Category Archives: Donation Quilts

Flying Horse Farm Quilts

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Please note if you live in Central North Carolina: One of the guilds I belong to is having a quilt show soon!2024 card.JPEG

One of my other quilt groups makes quilts for Flying Horse Farm, a camp for children with serious illnesses. Here are my contributions for this spring.

This quilt was inspired by Maryline Collioud-Robert’s Carnival Quilt, in which she mixed many striped fabrics with her scraps. I didn’t use her pattern, just her idea of including lots of striped fabric. However, here’s the link to her pattern if you’re interested.

Quilt Stats

Name: Strips with Stripes

Finished size: 60″ x 72″

Designed by: me, with inspiration from Maryline Collioud-Robert

Made by: me

Quilted by: Linda Nichols

 

Here is the second Flying Horse Farm quilt:

This quilt is inspired by the Bento Box pattern I had years ago and made several quilts from. The pattern has been re-issued and I bought it, but I do not like the new instructions at all! Therefore I completely re-designed the construction process and made this my way.

And here’s a peek at the back of the quilt–more scraps used!

Quilt Stats

Name: Bento Box Revised

Finished size: 60″ x 72″

Designed by: me, with inspiration from the original Bento Box pattern

Made by: me

Quilted by: Linda Nichols

These were both fun, easy (as revised by me) quilts. I used the scrappy one at the top as leaders-and-enders and it came together quickly.

 

Finally, here is a scrap quilt called “Blue Sky and Sunshine”–my husband says the name is corny but I like it 😀

Quilt Stats

Name: Blue Sky and Sunshine

Finished size: 61″ x 73″

Designed by: me, using up orphan blocks

Made by: me

Quilted by: Linda Nichols

 

Happy quilting!

A Little House Quilt

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One of my guilds provides little wall quilts, featuring houses, to Habitat for Humanity. They give one of these quilts to each new homeowner, and have asked us to provide a few more.

To make this one, I used a pre-drawn block from EQ8 and printed a line drawing of it at 12″ x 12″. Then all I had to do was measure the components and make the fusible applique quilt. This is the block as it was shown in EQ8:

Block design taken directly from EQ8

And here is the line drawing I printed from the program (along with my notes!):

EQ8 drew this as if I were going to piece it. There was the option to print sections for paper piecing as well.

Finally, here is the finished house. It is all fused applique.

I use wool felt as the “batting” for wall quilts now, having learned from one of the many books I read that it is more stable for that purpose. It does, indeed, produce a nice firm quilt and this small one won’t sag even though it is to be hung with two loops at the top instead of a sleeve and rod.

I did a little decorative quilting and zig-zagging along the edges of some of the pieces, but this won’t be washed so I didn’t worry too much about it.

The redbird on the roof is a button! I collect them for things such as this 😀  As is often the case with decorative buttons, this one has a shank, so I poked a hole in the quilt and pushed the shank through so the button would lie flat. The back is secured with a pin.

Finally, after debating about what to do, I zig-zagged the edge to finish the quilt. I hope it will enhance someone’s new home.

A New Donation!

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A friend called recently to say that a local charity wanted a quilt to decorate their new office space. I sent a couple of pictures and they were enthusiastic but thought maybe they wanted both quilts! Eventually someone came over to look at some options since both the pictures I sent were very much alike; I didn’t think they’d want two quilt so similar. Of course I was thrilled that somebody wanted my quilts!

The charity is Backpack Beginnings, a local organization whose mission is to give “food and basic necessities directly to children in need” and to connect their families to appropriate community resources. I like the fact that they have a “market” where families can “pick out their own groceries and supplies”.

Anyway, back to the quilts. The Backpack Beginnings representative selected these two quilts to decorate their new space, and I couldn’t be happier that someone actually requested a donation!

This first quilt, 48″ x 48″, is a modification of a pattern by Brigitte Heitland. I made it in 2022 and quilted it using the QAYG method.

The second quilt has been around a long time! I made it for Modern Quilts Unlimited back in 2014 and quilted it myself. Finished size is 47″ x 57″. It’s one of my favorites, so I’m glad it will be displayed.

Modern Quilts Unlimited magazine

Just FYI, if you’re local, Backpack Beginnings has the quilts they need now, but they still need volunteers!

Pattern Review: Strip Search

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I found this pattern at Five Little Monkeys and it turned out to be as much fun as it appeared to be! The pattern said that, if you followed the instructions exactly, none of the strips would try to line up, and that was right! This means the only thing to “match” is the corners where the blocks come together, but really, the blocks are big so that was easy. Easy and fun–that’s what we like!

