Sunday, April 28, 2024

Oh Scrap! : Strings

I had high hopes that I would be able to play with my scraps this week but it just didn't happen.  I was busy getting labels sewn onto all the finished quilts in stock - which was about 40 quilts.  And when the weather was nice, I ended up planting some of my garden.



I did want to share these awesome scrap blocks I received from Marci.  Aren't they fantastic?! She sent 10.5" and 6.5" square blocks.



I think they are going to look awesome all sewn together. Marci says she might try and send a few more and use more of her scrappy strings.
 I am sure I will have to make of few of these myself too!

I have also received some other 10.5" scrappy string blocks in RWB fabrics.  I love when I see these tucked into packages.  I have plans to make some blocks with scraps from the veteran quilts so I will have enough blocks for some quilt tops soon.

I love it when all the bits are used!


*********************************************

It is now your turn to share what you are making with scraps.  Here are the details for linking up: 

  • This linky party is for any scrappy project - It can be in-process or a finished piece.
  • You can link up your blog post (not your homepage please) or Instagram photo from the past week that features your use of scraps.
  • If you are linking to a blog post, I ask that you link back to my blog somewhere in your post. So if you are writing about scraps, just get into the habit of including a link as there will be a linky party available every week!
  • If you are using Instagram, please use the hashtag #ohscrap.
  • This is a party so remember to socialize and comment on the posts of others.
  • Following my blog is not necessary but it sure would be great if you do! 

Quilting is more fun than Housework


You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter
                            

                                Follow Me on Bloglovin'                 Follow Me on Feedly


 

Friday, April 26, 2024

Friday Finishes

I realized late today that I had not written my Friday post.  And I have three lovely Veteran quilts to share today!


This first RWB Churn Dash quilt I put together.  I used some of the 6" blocks for the center and then framed it with the 12" blocks.  This is quilt #2 of this block drive.



It is hard to see the fabric on the back, but it is a red black and white homespun fabric I have had for quite some time.

This quilt measures 60 x 72".



Cheryl sent in this churn dash quilt top.  I love how she alternated the blocks with the HSTs.  This is the third completed quilt from this block drive.



I pulled this blue starred fabric out of my stash.  I had purchased it over a year ago with the idea that I would use it on a donation quilt.  I quilted it with big swirls.

This quilt measures about 65' square.



And finally, we have the 4th quilt for this block drive.  I think all of these blocks were sent in my Nann.  She also included the blue star sashing fabric (and a bunch more) in her package.


I decided to get out this awesome eagle fabric sent in by Karen.  It really looks spectacular on the back.



Also on the back, you can see the new labels.  I am still working on getting the temporary website completed but I hope to have that soon.  I am really pleased with how these labels turned out.  
If you want to read how I plan on efficiently adding these labels onto the quilt backs, you can read this post here.

Now I can go back to my other scheduled tasks for today. The Churn Dash pipeline is now filled and we should be seeing the completed ones more often.  Hope you are starting to see the blocks you donated!



There is still time to make a few blocks and get them into the mail.  You can read about how to make the blocks in this post.

A huge thanks to all who have sent in blocks, fabric and other items to help make all this happen.



 

Tuesday, April 23, 2024

Colorful!

I had a few more quilts to share but I guess I didn't get them photographed.  I have been so busy lately; I don't always get everything done by the end of the day.  But this pretty quilt top sent in by Amanda was just too colorful not to share today.



I am guessing this design uses a layercake.  It looks like the strips were cut at 3" and 4"wide.
The fabrics Amanda chose sure made a colorful and happy finish.

Local quilter Terry finished this one up for me.  I had sent a medium rosy pink thread - which was a stretch for her.  She really liked it when it was done.  That is a plus when you quilt donation quilts - you can try new things and stretch your boundaries!


Pat sent me the perfect backing for this one.  The pink flowers in the navy background really finished off the quilt nicely.  

This quilt is quite large - I think it measures about 65 x 78".



Do you know what else is colorful?  Check it out...I received the quilt labels from Spoonflower!

Next step is to get the website listed on the label up and running.  The fun never seems to end!

I have about 40 quilts in inventory right now so I will be spending some time getting labels on all of them.  I have a big delivery going out next week, so I had better get busy!


