A Quilt - and a Home - For Nathanael

This year has brought a big change in our family's life, and I'm pleased to share the story as part of Blogger's Quilt Festival!  Many thanks to Amy for hosting this wonderful quilt show once again.

In March of 2014, my daughter announced to the family that she and her husband were applying to adopt a sweet little Chinese boy, five months older than their youngest daughter and profoundly deaf just like she is.  

Through the next months, they filled out paperwork, went through home studies, and worked on raising the money necessary for the adoption process.  I made quilts for them to auction, raffle and sell, and slowly the process came to the hoped-for end - the adoption of Nathanael!

In preparation for his homecoming, I made this quilt for his bed.  

My daughter labored long and hard to choose just the right fabrics for the quilt, ordering many different fabrics to audition so she could find the perfect combination.  There are fabrics from Cotton and Steel, Doe, and Connecting Threads basics in this quilt, along with Kona Snow on the front and Kona Indigo on the back.

The pattern is "To The Point" by Cluck Cluck Sew.

The quilting is a tight random meander in the white triangles and 1/4" straight line quilting in the outer border.

The binding is scrappy, made with leftover bits and pieces from the prints on the front of the quilt.

The quilting really shows up well on the back!  

And here is the quilt, in place on Nathanael's bed!

Nathanael has been home for three weeks now and is adjusting to his new life well.  His sisters love him to pieces and although there are some moments when things don't go smoothly, everyone seems to be enjoying the process.  

He doesn't yet have the huge stash of quilts his sisters have, but I'm working on it!!

*&*&*&*&*&*&*

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you'll take time to look around the blog and come back again to visit!  Take a look around and see the quilts that our quilt ministry, Piece*Love*Quilt, makes and gives to people going through serious physical, mental or emotional problems.  Stop by for Whoop Whoop Fridays and link up your accomplishments for the week, or just take a look at all the eye candy that's posted there each week!  

Hugs!

Sarah

One last shot, just because!

Hands2Help - Meet This Week's Guest Blogger, Sharon!!

Hi, all!

It's Sunday again, time for Hands2Help and another installment from this year's guest bloggers!  Today we're lucky to get a post  by my friend Sharon, who has the greatest address EVER!!  She's got a pretty great blog, too, called Vrooman's Quilts, where she shares all of her fabulous scrap quilting efforts to inspire us.  

So without further ado, here's Sharon!!

*&*&*&*&*&*&*

Welcome to Vroomans Quilts on Quilt Lane - yes, I live on Quilt Lane.  I began my quilting journey as a scrap quilter back in 2009 while recovering from an accident.  Handed a box of scrap fabrics and using a very old beat up machine, and the wonders of the internet - I learned to quilt.  And I still love getting those boxes and baggies of someone else's treasured scraps and turning them into blocks and quilts.

I found (and sure you have too) very quickly that scraps multiply FAST.  Now how do you manage them?  More importantly, how do you manage them so you USE THEM?  My intro to scrap management was from the Queen of Scraps - Bonnie Hunter - and you can visit her system HERE.  But just as we are all different quilters, we need a system that works for us.  So I offer some basic tips that will help you find a system that works for you.

1.  What Kind of Quilter are You?

No, I don't mean are you a traditional, modern, applique, fiber artist - I mean .....

Do you use large pieces of fabric?  Do you prefer large blocks?  If so, you are going to want to keep your scraps in large pieces.  ** this is a free pattern you can find HERE

Or do you prefer tiny blocks?  Or are your large blocks made up of small units?  This all breaks down how you will maintain and store your scraps - HOW YOU USE THEM.

2.  Storage

 Now we need to break old habits - or keep those starting with  a small pile of scraps from forming habits.  It is so tempting to just stash those scraps into a baggy or box or tote.  

BUT IT GROWS and then we are overwhelmed!  Where do we start?  If you have used #1 to analyze how you use those fabrics, now you can sort down those scraps.  I don't recommend cutting down unless that is how you really want to use them.  Sometimes having that extra fabric or long strip is more useful.

  

  

Storage units depend on you - shelving, totes, bins, rolling carts - it is what fits you and your space.  I always 'shop' my kitchen first as you can see my snack barrels and desert tubs. And I still have that bad habit of cute baskets - but I think the key thing I hope you can see - is you CAN SEE what you have to use.  If it is visible, you will be more apt to use it.