Here’s the first quilt I made from the pattern. I thought at first that the blocks needed sashing. However, that was not an improvement, so I removed the sashing and just added a border. The blocks are about 15″ square, so this was a good size quilt.

The second quilt is for Quilts of Valor and will be just the right size without a border. This is just a picture of part of it so the pattern of the strips shows. It isn’t finished yet.

And finally, here is a quilt I made to be used on one of our twin beds with a pillow sham.

This is an excellent pattern for using 2.5″ strips, either from scraps or a jelly roll. The instructions are clear and work well if they’re followed carefully. I recommend it!  

These folks developed the Stripology ruler so they recommend it, but it isn’t necessary for this pattern. Here’s a source for the pattern if you can’t get it at your LQS.

 

Retreat!

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Jerri’s Retreat Group has been going for many years now, and recently we met at my house. Here are a few of the projects other group members were working on. What’s not shown are the multiple trips to quilt shops in the area 😉

Here are some of the projects made by group members.

This quilt, made from a pattern by Elizabeth Hartman, will go to a camp for seriously ill children

This quilt was made to use up Kaffe scraps. I don’t know whether there was a pattern.

This block will be part of the Rock Star Granny quilt, pattern by Crystal Manning

I don’t know the pattern for this one.

This quilt to be given to a veteran was made with the Ray pattern, free on the Robert Kaufman website

This block is the start of the Simplify pattern by Cluck Cluck Sew

This is the start of the BQ2 pattern, using fabrics from the Desert Oasis collection from Moda

I am so lucky to have generous and inspiring friends to quilt with!

 

Another Batch for Ronald McDonald House

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When the quilt closet gets too full, it’s time to send some to various organizations that use them as comfort quilts. Ronald McDonald House of Cincinnati has been a favorite over the years, in part because they are so appreciative when the lady from our group brings the quilts to them. Therefore, these 8 are going to them.

This first quilt was made in 2009. It hasn’t been given away yet in part because I love all those floral fabrics and in part because it was pulled a bit out of shape by an inexperienced quilter who will remain nameless. The pattern is called Crumbs, notwithstanding that the name has been used for a very different quilt since that time.

Second is this quilt made last year and entitled Bright Scraps. No pattern; I made it up as I went along.

Bright Scraps, one of many scrap quilts made last year. And no, the scrap pile has NOT diminished!

Splendid Stars, 2021, is one of several quilts I’ve made from star blocks left from other projects.

Splendid Stars, 51″ x 53″, was made from orphan blocks left from numerous projects

And here is another quilt made in 2022 from my sizeable stash of floral fabrics.

This quilt, called Summer Night, was made in 2005 and includes fabrics with stars that glow in the dark!

The quilt below is one of my favorite “rescue” quilts. The circles were cut from blocks that had failed two or three other arrangements. I cut them out and sewed them onto a background I had already quilted.

 

The following quilt was made from a free pattern by Cluck Cluck Sew. Thanks to my friend Gwen, the “Textile Ranger”, who identified the source.

And finally, this quilt is called Candy Cubes. It was made in 2020 from the book New Patchwork and Quilting Basics by Jo Avery.

And if this seems like a lot of quilts to donate, consider that I’ve now made over 500 and they need to go to folks who can use them. As some other quilters have noted, I don’t want to leave a lot of “stuff” for my daughter to have to dispose of–when I die many  years from now!

 

A Quilt, and Sending Quilts

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First, here’s the latest donation quilt, made to use up 5″ squares in floral fabrics. I just added the strips as “leaders and enders” while working on other projects, and here it is.

Quilt Stats

Name: Floral Crumbs

Design: Variation of the “crumbs” pattern from The Quilt Police

Finished size: 60″ x 73″

Made by: me

Quilted by: Linda Nichols

Sending Quilts–solved!

I occasionally enter quilt shows where I’m not able to physically deliver and/or retrieve my quilt, and this has presented a problem.

Last year I took the packed quilts to UPS, FedEx, and USPS asking to purchase a pre-paid return label to include with them. The first two flatly refused. The lady at USPS finally explained that I could purchase stamps and include them with my own return label inside the package.

This year I researched online and figured out that I could purchase a prepaid return label by going through a third party, such as GoShippo.com. The GoShippo service is intended for businesses needing to offer pre-paid return for merchandise, but I was able to set up an account as a non-business individual.

So this year, I packed my quilts, measured and weighed the box, and entered the information at the GoShippo site. I was immediately given prices for UPS, FedEx, and USPS, including the various levels of service for each and transit time for each. Much easier than running around to all the various shippers and being turned down!

