Quilts of Compassion

I finally shipped out the last of my Hands2Help Comfort Quilts for this year. The charity event ended back in June but I know the groups that receive the quilts can always use them. So I don't worry too much about when I get my donations shipped out. Hey, it's still 2020, right? (As if any of us could ever forget that it is 2020.)

This scrappy tumbler quilt has been given to Quilts of Compassion, who provide help to those who are recovering from disasters. I won a tumbler template in a blog giveaway last year, and have been using it to trim random scraps. I then sorted them into dark, light and medium values and stitched them into columns. The resulting top was pretty blah, so I framed it with two white and one skinny red border. That felt more fresh and clean.

You can see the mishmash variety of fabrics I used in this closeup. Everything but the kitchen sink! I quilted it in simple wavy lines running through each row.

The backing was pieced together with chunks of fabric that were given to me by my friend Steph. The red is the same as the skinny inner border, and I used that for the binding, too. I think that helped make the whole thing more cohesive. 

The colors of the backing are more true in this photo. I love all the sweet hearts in these fabrics. Thanks, Steph!

 

These two previously-blogged toddler quilts were sent to Quilts of Compassion in the same box. I'll definitely be donating to them again; their mission really speaks to me.

We are currently cruising New England and have made it as far northeast in Maine as we can get the big boat. This photo is from Plymouth, Massachusetts where we had several spectacular sunsets. This one took my breath away! 

Little quilts for little people

Hello, hello! How are you? I hope you've been safe and well. Things are fine aboard the good ship Vector as we make our way slowly north this summer. I've been quilting along steadily and have a big batch of little finishes to share with you. First up is this jungle quilt, made with a tiger panel. One of my Sunshine Quilt Guild-mates sent it along. She had 3 or 4 of them and it was fun to see how folks used the panel.

She also included the chunk of tigers that I used in the upper left side of the backing. This quilt will go to Wrap-a-Smile (WAS.)

This quilt is also made with a panel. The cute sheep in the center were made to be a growth chart, so there were inch and feet marks up the left side. I just cut that part off and added some scrappy hour glass blocks. This one is also headed to WAS.

The back is nothing special, just a couple of pieces of green that coordinated with both front and binding. You'll see a photo of the back of each of my pieces here, no matter how boring. Why? Because occasionally the charities that I donate to will publish a photo of a quilt being used by a child, and only a glimpse of the back is visible. Twice now I've spotted one of my pieces this way, which is SUCH a thrill! I use my blog to document the fronts and the backs to help me remember them.

Next up is this super duper scrappy quilt in red hot colors. The blocks are made of crumbs that I stitched together during last year's Rainbow Scrap Challenge. I bordered two sides of each block with scrappy brown strips and there is lots to look at in this quilt!

The back is a strip of the same bright orange as the binding, and a couple of the cartoon characters from "Cars." I don't usually buy licensed character fabrics, but this chunk was part of a bigger lot and I admit the goofy cars make me smile. I hope it will also make a child smile! It will be donated to Quilts of Compassion.

Here's a tiny quilt! Only 36"x42", it used up the last of some pretty rainbow butterfly fabric I've had kicking around. I also had a charm pack of solids that were juuuuust right with the butterflies. A bit of plaid bordering and voila! Just right for a new baby.

The back is a single piece of hot pink with cute little bugs on it. DH's feet are included because, well, why not? I think he's as cute as a bug. This one will also go to Quilts of Compassion (the quilt, not the husband.)

And here's a third quilt for the same charity, which gives quilts to people affected by disasters. It features a panel with elegant ladies and gentlemen. I added rows of 16-patches and snowball blocks in the same soft pinks, purples, yellows and greens.

Here's a close-up of the panel. Isn't it fun? I like to think these are young couples who have just fallen in love, and hope the quilt ends up in the arms of a starry-eyed child. 

The back is a single piece of urban row houses in the same color palette. Could it be New York? Paris? It's where all these couples live, of course!

OK, on to even smaller quilts. The next three are tiny doll quilts, and will be donated to A Doll Like Me. The first two were made with just a handful of small blocks left over from other projects. Sometimes I use blocks like that on the back of a quilt, but these lent themselves to finished quilts in their own right. I like the soft pastels of this piece.

The back shows my swirly quilting, and is a rather thin piece of peppered or shot cotton. 

This one is scrappy floral blocks bound in dark green for a summer garden feel.

An old fashioned ditsy white with black somethings (flowers?) fit the back just fine. Doll quilts are a great way to use up scraps of batting, too.

And finally, the last doll quilt is perfectly square. I know it doesn't look that way! We waited a long time for a calm, bright morning to take photos and the wind kicked up right at the end. These little pieces really can get flapping in the breeze! But I think you can figure out that this one is kind of an I-spy with planes, trains, bikes, cats and more. I like to include a variety of styles that will appeal to any kid when I make a donation.

The back continues the transportation theme with a fun railroad print.

Whew! Well, I'm mostly caught up with sharing my finishes now. I hope you enjoyed the gallery of little quilts. Which one is your favorite?