More Senior's Quilts finished

 I have been working on a few quilts for the seniors in our Church for quite awhile and they are finally finished and delivered a little while ago already!  The first one was for Nancy.  I had been cutting my Kaffe Fassett scraps into squares for awhile and started putting them up on the wall to see what would happen.

(Click on the photos to enlarge them.)

Squares just placed on the wall.

I ended up putting the 6" squares in the middle with darker ones in the middle and the 3" squares around it to make a border (the original pattern was 8" squares and 4" border squares).  A narrow yellow strip between the large and small blocks helped the design so it didn't get 'muddy'.

I quilted it with a funky flower design 

It did make a dent in my yellow scraps.  I hope to make more of them using various colours. 

The next quilt was for Nancy's sister in law, Joanne.  I had seen this panel in a quilt shop and was impressed how it looked 3D hanging up in the shop.  I found this Kaffe Fassett fabric in my stash that matched it beautifully.  I was inspired by a pattern called "Panel Pizzaz" by Patti Carey and inserted some tiny solid strips into the border which stretched out the fabric so it was just enough.  I added a light purple solid border and added the pieced border and used the same solids to bind it. 

 

Doesn't the shelf look like a real shelf?

I quilted this one with funky flowers as well.  

 

Another Senior's quilt

 I finally got another quilt finished for one of the seniors in our Church.  She loves flowers and her granddaughter said bright would be good ☺.  It was fun cutting out my scraps of Kaffe Fasset fabrics into squares and arranging them.  It's definitely a happy quilt.  We had a lovely visit as well.

Squares were cut 6 1/2" and the smaller squares 3 1/2"

It was quilted by my long arm quilter, Chris Bogart who lives right across the street from me.

The quilting design was a swirly one which worked well for the florals.

 

Finished quilt

Another Senior's quilt

Awhile ago, I found this wonderful panel at a quilt shop which had old hymns printed on it.  I started with this Amazing Grace panel and added colours around it from the panel.  The flying geese were from a pattern called Panel Pizzazz by Patti Carey and worked well for adding a fairly wide border.  This quilt is going to another senior from my Church.  I was happy to find all the fabrics I needed in my stash ☺.

The finished quilt.  The colours are a little off, but it was too snowy and cold to take pictures outside!

I loosely mimicked the pattern in the panel for quilting in the blank space.

I found a batik piece in my stash that matched the colour in the panel perfectly.

 

Senior's Quilts Progress

Two more seniors' quilts were finished in January and I had a lovely visit with the two ladies when bringing their quilt over.  I found a panel depicting old hymns at the fabric shop in Stratford last fall.  This was a perfect jumping off point for the seniors' quilts.  The pattern is adapted from "Panel Pizzazz" by Patti Carey of Patti's Patchwork.  Click on the photo to enlarge to see the hymn panel.

 

Margaret's Quilt

Ruth's Quilt

 As I was making a list of the next senior quilt I want to make, I realized I hadn't  posted a quilt I gifted to Bertha after she moved to a new apartment in 2021.  So, here is her quilt and it also finished up an old UFO that I had done for a class sample many years ago.

Bertha's quilt

Another Senior's quilt

 My aunt Mary is moving to a new apartment at the end of January, so this was a perfect time to make her a quilt to take along.  I was shopping with a friend of mine and we came across this panels with sheep in the colours that Mary loves. I added the borders to it and quilted it mostly along the images in the panel.  

I used a pattern called Gathering by Sugar Pine Quilt Designs, Bonnie Bechtol, adapting it to the size of this panel.

motifs quilted in the 'mountains'

I love these sheep and the comforting Bible verse on this panel

It was quilted around the trees and fence

 

Another lap quilt completed

 After making the quilt for my aunt from a layer cake, I had 17 squares left, so I rooted around in my stash and found enough fabrics that went with the focus fabric to make another lap quilt.  I found the perfect border fabric at Cherished Pieces and finished this quilt last week.  I quilted it with all over loops with a salmon coloured thread.  I gifted this one to another senior friend from my Church.  

This is a very fun pattern to make from Anita Solomon's book "Rotary Cutting Revolution".  (Click on the photo for a larger view.)

The finished quilt

Quilted with loops

 

Lap Quilts

 Another old UFO was finished last week and gifted to a senior friend.  She loves gardening and flowers so I hoped she liked bright colours.  I delivered it this week and she did like it ☺.  The pattern is Spinning Four Patch and the borders show the original fabric that is layered with four identical strips and cut into squares and then arranged with the most pleasing center.  I quilted this one myself with diagonal lines in the center and piano key borders with my Westalee ruler and then I got brave and quilted a maple leaf (with a ruler) in the corners. (click on the photo to enlarge)

Finished quilt

closeup of the original tulip fabric

The maple leaf in the corner is a little hard to see

This quilt is for my aunt who turns 90 in June, but I delivered it to her last week so she can enjoy it already.  I found a layer cake that has been languishing in the stash for at least 15 years.  These are the perfect colours for her living room so I made this no waste Windmill pattern from Anita Solomon's book, Rotary Cutting Revolution.  It's a fun and quick pattern but you do have to arrange it on the wall first before sewing together.  I had a bunch of squares left and added fabrics to make a second top.  It needs to be quilted yet and will go to another senior friend.  They are enjoying the gifts and my UFOs are getting tamed!  Win/win situation.
 

Finished quilt

I quilted free motion loops all over this top which worked well.