Here are the quilts I’ve entered in the Asheville show. I’ll be attending but won’t be able to pick them up, so they’ll use that return label 😀

Improv 2022, 42" x 57"

Improv 2022, 42″ x 57″

Circular Reasoning, 56″ x 68″

How do you manage shipping to shows when you need a paid return label?

 

Quilts for Veterans

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One of the guilds I joined recently participates in the Quilts of Valor program, awarding quilts to veterans.

My parents met when both were in the Army during World War II. They would have been touched to have their service remembered years later with a quilt.

However, both of them died before I knew of the program.

Therefore, these two quilts are not only to honor living veterans but to honor the memory of my parents and their service.

This first quilt is made from the Lucky Stars pattern by Alex Anderson. It’s another one I’ve made numerous times and it’s always turned out well.

The second quilt is a modification of the Wish pattern by Cluck Cluck Sew.

Both of these were quilted by Linda Nichols, who is an official Quilt of Valor longarm quilter. I hope you can see this nice panto she used. It’s called “Star Spangled”

P.S.– A blogging friend asked if I had written about my parents’ service, so I thought I would add what information I have. Mother’s jobs with the army included recruiter, sex educator for female personnel, and finally WAAC commander at Keesler Field. Daddy was an aircraft mechanic, first in Texas and then in Europe.

Both left the army with the rank of captain. I recall that one outranked the other by virtue of having been promoted a few days earlier, but I don’t recall which. I do know that Mother outranked Daddy at home 😀

 

 

Two Quilts for Flying Horse Farms

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Yes, the quilts do seem to come in pairs lately.

Flying Horse Farms is a camp “where children with serious illnesses live without limits”. A friend started making quilts to donate to them, so several of us have joined in. Here are the two I have made most recently.

Quilt for a Boy is 58″ x 72″, made from batiks using a modification of the classic Turning Twenty Again pattern. I’ve made that pattern numerous times and every one has turned out great. The camp especially needs quilts for older boys, and I thought this would fit.

Fun fact: this quilt incorporates a cotton handkerchief I found on the trail during a hike years ago!

And the back is an end-of-bolt batik I bought years ago as well.

Mod Owls, 62″ x 75″, was made because I bought these cute plaid fabrics and needed something cute to do with them. My blogging friend Elizabeth sometimes refers to being caught in the “dungeon of cute”, and I guess I was.

The pattern is “Mod Owls” from Sew Kind of Wonderful and uses both sizes of their original rulers. I still really dislike making curves without seam allowances, but I just had to do this quilt and was too lazy to design new templates, so here it is.

And look at this owl panto Linda used!

The backing was donated by a friend and I found some plaid for the binding!

I think it will be a cute quilt for some kid at camp.

Both quilts were quilted by Linda Nichols.

 

Two More Orphan Block Quilts

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As I probably have mentioned, I have over 100 orphan blocks. Some are from swaps, some from blocks I made to learn something, some just extras from quilts I’ve made.

Yes, that bin is full of smaller orphan blocks, with the big orphans stacked on top!

I have made numerous quilts in the past to use some of them up. Here are a few just for review.

Aha! Orphan blocks can be cut up to make new blocks, as I did with my Giant Circles quilt, here

I’ve used orphan blocks to make greeting cards, here

orphan block on bag

This is a great use for orphan blocks. Just attach to a bag, and you have a handmade gift!

Splendid Stars, 51″ x 53″, was made from orphan blocks left from numerous projects

And of course I’ve attached orphan blocks to shirts.

quilt block on a shirt

Here’s another orphan block on a shirt

Recently I was browsing patterns and noticed that the folks at Maple Island Quilts had used one of their patterns to set some orphan blocks, so of course I ordered the pattern.

I have made two quilts. Here’s the first, which I considered the less successful of the two.

Quilt made using orphan blocks and the BQ5 pattern from Maple Island Quilts.

I thought the points coming together would make the design cohesive, but the blocks were just too dissimilar. And yes, there is a “mistake” block that I decided to leave “as is” when including it in the quilt 😀

Oops. But this is not the time to re-make this block!

The second quilt was made with the other design offered in the pattern, and I believe the blocks are more homogeneous as well.

Finished quilt 54″ x 68″, made from BQ5 pattern

Perhaps Elvis helped this quilt be more successful.

But the favorite block is this one. It’s a print from many years ago. I used the fabric to make a quilt for a friend who is a child psychologist.

What do you do with orphan blocks? How many do you have?

And just in case you have a LOT, the BQ5 pattern is available here. It is well written and I do recommend Maple Island Quilt patterns because I’ve never had any trouble following their directions! Several other patterns in the line would work for orphan blocks, too.