Sunday, April 21, 2024

Oh Scrap! : Progress


Thanks for all your suggestions last week on how I should move forward on my scrappy HST quilt.



 I decided to make some orange blocks for the center and then purple blocks in the outer corners.

This week I was able to get the four orange blocks completed along with the six red blocks needed to finish the diamond. I have my blue scraps sorted so I hope to finish the ten blocks I need this week.

Before I know it, I am going to have a finished quilt top! 
Thanks for helping me move this project forward.



*********************************************

It is now your turn to share what you are making with scraps.  Here are the details for linking up: 

  • This linky party is for any scrappy project - It can be in-process or a finished piece.
  • You can link up your blog post (not your homepage please) or Instagram photo from the past week that features your use of scraps.
  • If you are linking to a blog post, I ask that you link back to my blog somewhere in your post. So if you are writing about scraps, just get into the habit of including a link as there will be a linky party available every week!
  • If you are using Instagram, please use the hashtag #ohscrap.
  • This is a party so remember to socialize and comment on the posts of others.
  • Following my blog is not necessary but it sure would be great if you do! 

Quilting is more fun than Housework


You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

                            Follow Me on Bloglovin'                 Follow Me on Feedly

Friday, April 19, 2024

Log Cabin Block Drive Round Up

I know I told you guys that I would share more Churn Dash quilts today but I finished the last Log Cabin quilt so I thought I would compose the round up stats for you instead.



Quilt number 17 is the final quilt made from the block drive.  Janet and Audrey did a great job coming up with the above layout using up the last of the blocks.  I think there were only two blocks that didn't get used from this drive.  We will find another home for them at a later date.

This final quilt measures 55" x 66".



I used a vibrant turquoise fabric for the backing.  I think this is one of the backs sent in by Karen.  I quilted this with a lime green thread for even more fun.



Want to know how many blocks I received?  There were 489 blocks sent in by 40 quilters.  Not bad for a drive that took place over the busy holidays.  It was also a more involved block, so I didn't receive a massive quantity from any one quilter.  I did receive 3 quilt tops from Churn dash blocks that came to me all sewn up.  I always appreciate when that happens.


A few other worthy things to mention - 
  • I received a roll of batting from the hospital I donate to.  They had it shipped right from Joann's to my doorstep! It was used in quite a few of these log cabin quilts.
  • I also had some wide backing fabric drop shipped from Connecting Threads during one of their sales.  Thanks so much!
  • A big hearted quilter who acquired some fabric form a quilt store and knew I would be making Veteran quilts next sent me three almost full bolts of RWB fabrics. You will probably be seeing some of them soon!
The current block drive is for our Veterans.  The quilts that are made from this block drive will produce about 70% of the Veteran quilts we donate for the year.  My future goal is to hold some local sew days to allow us to donate to more veteran organizations.

Last year, the block drive resulted in 26 completed quilts.


If you want to make some blocks to donate, you can read more about our current block drive here.

I would like to have all the blocks in the mail by the middle of May so there is still time to get some sent off.  I am already turning the blocks I have already received into some nice quilts.  You can see the first one here.  I hope to share many more next week.


 

Wednesday, April 17, 2024

Mid Week Finishes

Thanks to one of my local quilters, I have a few finishes to share today.



Yep, we are STILL working on the Happy Block quilts.  This dinosaur themed quilt is quilt #68.  The blocks for this quilt were laid out by a neighbor boy named Jackson - he is a specialist on dinosaurs, so he was the right man for the job!  



Laura was kind enough to quilt this one up for me.  She used a new tool she ordered to make those wavy lines.  I think it looks great on this quilt.  She also sewed on the binding.

This quilt measures 48" x 56".



Quilt #69 is all about pirates!  I had a blast putting this one together.


On the back is the cutest fabric - dogs and cats dressed as pirates involved in all sorts of shenanigans.  I didn't have a huge piece, so I put a fabric with undersea creatures.

This isn't a big quilt at 40 x 48" but I didn't have any more "pirate" blocks and I didn't want some of these cute prints to get lost in another quilt.



