Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Advice and assistance please

Hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday.  

I am writing this post on Monday....mainly because I can't quilt. 

You see while I was changing my needle today, I managed to drop the screw that hold the needle in place.  I spent an hour on the floor with a magnet trying to find it to no avail.  The longarm is out of service until I can get the replacement parts sent down from Carroll. So quilting is at a standstill for the next several days.

I have two quilt tops that I need assistance or advice on, well not so much advice but ideas on.

First the quilt that I am asking for assistance with.


This quilt top measures 91 x 94. Unfortunately because I only do edge to edge quilting that is computer guided.  I am not going to be able to quilt this one. 


That center square has crewel (?) in it.  And I am not even going to attempt to quilt through it, for fear of damaging my longarm.


Here are a couple of close ups of the heavy stitching.


There are six of these blocks on the diagonal from each corner radiating to the center block.

So I am asking if there is a longarmer that would be willing to quilt this one for Iowa Comfort.  A simple meander would be fine.  I just can't free hand, no matter how hard I try.  I would supply you with the backing and batting material.  Your investment would be thread and your time.  Let me know if you can help me out on this quilt.

The next top measures 85 X 94.  Due to the religious theme of the top it will not be going to the center. The Director and I spoke at great length about it and decided that it would not be used in any of their housing facilities....and they didn't have any clients who might appreciate this particular quilt.

I am not going to use backing and batting material on this top, if the center is not going to use it.  I just won't waste resources like that.

So I am looking to all of you bright people out there to help me find an appropriate home for this quilt top.  It was donated to Iowa Comfort, and I would like to send it on to a place where it can be finished and cherished the way the maker intended it to be.


Forewarned, this quilt does have some fullness that will have to be contended with....but I think if it was going to the right home it could be still be a wonderful treasure.


So if you know of a place this top could be donated to I would be grateful to hear your suggestion.

Well that is all I have for this post.  I hope that someone will be in contact with me about quilting the blue quilt.  I look forward to any suggestions on the second.

Have a great week!  Hope to get my replacement parts early this week so I can get quilting again!


Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Quilts

I have said it before, I will say it again.  Quilters are just the most generous people out there.

Last week I received a call from Betty W. she asked if I was available for a fabric drop off.  

Now you all know that I am currently not accepting any fabric donations....but with every rule there is the exception.  Betty had two bags of already cut down doggy bed scraps.


Those bags went directly into doggy beds, that Hawkeye quality tested.  They were cut perfectly.  You wouldn't think that it would matter, but it does.  If the stuffing isn't small enough the dogs can't nest within the bed....and then they use it as a chew toy instead of a bed.

Betty also took home two bags that were waiting to be cut down to dog bed stuffing!  My storage unit for that material is almost empty! Imagine me jumping for joy!

Additionally Betty brought us three Hope Quilts.  Take a look at these darling little quilts.


 I especially like this one because it is more of a boy quilt. And for what ever reason, the Hope Quilts tend to be more girlish.  Some little boy will love this airplane quilt.


I didn't have a beannie baby that was a pilot.  But I thought that every little boys best friend is his dog.  So I think this little guy is the perfect companion for this quilt.


This quilt could probably go to a boy or a girl.  The lighter tan blocks is a bird print, and the darker brown blocks is an ABC print.


There were pink flamingo's in that bird print....so you know this guy belonged with this quilt.


This one reads boy quilt to me also!  Hey that could be three for three!  The blue in the quilt top and the back is a blue/yellow/green striped material.


Once again Nancy H. had supplied the perfect companion for this quilt.  This little snail can keep all of the snails in the printed blocks company.

Thank you Betty for all the wonderful Hope Quilts.  I can imagine a toddler dragging one of these behind him wherever he goes. 

Thank you also Nancy for sharing your collection with these children.  I am sure they are well loved by the child that receives the quilt and its companion.

This week I am working on a bed size Iowa Comfort quilt, and two Hope quilts.  At least that is the plan.

Hope you all have a wonderful week.



Tuesday, May 13, 2014

I love my binding fairies!

My binding volunteers are wonderful!  I can honestly say without their help, I think Iowa Comfort would be at a stand still now.  I just would not be able to complete the projects as fast.

Lets take a look at some of the projects that they completed for me over the last couple of weeks.



This quilt was bound by Jan M.  It was another of the quilts pieced by the ladies from Adel Christian Church.  Jan machine bound it using a really pretty decorative stitch.  (I really need to learn to do that!)  This little quilt will have on of those cute little bears going with it that I featured in last weeks post.



