On Hiatus

With the Christmas quilting season coming up, and things that are happening in my life that I have no control over.

I have decided that I need a little hiatus. Life is crazy right now, and I am overwhelmed.  So I am prioritizing and cutting back to create some balance in my life.

I have talked with the center and they told me that they are good through the end of the year.  That works out well with the upcoming Christmas quilting season. (after all that is how I fund Iowa Comfort).

I have plenty of tops, and kits to work on when I have the urge.  But I am hoping that taking a step back from the paperwork and blogging will help energize me again.  It was beginning to feel like a job instead of a passion.

Maybe I could find a high school student looking for service credit, to come and help with some of the things that just bog me down.

I will try to get donations quilts and finished quilts up on the blog....but I am not guaranteeing long posts, or even a post on every Tuesday.  

That is it in a nut shell.  Hope you understand. 

200!!!!!!

You guys are just the best ever!  

I can hardly believe what we have accomplished.  I just went back and reread my very first post from Oct. 2, 2011.  My original goal was to make 12 lap size quilts in 2012 that would be kept in our local community.  Oh how my original plan has grown over a few short years.  Our quilts do stay local, and go to people that really appreciate the gifts of love......but they have grown from lapsize quilts to queen size quilts, and everything in between.  In the beginning 12 quilts in a year seemed like a lofty goal. 

WE JUST HIT 200 DONATED QUILTS!

I could not have done that without all of your help and support!

This is quilt 199.  I took it to show n share at Circle of Friends because all the fabric in this quilt top was donated by Adel Quilting and Dry Goods.  Each year at Jacque's retreat there is a some sort of charity function.  This particular year Jacque asked all those that were attending to bring a 10 inch square of fall colored fabric.  Jacque donated all of that fabric to Iowa Comfort.  There was enough to kit three queen size quilts.  This is the first one that is completed.

Color is just a little off in this photo

Here it is a little closer to the actual hues.  This quilt was pieced by my friend Jan M.  we used the sliced layer cake pattern for the lay out.

Several months (maybe even years) ago Jan had purchased this backing for a project.  Once she received it she didn't like it for that project and she donated the backing to Iowa Comfort.  It was the perfect backing for the fall colors quilt.  I knew that I would find the perfect quilt for that backing material! Jan also did the binding on this quilt for me.  When I delivered this quilt to the center it received a lot of attention.  They loved the warmth of the colors and of course loved the back!

This is quilt # 200.  Now don't get overly excited.  It is a panel, not a pieced double wedding ring quilt.  I had enough of this fabric donated to me that I was able to use the fabric for both the front and the back of the quilt.  The fabric had a three inch rust colored border that I cut off and used for the binding.  I think it turned out wonderful, and will make someone very happy!

 
I worked on a few more pillowcases. 

Officially these are pillowcases 424-431.  Getting so close to that 500 mark.  All we need is 69 more to reach it!

Thank you all for your continued support of Iowa Comfort, you all are amazing.  Special thanks this week to Jacque from Adel Quilting and Dry Goods, for the fabric donation.  Also to Jan M for generously donating her time and talents and fabric to us.

The first of our completed Asian quilts

I just have to share what a wonderful time I had at my FIRST ever quilt retreat this past weekend.  I learned so much.... top on that list is that I over packed.  Thanks so much to everyone there for making it a grand experience!

I did work on several projects for Iowa Comfort.  I got three of the Christmas lap quilts pieced together.  I hope to get those on the long arm later this week or next.  ( I came home with a slight fever so I am taking it easy for a few days.)  

I worked on the Holy Scrap quilt also.  Sunday morning was spent getting all of the 2.5 inch strips sewn together.  I will get them pressed tonight for the next step.  Here is the link to Jacque's blog if you want to make one.

  http://www.adelquilting.blogspot.com/p/wait-until-you-have-good-assortment-of.html

Before I left for retreat I quilted two of the three Asian quilts that have been returned from the community sew day.

This fabric for these Asian quilts were donated by Fon's and Porter.

This quilt was pieced by Kathy B. for me. It was started at the community sew day, and finished a couple of weeks later.  I finally got it on the longarm.  

Here I am at Quilt Circle asking for suggestions on the binding of this quilt.  I am still using donated fabric....and didn't quite have enough of one color.

So I followed the advise of my quilting buddies, and used a black/grey Asian fabric for all but one strip of binding.  That last strip was a cream colored fabric.  Of course silly me didn't get a pic that showed that corner.  I placed that cream fabric over the darkest corner of the quilt.  It was a nice contrast.

This quilt was pieced by Jackie O. she asked if I had a kit she could work on at home.  I was so glad that she did because my math was off and I needed to add more fabric to the kits to get a bed size quilt.

The good news was that because this quilt was just a little smaller, I had the perfect green Asian fabric to use for the binding.

Both of these quilts were delivered to the center last week.  There was a lot of OOOOHHHH and AAAHHHING going on when they came out of the basket.  I was told that they would be put aside for just the right person.  They loved  how colorful and rich these quilts were.

I was in my closet and realized that I have another Asian top that was pieced by Joyce S. down there.  It will be first on the longarm this week. 

Thank you Colleen for thinking about Iowa Comfort when donating fabric from Fon's and Porter.  That fabric is making beautiful quilts.

Thank you Kathy B. and Jackie O. for piecing these tops for us. I can't tell you how nice it is to quilt a top that has been pieced by an experienced quilter.  Makes the long arming so much easier!

Stop back next week for more finished projects.

Hope quilts

Yeah I know I am a few hours late with my post again.  It has been a crazy week already....and only getting busier for the rest of the week.

Tomorrow I have Owen, and need to get groceries.  Bright and early on Friday morning I leave for my very first quilt retreat experience.  So I have spent my evenings  trying to figure out what I am going to take with me.

I have the components for a Holy Scrap quilt, that appeared on Adel Quilting and Dry Goods website.  Okay 100% honesty here, all I did was go to my precut shoe boxes and my left over binding drawer and threw them all into a container.  The whole quilt is 2.5 scrappy strips.

I have a baby blanket to make, big pieces so should not take all that long.  It is for my granddaughter that is due in October.  Suddenly that sounds really soon.  Move that project to the head of the class.

I have enough blocks completed to make three of the Christmas lap quilts.  Hope to get them done.

I also have a couple of other projects to take along in case I get bored with any of the above mentioned projects.

When my boot was on (and I couldn't walk on the treadmill) I did manage to spend a fair amount of time in the quilt room.  I went to my Hope Quilt drawer and found some panels that I quilted up quickly.  Goal was to get them quilted and out of my house.....fabric management.  Panels gone, batting gone and backing used.  WIN WIN WIN!

A cute little sea panel, for some little boy.  This quilt had a red crab accompany it to the center. 

This country panel had a cute little teddy bear that was all dressed up in a lace dress and hat.

A simple farm panel.  I used a blue ABC panel for the backing.  In honor of this being the Sturgis rally,  I sent along a Harley Davidson decked out pig with this quilt.

This panel was adorable.  I was able to find a very cute yellow teddy bear to send a long with it.

These little quilts are nothing super special, but they are done and gone and that is always good!

Betty W did all the binding for me on these quilts, which I am truly thankful for.  Actually I am so very very grateful for all of the talents that Betty shares with Iowa Comfort. She binds, cuts, she pieces and quilts always with a bright smile.  I am so very lucky she chooses to share her talents with me.