Finally Friday - Some Finishes and Other Great Stuff!

Hi, all!

Wow!  It's Friday again already!  Time sure flies when you're having fun - and I've been having fun sewing this week!  I've got two quilts to show you, both with great stories......

First is the quilt I finished last weekend - this one is called "Sparkle Plenty".  I called it that because of the story I read once about how Amish women would intentionally put a mistake in their quilts, to provide it with some individuality (they are restricted as to what patterns and colors they can use!) and they call it "sparkle".  This quilt was made as part of a quilting bee the second Saturday in July, and has plenty of sparkle!  About fifteen women met at my house and while some of us pieced the top of the quilt, others worked on making the back a unique and comforting part of this quilt.

"Sparkle Plenty" quilt front - with a peek
at the great IKEA backing!

"Sparkle Plenty" quilt back detail - click to enlarge!

This quilt is going to a lady in our church who has been battling cancer for about eleven years now - she was going to be off chemo for the summer, but the day before our quilting bee they discovered new tumors in her liver, so she has to go back for more chemo.  Hopefully this quilt will help her feel God's love and care for her....

The second quilt also has an interesting story.  A friend of mine brought me a large bag at church back in January, telling me that it contained a quilt that her mother-in-law had made many years before, using pieces of clothing and scrap fabric.  My friend had nursed her mother-in-law before she died and had many fond memories of this quilt.  She told me that it was in need of repair, and would I please look at it to see if there was anything I could do with it.  When I got home that night I took a look at what was in the bag.  I really really wish I had taken "before" pictures - the quilt, originally a hand-pieced apple core pattern, had large holes, both in the quilt top and all the way through; the quilt batt was in ropy clumps where it could be seen in the holes, and wasn't much better in the places where the quilt was whole!  I love vintage quilts and have saved some that were in pretty bad condition, but this one really needed to go to the rag bag.....   But my friend had told me how important this quilt was to her, so I started out trying to save big enough sections of the original quilt to make pillow tops.  It wasn't looking good - the fabric was so worn, the top wouldn't lay flat even with ironing.  Then inspiration hit me - just cut away the seams of all the apple core pieces - leaving a solid piece of fabric.  I did that, discarding the pieces that were too damaged to use again, and ended up with this:

I sewed those pieces into coin strips, and set them between strips of some blue fabric I had on hand.  An extra strip was set into the back, also in fabric I had on hand - so this was a great scrapbuster quilt!  Here's the final result (I'm trying out some new photo locations on my property - tell me what you think!)

"Amazed" quilt front - taken next to an old grindstone
used as a stepping stone to my front porch

I've named this quilt "Amazed" and here's why - this project has been languishing on my WIP shelf since January - I would pull it out on occasion and work on cutting down some more of the pieces, but it's basically sat back there untouched for about a month now.  However, Sunday afternoon I realized I didn't have any quilts to make for the quilt ministry, and I could work on one of my non-church projects for a change.  I started to reach for my Fresh Cottons precuts, and then I thought, "Why not work on that old quilt?"  I got started right away and by Monday night had a flimsy to photograph. I sent a picture to my friend and asked her how she liked it (she had told me to do whatever I wanted to do - she trusted me!).  She responded by telling me that it would be so wonderful to have it back as a quilt - she was going through a tough time and cuddling up in it would kind of be like having her mother-in-law back again giving her a hug!  Now, a month ago or a week ago, this quilt wouldn't have been nearly as "needed" as it is right now - and I am amazed at God's hand in the timing of this quilt!!  (I'm also not a little amazed that it came out as good as it did, considering where it started!)

And another thing that amazes me?  My great new blogger friends!  Take a look at the fabrics that some of my friends have sent me to use in our quilt ministry!  Wow!!!!

So it's been a very good week for me - how about you?  I'm linking up with Amy's Sew & Tell Friday and Andrea's Lush Friday.  Check out all the wonderful things that other bloggy people are doing!!!

Have a fabulous week!  Later!

Sarah