Hands2Help 2018

This year for the Hands2Help Challenge, I decided to make four baby quilts. I actually made one and took three other tops that I have made previously, quilted and bond them. They were just sitting in a box not giving anyone any joy. It was time for them to come out and make some little child happier. 

The first top, Full House, I made it as part of Another Year of Schnibbles for January 2012. Wow, that is so sad, it has been in a box for over six years!!

Front

Back

Another quilt top from Another Year of Schnibbles, Hat Trick. I love this one, nothing like a rainbow!!

Front

Back

And one more from Another Year of Schnibbles, Domino. It makes me happy to free these beauties from the box and have them go make someone smile!!

Front

Back

The next one, I made specifically for H2H. I won this little bundle at my Quilt Group. I knew it was perfect for a little girl.

Front

Back

I added this label to each of the quilts. I am trying hard to remember to add labels.

TTFN

Hands 2 Help 2017 Challenge Completed

It is that time. Time to link up all of the H2H Challenge Quilt finishes. I just finished the binding on my three quilts today. I have had a lot of fun watching these quilts come together. (I have posted about these quilts in previous posts.) I used the same fabric for all three quilts. I quilted them on my regular sewing machine and machine sewed on the binding. I have learned, that for quilts I know (or hope) will be used a lot, that machine and not hand binding, will last longer. I sure hope that each of these will make someone happy. I have chosen to send all three to Emily at Em's Scrap Bag for Happy Chemo. I have had a lot of family members with cancer. I hope that as the people that receive these quilts fighting cancer, will be able to look at the happy bright colors and gain some strength. Linking up with Sarah over at Confession of a Fabric Addict. Go check it out and have a good time looking at all the quilts. 

TTFN

H2H Charity Check-In #2

I have been working on getting all three of my quilts finished for the H2H Charity Challenge. I have all three tops done now. I used a tutorial Sarah made for her Stunning Stars Quilt Along, A Star is Born. I had to make this quilt smaller than her pattern. I was running out of white after I had finished the other two quilts below. I love making wonky stars. The are so liberating from trying to have perfect points all the time. 

This quilt below was so fun. Basically it is a very large disappearing 9 patch. I found it on Pinterest. It is Meadow Walk Quilt Pattern by Sarah Nunes from berrybarndesigns.com on FaveQuilts.com. I just used the fabric I used for the other quilts. I loved how it turned out. 

I took the quilt I showed a few days back and redid it. I wanted it to stay square. I used Sarah's pattern, another quilt she made for the Stunning Stars Quilt Along,  Interlocking Stars. I love how it looks now. 

I have learned a new way to baste my quilts, with Elmer's Washable Glue. It works so nice and now I do not have to use all of that awful spray baste. I followed this tutorial over at Sarah's Quilting Corner. I still use my bed to lay out my quilts as I am basting them. I don't have the room to use a table. Besides my bed is at the right height I can iron on it, and not worry about the surface. Now to buy more glue and get to basting and quilting. Not much time is left. 

TTFN

Black and White Garden

I am happy to finally say this is now a completed top. It has been a UFO for a very long time. I started working on it about 2010. I started it at my LQS as a Saturday Sampler. I made a few blocks and then got sidetracked. Then I broke it out of UFO purgatory and finished the top around August of last year. I would like to get this finished and use it as a donated quilt for H2H. I think this would make someone very happy. I will have to break it back out again and figure out the dimensions. I then will know if I have to make it any bigger. I am happy that I can find this quilt a home. 

TTFN

H2H 2017 Check-In

Wow does life get busy sometimes. I thought that after my last child went off to college that I would have lots of time. Well between taking my own college classes, babysitting my granddaughters, and my parents moving in, I have not had too many quiet moments. 

I decided to join H2H this year again over at Confessions of a Fabric Addict. I love this group. I love how Sarah get all of the members together and helps to what we love best, to make and give away quilts. I am also very busy in a lot of other quilt projects. But this adventure hold a special place in my heart. Below is one of the quilt tops I have made. 

 I am also very busy with a lot of other quilt projects. I will show some of them later. For now, know that this community has not been very far from my thoughts and I miss being here.

