilts for Kids

Here you see a bunch of quilts and quilt tops which I have made for kids through various programs. I'll try to remember where they are each going.

These four are going to Wrap-a-Smile, for kids going through cleft lip/cleft palette surgery.

These next four are going to Margaret's Hope Chest. They support various programs for kids/moms/dads in the Grand Rapids, Michigan area.

The next five are going to Quilts Beyond Borders, a group that sends quilts to underserved areas globally, such as Syrian refugees and to orphanages in Ethiopia. You may notice that theses are very similar. They are all made from a similar pattern which an online guild chose for a summer project in 2015. We were quite successful and since it started we have made well over 100 of these quilts. They're quick, easy, and attractive.

Back to the sewing machine! - Carol E.

Slow Sunday Stitching 3/13/16

I will be joining Kathy today with some slow stitching.  I finally have the missing floss needed to finish this piece.  I hope to get all those 'holes' filled in and then thru the week I can work on the backstitching - and there is a lot of that.

I, also, have two labels to get on their respective quilts so I can truly call them a finish. 

And today, the 6th year of Hands2Help officially opens with sign-ups.  Be sure to visit over at Sarah's for the details, scheduled events and linkies, charities, and full information. It will be wonderful if we can top last year's count of 147 quilts gifted.

Sewingly Yours,

Sharon 

Working together

Last June we had a booth at our parish festival.  We had children of all ages color fabric (backed with freezer paper) to make the above baby blocks. That way they could participate in our goal of working with our had to do a corporal work of Mercy and see that even they can be of help.  We've made quite a few quilts using the blocks. They are given to low income mothers at their first postpartum visit at the local Mommy & Me clinic.

Small quilting

I have found 2 organizations that I can do small quilting for. 

First, our local quilt guild is working with one of our local churches. They do a meals on wheels type program for their seniors.  A place-mat is provided with their first meal.

New mats are given at Christmas. This is a picture of the backs.

This of the front, totally reversible. I have set a personal goal of 2 per month.

The local chapter of Giving Dolls sends hand made dolls to children in need through various organizations. So sorry I don't have a picture of some of their amazing dolls. Several hospitals are on their list.  Dolls going to hospitals are accompanied by 24 inch square quilts.  Good size for wheel chairs.  Personal goal for these is 1 per month.

This one has this great back to go with the monsters on the front.