I pulled my sewing machine out for an emergency session this past week.  I learned that someone close to me has the big “C” – cancer.  He starts his radiation treatment today and I didn’t really know what to do for him and his family.  I thought maybe a lap quilt and some freezer meals would be a small comfort.

I looked online for a simple, easy pattern and found a picture of a charity quilt that was pretty.  I whipped up a quilt pattern that was similar but a little smaller.  Then I looked through my stash to see what I had that I could use.  I decided to make a patriotic quilt since this person is a veteran and I threw in some fabric with musical notes because he’s very musical.

I usually like to use cotton batting or a cotton/poly blend but to save time; I found a fusible batting that I thought I would try.  It’s called Quilter’s Fusible Batting by June Tailor.  It did save some time.  It’s very stiff and it seemed a little lofty to me even though it’s called a low loft. You just iron the whole quilt sandwich together to fuse.   After I quilted everything together (very simply) and added the binding, I washed the quilt and that helped soften it up.

It’s a very bright quilt!  I used some Project Linus “Hugs for Heroes” fabric for the backing and binding which shows Snoopy in different uniforms.  I really hope this quilt can be a source of comfort for this special person as he goes through treatment.

I’ve been cleaning and painting and packing to get ready for our move.  I’d much rather be sewing or quilting.  But while packing up all these quilts, it’s been fun to look at some of my favorites.

This one I made for my daughter.

It’s a Sunflower quilt for my Kansas baby.  I started the quilt in 1997 and finally finished it in 2011.  The block is not actually a sunflower block but some other flower.  I thought it was a dahlia but not sure about that.

The middle petals are gathered and eased into the block before adding the  appliqued center.  That’s why it took me so many years to finish.  It was a tough block for a new quilter.  When I started the quilt; I found this fabric that I used for the back.  It has little sayings on it and I thought it would be perfect to pass on to my daughter.

Another favorite of mine is made completely of Batik fabrics.  It was so much fun to find and collect all the fabrics.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Batik that I don’t love.

This quilt was great practice in sewing curves!  I used the Crazy Curves templates from Elisa’s Backporch and the Circle Dance Pattern that came with the templates.  Cutting the pieces out was so easy with these templates.  I was actually surprised how quick and easy  the whole quilt went together.  The colors are so bright and cheerful; it makes me happy!

I made this quilt while living in Heidelberg, Germany.

It’s called “Trip Across Europe” and it was a block of the month class at the Arts & Crafts center.  It was designed by a fellow Army wife, Kristin LaFlamme, who is a textile genius.  This is how I learned paper piecing and after a year of it, I had it down.

This is so much more than a quilt to me; it’s memories of my time in Europe.

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hope you enjoyed my little show & tell.  Now I have to get back to packing.  I have to tell you, all these quilts make great packing material.  I was packing some dishes and I looked over at that stack of quilts and thought; why not?