Quilt of Valor
This is a Quilt of Valor that I was asked to quilt. Longarm quilters are often asked to quilt these, so I was pleased to volunteer.
This was made by girls in 4H.
Quilted Table Linen
This linen was so much fun to quilt and really didn’t take very long.
Ashley’s T-shirt Quilt
This is a t-shirt quilt I made for my niece, Ashley, for her high school graduation. These are some of her favorite t-shirts from school and from vacations. Yellow is her favorite color so that was used for the background. The other bright colors surrounding the t-shirts are some delightful prints that add the perfect pop of color and make this a fun quilt!
This is Ashley posing in front of her quilt. It was given to her at Christmas time as you can tell by the wrapped presents on the floor in front of her.
Don’t waste anytime wrapping yourself up in a quilt!
Ok, so quilters don’t normally post pictures of their quilting ‘boo-boos’ but this was just too good not to share. This is what happens when laying out the columns of the quilt and you realize there was a slight math error. Oops!
So, this is how it can be corrected! We call this creating a ‘design element’ and brag that this was the intended look all along. These things do happen and it often leads to a more interesting design anyway. Don’t worry! It doesn’t affect the warmth of the quilt in any way, shape, or form.
Here are a couple close up shots of some of the squares, the surrounding fabrics, and the quilting design. Don’t you just love that fun fabric around the t-shirt squares? It just makes you smile.
And since quilters are known as the original recyclers, I just had to keep sewing until I used up all the leftover fabrics. This is a zip top tote that was made from those scraps. I put a few pieces of candy in it and gave it to her as a Christmas present. Now it’s a matched set – quilt and tote. Just too much cuteness!
I hope you’ve enjoyed this quilt as much as Ashley does!
Take care,
Wanda
Memory Quilts for Kathy
What a privilege it is to make someone a memory quilt. The loss of a loved one is a traumatic event, but then to turn over that loved ones special clothing to a quilter who will cut them into pieces, can also pull at your heartstrings. I understand, I know, I’ve been there, too. However, there is good news – when that finished memory quilt comes back to you, you just want to hug it like that loved one is right there with you.
Here are three memory quilts made from one man’s favorite shirts, one for his wife and one for each of their two adult daughters. So, can you tell he was a country man? Although I really enjoyed making these quilts, I’d rather not see another plaid shirt for a few months!
Here are the finished quilts:
Memory Quilt 1
Memory Quilt 2
Memory Quilt 3
There were also a couple of his favorite t-shirts to be included, but they wouldn’t fit into the front design of the quilts, so I put them on the back of the wife’s quilt. I also included some fabric from the girl’s quilts on the back so all three quilts tie together.
Back of moms quilt
I just gotta say – I love that John Wayne t-shirt!
Here are a few other items made from his shirts:
Memory Bear
This teddy bear is so soft! It’s made from a chamois shirt. It’s not overly stuffed so you can really cuddle with it. See that tag sewn into the leg seam? It’s from that John Wayne t-shirt. It says ‘Old Guys Rule.’ How fun is that? Oh, and I want to mention, that is a real bow tie! It’s made from some of the fabric that’s used in the quilts.
Zipper Bag front
This is a small zippered bag. It’s made from one of the shirts. One side of the bag has a shirt front pocket and the back of the bag has part of the back yoke. The bag has a square bottom so it will hold plenty of stuff. As everyone knows, a girl can never have too many bags.
Zipper Bag back
Dresser Runner
This is a table or dresser runner made from leftover Sweet Sixteen blocks. I just sewed too many. Probably lost count of the number of little plaid squares and big plaid squares. Silly me! The table runner has also been washed and dried so it has that ‘old quilt’ look to it. I just love the way it looks after it’s been washed and it’s so soft!
Then … just for interest for my quilting friends, here are a few ‘in process’ pictures:
cutting shirts
cutting shirts into strips
and more strips
stack up the strips
more stacks of strips and some sewing of blocks
look, more blocks!
and more blocks
sewing strips
again … more strips, it never ends!
on the frame
another one on the frame
and the last one on the frame
So there you have it, the making of three memory quilts. Please, no more plaid for a while, but this was truly my pleasure. Oh, I should mention, the daughters will receive theirs as Christmas presents. What a memorable gift this will be!
Have a great day!
More Time in Retirement
Hello Everyone!
It’s so true – I have more time to quilt now that I’m retired. I worked for OneAmerica for just over 18 years and have taken early retirement. I spent the first couple of weeks getting used to the idea that I’m not driving to my job every day and discovering my new routine. It was challenging, but I believe I’ve figured it out now. And I’m loving it!
I finished those 3 Memory Quilts and I’ll publish those shortly – the pictures need just a bit of editing first.
Have a wonderful day,
Wanda
Memory Quilt
I’ve been pretty busy lately working on three Memory Quilts for one customer. Here is a peek at one of them…
I will add more photos soon.
Wedding Quilt
My dear friend, Shelley, made this quilt top for her son’s wedding and I had the privilege to quilt it for her. She did a great job of collecting batik fabrics and piecing them for each block background. Then using her super fancy cutting machine she cut out each black applique and fused it to the background block. Then she used a buttonhole stitch around each design. The black sashing set the blocks on point and the piano key border really set it beautifully. Well done!
Wedding Quilt on the frame
Wedding Quilt finished
This quilt is so beautiful!!! I just love it. I’m sure the new couple will get many years use from it.
Heroes for the House
It’s finished and it turned out great! This shows the first nine t-shirts for this event and was displayed at this year’s event – the 10th anniversary. This will now hang in the Indianapolis Ronald McDonald House.