Yes, I have large piece storage because there are times I need those larger pieces - and these are the only storage I separate into color. I have small piece storage - I love to work tiny blocks.  And I have 'go to' blocks and patterns that I know will use up those small pieces. If you have looked at your quilting style - you will see what your 'go to' block and patterns are.  OR you can search that wonderful internet for them. 

3.  Maintainance

Where to start?  If you are just starting with that sorting and storage, it should work up quickly.  BUT if you have been 'stock piling' those scraps, take it in baby steps.  You just won't tackle it in a day!  FIRST - take out the largest pieces and put them away.  You will see immediate light of day.  Then work your way down the fabric food chain you have chosen.  Be it strips, squares, triangles - have a place for it and put it in its place.

 And keep that system going.  After each project or work session, put things in their place immediately - DON'T STASH THEM.  I think that is most quilters' down fall - it's easier to clean up by just 'shoveling' it all into a bin or tote to deal with later and later doesn't come.

I always use the clean up into my fabric food chain.  Large pieces put away first, smaller units may be stored or cut down into useable size (my snack barrels).

Even those little cut off triangles from a project.  Don't tuck them into a baggy for later.  Stitch them right up, square them right up, and store them so you can SEE them.  They are handy little units to have at the ready.

AND, there is no shame in passing fabrics along - if it doesn't fit your style or use - give it to someone who will love to use it.  Yes, you can pry that fabric from your grip!  I rather see fabric used rather stored out of sight. 

I hope this has helped you in getting a plan for your scrap management. Remember, it is as easy as 1,2,3:

1.  What type of quilter are you?

2.  Storage to meet your quilting style and your space

3.  Maintainance 

And if you need more insight to management - I only wish this was mine!
Teresa of  Fabric Therapy had this wonderful post HERE

Sewingly Yours,

Sharon

*&*&*&*&*&*&*

Oh, how I wish I had those minions right now to use all these great tips to organize my scraps!  Sharon is absolutely right when she says to deal with them as they happen - they can take over your sewing space in a hurry! 

My own personal scrap stash of shame - it doesn't look this good right now!

Thanks so much, Sharon, for sharing your proven methods for dealing with scraps. As prolific as you are at making blocks, it obviously works!!

Keep working on those H2H quilts, and I'll see you next week!

Hugs!

Sarah

PS - By the way, it's been a big weekend here, and here's a pic to prove it....

Can I Get A Whoop Whoop? Stained Glass at Night...

Hi, all!

Can you believe it's already Friday again?  It's hard to believe the week has passed by so quickly - - - but you know what that means! It's time to get our whoop whoop on!  Are you ready?

Today I want to share a project I worked on last week before I got the little girls (and all sewing time went the way of the dodo bird...)

It all started with sixteen of these little beauties - paper pieced courthouse steps/log cabin blocks made by Sharon of Vroomans Quilts.  Aren't they gorgeous!  

This was my original thought - to lay them out in an X design on a black field.  But then...

...I started fiddling around with them on point, and came up with this modified granny square design.  The four blocks in the center were already assembled, with the tiniest little black strips and an itty bitty cornerstone joining them.  It is truly amazing, but I am not patient enough to replicate that kind of work.....  So I grabbed a bolt of Kona black and starting assembling the blocks into a quilt.

After some serious pedal to the metal time, this was the result.  I showed it to my husband and told him it would have black triangle corners to finish it up into a square.  My husband looked at it and said, "If you put black on the corners, you're going to have an awful lot of black!"  Well, yeah.....

...but he made me start wondering if it would be too much black.  So I turned it the other direction (not on point) and took a pic to see if I liked it.  Being, as usual, unable to decide, I put it on Instagram for a quick powwow with some other quilters, and the on-point design won, hands down!

So I added the corners.  That was a tricky proposition - I didn't have enough black left to make full-sized corners (which I realized after cutting the first two!) but the quilt was going to turn out larger than I wanted anyway, so I made a smaller set for the third and fourth corners and trimmed the first ones down to match.  I think it now measures about 66" square.

And look how gorgeous it looks with the sun shining through!  Although those beautiful blocks glow a good bit on their own, as you can see from the studio shot above this one.