TTFN

H2H Final Link Up

Hello everybody. I AM trying to get my time back to working for me instead of me working for my time. I have been able to finish my quilts that I have promised for the H2H Challenge this year. Funny thing is, I just finished them. HA HA I will be back on again later this week to chat more about them. For now, I am trying to meet up to the link party and then head off to camping tomorrow. 

TTFN

H2H Time Again!!

It is that wonderful time of the year. Time to give to others our love of quilt making. I am excited to be a part of this again. I have been a part of this wonderful event every year and this happened at the best time possible. Hands2Help, or H2H, is a Charity quilt Challenge, were a bunch of people make quilts for charities that have been picked for that year. This year there are three to choose from. You can make as many quilts as you want and donate to any combination of charities. 

I have a few quilts fro last year that I was making and then decided to go with a different idea. So this year I got them out of the UFO pile and have made good headway on them. The are not large quilts, but I am hoping they will make someone happy. 

I will be donating these three quilts. The top and bottom quilt tops are done, the center quilt is almost halfway done. I love all of the fun colors and patterns. If I find the time, I might even be able to make another one. 

So hop on over to Sarah's blog, Confessions of a Fabric Addict, and see if you can help out. 

TTFN

Almost Finished H2H Quilts

Well I did not make the deadline but I wanted to post the almost finished quilts. All I have to do to finish is sew down the binding. I will get them done as soon as I post this and link up to Sarah's blog Confessions of a Fabric Addict. Jump over and check out the cool H2H quilts everybody made.

AWOL But Busy

Hello! Long time no see. I have been very busy until recently. My husband and his brother's business just had two big orders to fill and I had been working almost everyday. Sadly things have been quiet this last week. But here are two pictures to show you what we accomplished. Seven of them. Plus one on the floor in the shop that we shipped out the next day.

I have been taking some time to get caught up on a few things around the house. Plus I have been quilting. Strange I know. Sometimes I won't get into my sewing room for days and then this last week there have only been a few days that I have not sewn something. I have a few deadlines I am working toward.

The first is the Hands2Help Challenge. Up until last week I had not made one stitch. I had the fabric and a plan, just no time to work on them. Now I am down to just needing to quilt and bind them. I saw the pattern on Quilt Kisses and love it. Each of the blocks is one blue, orange, and red piece. They end up being 12.5 inches square unfinished. Mine are fine but hers looked great. I think the orange and the red are too saturated and stand out too much but some little kid or young adult will love them, so I did not change them.

Next up is my quilt for our local summer festivities. We live close to the Snake River and back in the old days there used to be a fort here for the travelers passing through. Aptly named Fort Boise. We have a replica in a park here in town. Every summer we celebrate Old Fort Boise Days. My sewing group is holding another Quilt Show. We will be raffling off a quilt. I just finished the top. I will be working on the back today. After I am done I will take it to one of our members to quilt it on their long arm machine. Red Barn Quilts by Flynn and Co. is the name of her business.

The light strip is a fun find. I found it in the clearance section after I had picked out the gray, yellow, and teal. Here is a close up of it. It is perfect!

Now off to work on the back.

TTFN

Hands2Help Sign-up Have Begun

It is that time of year again. Time to start thinking about those around you that need a quilty hug. I know as quilters we are already generous people but here is another opportunity to give someone in need something to hold on to when things are tough. Hands2Help Charity Quilt Challenge is run by Sarah over at Confessions of Fabric Addict. There are three charities to pick from. You can make one quilt, you can make one quilt for each charity, you choose. Do what you can to help someone. There are prizes at the end for completing your quilt(s). Who doesn't love prizes. So hop on over to her blog and sign up, you will feel great for helping out!!

And because I love pictures on blog post here is a picture from around Christmas time. In a town near mine they have a fabulous Christmas light display at one of their parks. So much color!!! Spring is on the way so I don't feel so bad looking at this picture any more, ha ha. Have a good Monday!!

TTFN

Gifts, Quilt Alongs, and Babies

Last year after the H2H Challenge was done and the gifts were being sent out somehow mine got lost. I had won a years worth of magazines from Generation Q Magazine. Sarah over Confessions of a Fabric Addict felt bad and sent me these great treats. Thank you Sarah. Then within a few weeks I received my magazines. 

I am a bit slow on getting the steps done but I did get all of the pieces cut for my quilt that I am making following Melissa's Quilt Along over at Happy Quilting. I have all of the 320 triangles sewn onto the brown rectangles. This week I will focus on getting that next step done which is to cut them into squares.