Joyce S. finished up this quilt for me.  I gave it to her at quilt circle and the very next day she stopped by the house because I had missed calculated the binding for it.  She searched her stash and found a couple of other candidates and wanted my approval.  That is sweet but, I look at it like done is good!  Besides another persons eye is always great.  She found a pretty goldish brown that picked up the color of the sashing of some of the blocks in the quilt.


This quilt I have had for a while and I am ashamed that I don't remember who finished it for me.  BAD DEBBIE!  So thank you whoever did it.... I am really sorry that I don't remember.... darned old timers brain! Let me know if you recognize the quilt and I will properly thank you.


Then there is this quilt that Deb Y bound for me.  Not only did she bind it, but she went to her personal stash and found a more appropriate binding material.  I had 35 shades of blue in my stash, but none that really made me happy.  I sent the best of the 35 with the quilt and Deb agreed that it wasn't quite right for it.  I love the color that she found for it.  After she finished binding it, she also laundered it and freshened it up.  This quilt is big enough for one of the family beds at the center.  I hope they love the whimsy of the quilt.... all of those overhauls hanging on the line.

A big thank you to all of my volunteers!  Those that piece tops and donate them and those that bind for me, without you I know there would be only 5 or 6 projects a year going out the door.  Thank you to those who bring your projects to me to quilt, that is how I buy the backing and batting for these projects.  You guys are all the greatest!

I think I have 8 or 9 quilts ready to be donated, so this week will be a book work week.  Once I get the book work done I will get them all posted in the 2014 photo gallery.

Have a great week everyone!



Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Completed Quilts

I have the best quilty friends a girl can have!  A couple of weeks ago I took 4 quilts to my quilt meeting that needed bound, and I came home with none of them. Just so the record is clear, two of the ladies that had volunteered to bind a quilt for me were not present at that meeting.... and I still came home with an empty bag.

All four quilts are bound and back in my possession awaiting donation, ALREADY.

It will take a couple of posts to get them up for show n tell.  So this is part 1.

Nancy H.  bound this little quilt for me, and as always, she did a wonderful job.  I could be wrong, but I think Nancy has finished binding at least one quilt a month for the last six months.  I so appreciate the help!



This quilt is made from flannel that someone dropped off at Adel Quilting and Dry Goods for Iowa Comfort.  The ladies from Adel Christian Church took the bag of flannel and made this quilt, along with many others for me.  A big THANK YOU goes out to them for constructing these tops!  I would still be looking at flannel if it had been left up to me.

Those white blocks have little teddy bears in them.  You can see them better in this photo.

So what does Miss Nancy do?  She raids her stash of beanie baby's and donates another big bag full to us.


I knew that one of these guys were going to be donated with the quilt above.  The quilt has multi colored bears in it, and the border fabric has multi colored feet and hands. 

 The two belong together, and I have another quilt really similar to this one that the other bear will go with!  

The purple hippo is the perfect companion to a quilt that I hope to quilt yet this week.  They are just wonderful!  

The center told me that the small people who are getting these quilts, love the quilts...but their eyes light up when they see the companion beanie baby.

As if that wasn't more than enough.  Nancy also sent along this donation.


Here is a quilt that she did from start to finish.  She purchased the fabric, batting and backing (or had it in her stash) pieced it, quilted and of course she bound it also for me.  I love the colors in this one and the camera did not do it justice.  I'll have to measure it to make sure but it may be big enough for a twin bed.

Except for the label this quilt is ready for donation.

Have I told you that I have the BESTEST QUILTY FRIENDS lately? Well I do, and I so appreciate each and every one of you.

Next week I will show you the other three quilts ready for donation.  
This week I plan on getting a dog bed sewn up, three dog shams made for those beds...and get at least a couple of the Hope Quilts quilted.  I think I can get two of them quilted on that backing material that was donated a couple of weeks ago. The hope quilts are about 42 x 46....and the backing is 108 inches long.  My math says it should work....here is hoping that my math is good. 

Oh and I have three projects for family members that I need to work on also.  I have a new grand niece and nephew due this summer.  My husband would really like it if I started working on our bed quilt that I purchased fabric for last August... oh my!  So that is what I will be doing this coming week.  Hope whatever you do, brings you happiness!

Enjoys the wonderful weather we have coming this week!  Have a wonderful week!