 

Roman coin Kaffe Fasset quilt

 This quilt top has been sitting around for a long time.  In 2013, my friend Alice and I visited Hyggeligt Quilt shop which is one of our favourite shops when we need a colour fix.  This shop specializes in Kaffe Fasset fabrics.  I believe they were still in London then.  We fell in love with a package of fat eighths that were meant to do a jelly roll race quilt top with 1 1/2" strips using shot cottons plus one Kaffe fabric.  We both made a quilt and they were displayed in the Shedden Quilt show one year.  I looked back to tag the post about this quilt and there wasn't one!  I never did blog this quilt so I added a few pictures below.

The quilt turned out to be an odd size; very long and narrow, so we just cut it to a pleasing length.  I had this strip left over and years ago I cut them into different width strips and used a wine red shot cotton I found in my stash to sash it all around.  I had purchased some lotus leaf fabric for the backing of the first quilt and had just enough to add borders to it.  There it sat in the pile of quilts to be quilted until I got inspired.  

In September I found it again and decided to give it to an older lady from our Church who lost her husband in 2020 and with covid was pretty lonely.  She's quite artistic and I thought she'd like the colours.  I quilted it with funky flowers all over and miraculously found the same fabric yet in the stash for binding!  When does that ever happen?  I had a lovely visit with her when I brought the quilt and she loved it.  It matches her room perfectly.  So happy to have this quilt go to a good home. (Click on the photos to enlarge for a better view.)

The finished quilt

The funky flower quilting

 

This was the original quilt.  I have it hanging over my computer chair to brighten up room ☺

We challenged ourselves to do circular quilting on our original quilts.  I love the texture this gives!  This was a learning experience as I started and stopped each circle (using the edge of my walking foot as a guide).  If I do this again, I will be starting on a seam and sneaking down the seam for the next circle. You learn something with everything you do lol.  Alice embroidered on her quilt.  I'll add a picture if I can find one on my computer!

 

Treadleon Autumn Leaf Exchange - an old UFO

Here is a blast from the past!  A UFO from 2003!!  And, it's finished 😀.  This is one of those quilts that present a huge challenge and makes me keep waffling.  

In 2003, the Treadleon group (dedicated to sewing on people powered sewing machines) hosted an exchange of 12", 9" and 6" autumn leaf blocks.  I did a set of 12 blocks for each size.  Of course this is a challenge to put together already.  But, a fun puzzle.  However, life keeps getting in the way and interrupting the process.  And, the one thing that really challenged me was whether or not to put that one pink and purple leaf block in!  I did not want to leave it out as it was part of the exchange and truly what that person would see out of her window in the fall.  I dug around in my scraps and found lots of fall colours and made up some half square triangles and flying geese units to make coping strips to fit the sizes of the various blocks.  I put in two purple scraps to try to tie in the block.  That took some juggling as more than two did not work!  This was done in 2014.  Then the top went off to the local Senior's center where the Busy Bees hand quilted it for me.  And, then it sat in my room for a long time waiting for the task of making a label.

Purple daisy in the flying goose

I had made a drawing on paper of the basic quilt layout with the paper and fabric labels pinned to the proper spots.  Finally last week, I found the quilt under a pile of stuff and decided to get it finished ☺.  The label is huge and more functional than pretty,   Great memories of a lovely block exchange with the Treadleon group.  

Arranging the blocks and spacers

the purple block

outside on the patio

This quilt has been gifted to my friend Sya who is enjoying it very much

handquilted

The label.  There were five fabric labels which I hand stitched onto the larger label.

Here are some closeups of the label for those Treadleon members who participated (click on the photos to enlarge).  Do any of you remember this exchange? ☺

So happy to have this one finished.  I have another set of blue and white blocks from 2000 from this group...should work on those next!

A very old UFO Finished - Hearts and Hands block exchange

I just put the last stitches on the label of a very old UFO!  In 2003 (yes, you read that correctly!!), we did a block exchange with our Hearts and Hands small quilting group.  We all got a piece of the sewing themed blue fabric featured in the quilt.  We made 12 blocks and then exchanged one with each participant.  We all signed a 4" signature block with the name of the block and our name.  We were one block short so someone drew out a heart and hands block with a needle in it.  I had half the block embroidered and of course couldn't find the exact colour of yellow to finish it!  Hence the quilting right through the center block LOL...covers it up :-). 

Recently the discussion about those blocks came up at one of our meetings and I confessed that I hadn't put them together yet. When I got home, I got them out, put them up on the wall and made myself finish it before it could go back in the drawer! Interesting how my tastes have totally changed since then!!   I just did a small lap quilt with a simple sashing and cornerstones of the blue fabric.  I had enough fabric to use that for the back as well.  My friend, Chris, just got a long arm this summer and has been diligently practising.  She quilted it for me with a heart motif which is perfect.  

I can't believe it's actually finished!  Sorry for the colours on the photos...lots of sun today which is a good thing when it's -19C outside!  The very bottom photo shows the colours accurately.

Edit (March 2021):  A year ago one of the seniors in our Church lost her husband and I asked her if she'd like this quilt.  She loved it and is enjoying it very much :-).

the finished quilt

We were one block short to make a 3 by 4 block layout so someone drew up a hearts and hand block and I embroidered it

lovely heart quilting by my friend Chris who got a long arm machine this summer

I put the signature labels around the center block

this is what the colours really look like :-)