Because of the way it glows, I'm calling it 

Stained Glass at Night.  

It was originally intended to be a ministry quilt, but I think it will serve another purpose that I can't reveal yet.  I'll work up a ministry quilt out of my stash to "repay" for the orphan blocks that form the basis of this one.  

As far as quilting goes, I'm thinking of using a "zentangle" type of quilting in all that black negative space, using a glossy black thread.  The backing is going to be a rich reddish purple artists' canvas type print.  The binding will probably be either black or scrappy - I can't decide on that yet, and would welcome any suggestions!

I'm also hoping that my class with Judi Madsen in Paducah this weekend will give me mad quilting skills and uber-inspiration for a great design on this quilt!

And here's one more thing we're whooping about around here this week...

So - - - can I get a Whoop Whoop?

*&*&*&*&*&*&*

And now it's your turn!

What are you whooping about this week?

What's got you dancing the happy dance?

Share - we want to dance right along with you -

Because it's always more fun to dance with friends!

Remember - it doesn't have to be a finish - 

just something that makes you happy!

The party will stay open until Sunday at midnight.

Hope to see you there!

Hugs!

Sarah

Make-A-List Monday - on Tuesday! Internet Issues....

Hi, all!

Welcome to Tuesday!! I had intended to post this on Monday night, but my internet was wonky at home and I've just now had time to get somewhere with functioning internet service!  But it's all good now...  I'm thankful for free Wi-Fi at McDonalds!

It’s been a very busy and eventful week for us, as some of you who follow me on Instagram already know!  Because Monday, I became…

...Nana to three fabulous kids!

My daughter and son-in-law completed the Chinese legalities to adopt Nathanael Monday!  They still have some hoops to jump through to get him into the U.S., which will take several days and involve some more travel throughout China.  

They are loving their time with Nathanael, although missing their little girls, who are missing them right back, but doing well staying with us and their other grandparents.  Papa is determined to spoil them as much as humanly possible, while Nana is just trying to keep everyone on an even keel......  ;-)

In two days, Nathanael has already picked up the signs for “more”, “water”, “light”, and “open” (I’ve got some catching up to do!) so he’s eager to learn and communicate.  

Since I played mom/chauffeur/cook/tutor/etc. for the better part of last week, I had a short list.  Let’s see how it went!

1.  Finish the gift quilt.

Done!  I haven’t given it to her yet, but I’ll be blogging about this later today - with a giveaway!!

2.  Check with a local fabric shop to see if I can hang out in their space while Emmy is in preschool for the next two weeks.

Done!  The Hancock Fabrics in Murfreesboro, TN is allowing me to use their classroom during Emmy’s school!  Yipee!  They sure are nice folks there!

3.  Prepare projects I can take with me to work on while Emmy is in preschool.

Done!  My main focus will be the repair work on the antique crazy quilt, but I’ve also got some flimsies for the quilt ministry that need some work, and some signature blocks to cut out.  And blogposts to write, and a tutorial to prepare.... oh, I don't think I'll be bored at all!

4.  Keep up with any quilt ministry needs that arise.

Done!  We gave away several quilts this week…

This quilt went to the mother of a young woman who was killed in a traffic accident near our church; she isn’t in good health and this has hit her hard.

This quilt went to a relatively young woman who was just diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer…

This quilt went to an elderly gentleman who is nearing the end of his life…

An elderly lady who just won’t slow down is now wrapped up in this quilt. She has broken neck bones and other health problems, but insists on living at home and actually does more than her healthcare providers want her to.

And this quilt went to a woman who is suffering from severe panic attacks. Our hope is that this quilt will remind her that she is surrounded by God’s love and the prayers of many people when she is feeling overwhelmed.

So - I did manage to get to everything on last week’s list!  This week’s list will be short as well, but let’s see what’s on tap…

1.  Start repairs on the antique crazy quilt.

2.  Cut out 400 signature blocks.

3.  Write a tutorial for the pennant quilt.

4.  Work on a quilting design for the black stained glass quilt.

5.  Keep up with any quilt ministry needs that arise.

I’d love to get all of this done this week, but it may not happen - because this week is Quilt Week in Paducah, KY!!  Yipee!!  I’ll be going up Friday and taking a class with Judi Madsen that night, then spending part of Saturday there too.  I can’t wait!    If you’re going to be in Paducah on Friday or Saturday, please let me know in a comment - maybe we can get together!  And FYI, if you do go to Paducah, stop by Shannon’s booth, Fabric N Quilts, in the big bubble.  Tell her I sent you, and she’ll have a cool freebie gift for you!!  And remember, we’re celebrating her new shop website with a giveaway on May 1st, so take a selfie with her for an extra entry to my giveaway!! 