Laura also quilted up this fun quilt.  I love the boxy design in red thread. This quilt top traveled a bit.  I think Judy sent it to Kat and Kat sent it to me.  She thought it might be more appropriate for an older kid.  I am sure it will be one that gets distributed quickly.  I don't often have larger kid's quilts.



A pretty blue backing that I think Judy sent in with the quilt top.  The quilt is all finished off with a red binding - also sewed on by Laura.

This quilt is about 65" x 72".

A huge thanks to all for helping get these quilts made.  I am really enjoying that all ages are getting involved and having fun with it.  So Many Hands and Many Hearts are involved!



 

Sunday, April 14, 2024

Oh Scrap! : Next Steps

I did spend some time on Saturday trying to decide my next steps on my scrappy HST quilt.

So far, I have made only blue and red blocks.




I put them up on the design wall numerous ways, but I think this is the layout I like best.  The blocks are 6" so the quilt will end up being about 60 x 72.

Now I need to decide if I keep it just two colors or do I add a third color - maybe yellow?  I would put the third color in the center and then out in the corners.

What do you think?



I did find some big gray scraps that I could cut some big squares out of them. While I wait to decide what colors I want to go with, I think I will make the six red blocks I need to finish out that round.

Leave your thoughts in the comment section.
Thanks!

*********************************************

It is now your turn to share what you are making with scraps.  Here are the details for linking up: 

  • This linky party is for any scrappy project - It can be in-process or a finished piece.
  • You can link up your blog post (not your homepage please) or Instagram photo from the past week that features your use of scraps.
  • If you are linking to a blog post, I ask that you link back to my blog somewhere in your post. So if you are writing about scraps, just get into the habit of including a link as there will be a linky party available every week!
  • If you are using Instagram, please use the hashtag #ohscrap.
  • This is a party so remember to socialize and comment on the posts of others.
  • Following my blog is not necessary but it sure would be great if you do! 

Quilting is more fun than Housework


You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter


                        Follow Me on Bloglovin'                 Follow Me on Feedly

 

Friday, April 12, 2024

Churn Dash 2024 Quilt #1

It is finally time to reveal the first Churn Dash quilt from this year’s block drive.
 


I received a big stack of the blue and white star squares.  They were 9.5".  I didn't want to cut them down, so I grabbed some of the 6" churn dash blocks and framed them in some red fabrics.  I was able to use some red scraps I had from some of last years' quilts.

I really like how this quilt turned out.


I continued the star theme right onto the back.  
Even the striped binding has some little blue stars on it.

This quilt measures 54 x 63".



I still have some of those blue starred squares left so I might have to make another quilt similar to this one.  I love that I receive inspiring bits that are already cut.

More of these churn dash finishes should be coming quicker in the future now that the pipeline is moving.  Hopefully I will have more to share next week!


There is still lots of time to make some blocks for this current block drive.  



 

Tuesday, April 9, 2024

Sneaking in some Finishes

Before I dive into the current block drive for Many Hands and Many Hearts, I thought I would sneak in a few quilt tops made by others and then quilted by me.



This adorable monkey quilt has been hanging around for quite some time.  It was sent in by Josie and I just needed to find a backing for it.  I would think I found something to realize the piece was far too small.  Then it would get lost in the shuffle for a bit.



Then, just a week ago I came across this fabulous striped fabric that Nann sent me months and months ago.  It fit the bill perfectly!  I also had a lime green binding already prepared and ready to go.

This quilt measures about 50 x 60".



I was recently sent this wonderful RWB veteran quilt top made from some orphan blocks.  I love seeing these otherwise unusable blocks find a home in such a pretty quilt.



This backing was sent to me already pieced.  I admit, when I quilt these donation quilts, I sometimes cut corners to get it quilted quickly.  This can get me into trouble sometimes. I meant to get the eagles centered in the center of the back but the quilt math I did quickly in my head was obviously off.  
Oh well, the quilt still looks nice.

 This quilt measures about 60 x 72".


I am now working on getting all the churn dash blocks into quilt tops.




There is still plenty of time to make blocks if you want to help out.  You can read more about the block drive in this post.  This drive won't end until the end of May.  Last year we ended up with 26 quilts.  We hope to make more this year!


I really do appreciate all the support!




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