It's Quilt Show Time -- Alphabet Challenge

Once again the Faithful Circle Quilters have risen to a challenge.  Last year volunteers were given a brown bag with fabric in it.  The challenge was to make a Project Linus quilt with the fabric given (which had to be used on the front of the quilt) and use the alphabet some how.  All the quilts will be given to Project Linus of Howard County, Maryland.  Here's a few of the challenge quilts being shown at our quilt show. (If I know who made the quilt I have given their name.  Unfortunately, I didn't do a great job of figuring out who made which quilt.  I'll try to get the quilter's name on Saturday. These folks did such a great job they need to get a lot of accolades.)

Lauren Swanger's Quilt

My quilt: 

I hope to be able to post some more shots in some more of my posts.  Enjoy! 

I'm linking up with Needle and Thread Thursday and Can I Get a Whoop Whoop?

Happy Quilting All!  Bonnie 

Cuddly Critters Quilts

Last June I picked up a bag of fabrics for a Cuddly Critter challenge sponsored by my guild in Maryland, Faithful Circle Quilters.  Here's a bit of the back story on it.  A quilter was moving out of state and wanted to downsize her fabrics.  She brought three big tubs of fabric to Stephanie who handles a lot, but not all, of FCQ's donation quilts.  Stephanie, with some help, divided the it into fabrics that went together, bagged them and then passed them out to anyone who wanted to make a donation quilt for Project Linus. What most of us didn't know was there were few, very few, fabrics that had anything to do with critters or kids.  The woman specifically asked that the fabric be made into quilts for children.

Fast forward nearly a year.  One of my jobs at the recent quilt show was to white glove in the room where the Cuddly Critters quilts were hung.  I had a terrific time talking to our guests about the challenge and showing them little hidden things in the quilts.  And, I had enough time to take lots of pictures, although some of the lighting didn't enhance the quilts.   This group of women and men are so talented and creative.  Here are some of the quilts that will be going to Project Linus of Howard Country, Maryland. 

Nina had lots of browns in her bag and it made her think of a garden.  The stones lent themselves to the garden wall.  With a little pondering she came up with Peter Rabbit who might have visited her garden.  It's titled "Where's Mr. MacGregor."

Again, brown fabrics dominated this challenge bag.  Jonnifer  wondered how animal print fabrics and beige fabrics could be child friendly.  She went to her stash and found these cute animals that added just the touch needed to make this quilt very child friendly.  

Amy was wondering what to do with all the blue fabric she got.  She finally decided on sock monkeys.  She originally was planning to make a quilt with full body monkeys but eventually decided that she'd make mug shots.  Hum, I wonder if her monkeys actually started taking selfies?  She titled the quilt "But I Only Had Blue Socks." 

A whole grouping of browns and beiges created a dilemma for Sandy R.  When she found the cute monkey fabric she used for the border her beiges and browns became the background for a couple of frolicking monkeys holding some balloons.  "Monkeying Around" will certainly cheer up some child in need. 

Marianne got lots of browns with orange.  Her quilt is called MacCavity and Friends.  What, you don't see him and his friends.  You might notice his paw prints on the front of the quilt.  Do you see him below? 

How about if I hold the quilt up so you can see the back? 

It was awkward to take this picture and try to hold up the back so if it looks slightly "off" that's the reason.  Marianne put three cats on the back of her quilt.  From the front you can just see their outlines where she didn't quilt them.  Too cute. 

I was much more concrete when I made my quilts for this challenge.  You can see my first quilt here.  I figured the hummingbirds were my "cuddly" critters.  Not very creative at all.  It would have helped a lot if I was actually able to go to  meetings to see what others were making.  Sigh. 

I had a LOT of fabric left over so I decided to make a boy oriented quilt.  Unfortunately I picked a pattern that had way too many pieces in each block.  It seemed to take forever.  But when the gals were down for the in-house retreat in March MaryBeth suggested I piece it differently which was much easier and faster. So, there is a mix of both in the quilt although I don't think most people will ever notice.  I used a lot of my own fabric in this cause really, do boys want hummingbirds and strawberries?  No, I didn't think so either.  

Some of the fabric had fishing gear on it,  And, no pink.  I finished the binding at Sharon's house and left it with her to turn in at the next guild meeting.  

I heard over 50 quilts were turned in and displayed at the show and another 12 or so were coming soon. That should keep Project Linus in quilts for a while. Hopefully, I can show another grouping of them in a future blog. 

Today I'm linking up with  Let's Bee Social and Needle and Thread Thursday.  

Happy Quilting All! 

Design Wall Monday 3- 31 - 2014

It suddenly dawned on me that the end of the month was almost upon us.  Oops!  That's the deadline to enter quilts in Faithful Circle Quilters' quilt show coming up in May.  I've been organizing and locating photos of the quilts I want to enter.  3 of the 5 I'll enter have been registered.  The last two will be done today after blogging and showering.  

Next epiphany was realizing that I was dropping them off with Sharon this coming weekend.  YIKES, every single one of them needed hanging sleeves.  Alert! Alert!  Quit all other sewing and get those sleeves on.  Yesterday was also Country Piecemakers' Sit N Stitch at our local library. You KNOW what I was doing.  Yep sewing on sleeves.  I'm happy to report that two are now sleeved.  (can I make sleeve a verb? Of course I can!)  Once the sleeve was made the hand stitching took about 2 hours or so.  One issue is the 5th quilt is Natalie's Owls which, of course, she has.  I've begged Jenny to sew a sleeve on but she may not be able to do it.  

So before my panic on Saturday, this is what was getting done in my studio. My Mystery for Relay quilt is sewn together -- at least the center is.  I have once again put it in hibernation so I can finish a few other things before I tackle the borders.  My thought is to use the print fabric that is the center of the dark Xs for the border.  I'll audition it with some additional colors as inner borders to see if I like it when I drag it out again.  This quilt is destined to be donated to my church for a silent auction.  Luckily the auction isn't until September so I have a bit of time to finish it.  

Here's what else has been getting attention.  I am just tickled with this quilt.  I have to figure out the borders as I will have to cut very carefully so I have enough fabric to have the designs going in the correct direction.  I was trying to have this done by Friday also.  As I was looking for pictures of quilts that I was entering in the show I realized I had several additional quilts I'd rather enter.  This will be done in time to be delivered to the Maryland guild when I am up there in May to work the show.  This one will go to Project Linus in Howard County.  This is a dots for tots challenge quilt.  Dots you ask?  Yep, the blue sails are blue on blue dots.  I'll use the second piece of multicolor dots on the back with the left over sailboat fabric.  My guess is Project Linus might like this for older boys but that is there decision, not mine.  I'm just enjoying making it. 

Lots of things need to be getting done in my studio but I've changed my focus to get what needs to be done by Friday done! I've done pretty well on last week's goals.  

Week of March 24, 2014

Quilt Jane’s baby quilts (2)√√

Bind my baby quilt√

Make sample lotto block for CP √

Sew Sailboat Quilt together√

Decide√ and make borders for Sailboat Quilt

Load QOV quilt

And now what am I getting done this week especially considering I am visiting the grands this weekend. 

Week of March 31, 2014

Embroider shirts for Ellie, Natalie and Sophia

Enjoy visit to Natalie and Sophia

Load QOV quilt

Add hanging sleeves on 3 quilts entered in quilt show

Give Sharon my quilts for show

Make embroidered towel at class

Cut fabric for next Christmas Favorites bom

So that's how this week should go.  We'll see if I actually do all that stuff when Design Wall Monday rolls around again.  Don't forget to go to Patchwork Times to use the links to posts across the country.

Happy Quilting All!