I thought you might like a picture of my next granddaughter. This is Lillian or Lilly for short. She is about 5 months old and sucks on her fingers and not on a pacifier. Oh boy! HA HA

TTFN

Quilt-A-Longs

Hello everyone. I missed not blogging last week but it was a big homework week let me tell you. This week is not as bad. I have missed my daily sewing time. I just have so much going on now that if it does not have a deadline it gets pushed back. So when I saw the quilt-a-long over at Happy Quilting I knew I wanted to join in. It is a fabulous looking quilt. Melissa and started quilting at about the same time and I love to see how far she has come. This quilt-a-long leads right up to the release of her first book! How cool!! Here is some information if you would like to join up too. 

Schedule, Fabric Requirements, and Prizes - Jan 29th
 Cutting - Feb 5th
Twists on Tradition Units - Feb 12th
Modern Patchwork Block - Feb 19th
 Improvisational Piecing Units - Feb 26th
Improvisational Piecing Block - Mar 5th
Appliqued Chains Block - Assembling - Mar 12th
Appliqued Chains Block - Stitching - Mar 19
Piecing Top and Grand Prize Linky - Mar 26th
Parade and Grand Prizes - April 13th

It is also time to start thinking about Hands2Help (H2H). I have been a part of this Charity every year. 

Sarah is doing something a little different this year. She has started a Sweet 16 Quilt-a-long to help motivate us into making quilts using a simple 16 patch. She has shown a few different ways to work up quilts using the easy to make block. I loved her black and white quilt with just a touch of color. I want to make two, one very similar to her's and then a multi-colored one. I can't wait!

Are you doing any fun quilt-a-long this year? Join up with one they are great fun!! Now time to go buy some fun fabric.

TTFN

2014-H2H Third Quilt

So here is the third quilt.

A boy's quilt going to Hurricane Sandy Survivors. Same pattern but with dinosaur bones in it.

 A black back.

Thank you Sarah for doing this again. I love being able to use what I know to make someones life better. I think about how much I have loved and prayed over each quilt. I hope that when these people receive these quilts that they will be able to find a little peace. Even if it is only a moment in what ever they are going through. Sometimes when things are tough the best thing in the world is a moment to cuddle and stop and BREATHE!

TTFN

2014-H2H Second Quilt

I wanted to be able to link up each quilt on Sarah's blog so I gave each quilt it's own blog post. HA HA 

Here is the quilt for a girl that I am sending to Quilts of Compassion. I love it. So bright and fun.

 Bright pink back.

TTFN

2014 H2H

My life has been one big whirlwind of activity. Holidays, graduations, Family get-togethers, and birthday parties. And it is not over. I have Father's Day, another birthday party, a quilt show to help run, a parade float to oversee (construction, display, and take-down), plus my first three tiered wedding cake to make. Lets just say I have been in an almost constant state of planning. Just as I came up for air I found an email from Sarah over at Confessions of a Fabric Addict. It was time to link up our quilts that we are donating. WHAT!! NO!!! I am not ready!! HA HA! Well I had made two tops and had plans for the third but I had not even bought the fabric yet. So off to Joann's I went and had my third quilt cut, sewn, quilted, and bound in about 15 hours. Of course it is a very simple quilt with easy straight line quilting but I still love it. I think a man will love the simplicity of it. No fussy "woman" things. 

The man's quilt that is going to Happy Chemo!

 A pieced back.

TTFN

Maniac Monday 4~A Few Tops

I know I have been MIA for a while. I have been very busy. I have been sewing though.

These flowers were from my April partner. They are perfect!

In our PQA group we recently had a charm swap. We each signed up for one color. We needed to bring two different yards of that color. I took all the fabric and added some extras then cut all of it. It worked out to be 48 yards of fabric. It sure was hard to let it all go, LOL!! But everybody was so pleased with their share. 

I signed up to make quilts for H2H. I have finished two tops, one for a girl and one for a boy. I saw this pattern and loved it. I think it is a BQ pattern. The blocks turned out to be 18.5 unfinished. I love the way they turned out.

Here is the quilt for the girl.

Here is the quilt for the boy.

I will be back later this week with more.

TTFN