Oh, and I have one more thing to add to that list - I’ll have a special blogpost later today to introduce you to Christina Cameli’s new pattern - and there will be a giveaway, too!!  So be sure to check back and see her wonderful design!

So now, the question is - - - what are you working on this week?

Hugs!

Sarah

Make-A-List Monday - The IGDFMYFAGR Version!

Hi, all!

Well, I'm calling this week's post the IGDFMLFAGR version - that means the "I Got Distracted From My List For A Good Reason" version!  You'll see why in a minute...

So here's how last week's list went...

1.  Finish piecing Emmy's quilt top.

Done!  And not only did I finish piecing it, I quilted and finished it!  I'll be posting about it on Friday, but here's a teaser picture...

2.  Put up two new light fixtures - 

Bill's office and my sewing room.

Done!  Why in the world did I wait so long to do this?  I wanted to leave the vintage light fixtures up, but the one in my studio gave off very little light - this one is so much brighter I can even work in there at night without going blind!

3.  Start repairs on the crazy quilt.

I didn't get to this one...

4.  Learn the grandgirls' new schedule

 (Emmy is now in preschool!)  

because I'll have to cart them around while their

parents are in China!

Done!

5.  Choose pattern and fabric for a gift quilt.

More about this below, but yes, I did this!

6.  Quilt a child's quilt for the ministry.

I didn't get to this...

7.  Keep up with all quilt ministry needs that arise.

Done!  It's a long list this week...

This quilt went to a woman with terminal cancer who was put on hospice care this week...

This quilt went to a new baby boy, the grandson of our longtime church secretary...

This quilt went to an elderly woman in the hospital...

This quilt, pieced by Deb using AmandaJean's Long Division quilt pattern, went to a farmer diagnosed with kidney cancer...

This quilt, pieced by Olga (you can see her peeking out over the top of the quilt!) is going to her father, who has just been diagnosed with prostate cancer...

...and this quilt, Deb and Eddie's version of my Interlocking Stars pattern, went to a woman who, while serving as caregiver to a woman who had a lung transplant, was herself diagnosed with breast cancer.

We also decided to send five quilts to Quilts of Compassion, who put out a call for quilts for the victims of the Illinois tornados this week.  We had extra quilts on hand, so we voted to send some to them!

And here's the reason I didn't get to everything on my list this week!  

I was asked to test drive a new pattern written by Christina Cameli of A Few Scraps - and this is the lovely result!  You all are going to love this pattern - I'll feature the quilt and do a post on it when she releases the pattern - and maybe even do a giveaway of a copy!  But in the meantime, I'm finishing this one up to give as a gift.  

So that's how the week went. The pattern testing was an unexpected task, but always a pleasure, and since she needed the feedback before releasing the pattern, I moved it up to the top of the list.

And here's what's on the table for this week...

1.  Finish the gift quilt.

2.  Check with a local fabric shop to see if I can hang out in their space while Emmy is in preschool for the next two weeks (more about this below!)

3.  Prepare projects I can take with me to work on while Emmy is in preschool.

4.  Keep up with any quilt ministry needs that arise.

It's a very short list this week, because my daughter and her husband leave Thursday morning (yes, THIS Thursday!) to go to China and pick up Nathanael, and that means I take on full-time Nana duties until May 1st!  It will be a lot of fun, but it will also seriously cut into my sewing time.  Lilli has to be at school at 7:15 AM, then Emmy has to be at school at 11:30 - and her school is 40 minutes from my house.  They both get out of school at 2:30, so it doesn't make much sense to come home and then go back.  I'm hoping one of the quilt shops near her school will let me hang out there and do some work - keep your fingers crossed for me!  Maybe I can get that antique crazy quilt repaired in the next two weeks.....

So now the question is - - - what are YOU working on this week?

Hugs!

Sarah