Over the last couple of years I have been trying to use up scraps, chunks and small stashes of RSC blocks, making quilts for charity and for my own stash so I have quilts on hand for any new babies in my acquaintance.
I had a pile of 24” square quilts, the size requested by our local hospital so took them to the Maternity ward when I went to the hospital for an ultrasound appointment yesterday.
Hope the babies enjoy them.
Joining up with Angela’s SoScrappy RSC blog
I discovered at the end of last year that one of my former Primary School pupils was pregnant, the baby due mid January. I knew where Mum lived but didn’t have a phone number. About 6 weeks ago I managed to track this down via another contact but found the number was incorrect! By this time I was into my ill health problems again, two stays in hospital etc.
I rang our contact again and finally got the right phone number . I found out all the details I needed from the new Granny Julie I was able to embroider the quilt label.
All wrapped up and ready for me to deliver, once I have found a suitable time when Julie will be there to receive the parcel.
I had fun choosing which quilt to give baby Raya as I have been accumulating quite a stash over the past few years from Covid onwards. Many were made for the local Maternity Unit or Project Linus but unfortunately I haven’t found an opportunity to donate them. However this meant I had a lovely wide choice and decided on the Twinkling Stars quilt which was completed in October 2021.
I am steadily working through collections of blocks, mainly the result of RSC projects.
I had a lot of Wonky Stars in various colours and have been using them up in several little quilts.
Red is this month’s chosen colour so I picked out 13 blocks to make a hospital baby quilt. I chose two cream neutrals from my stash and cut 12 x 4.75” squares. When trimmed my Wonky Stars measured 4.75” square. A narrow neutral border brought the quilt up to the required size of 24” square.
I had a large piece if wavy red striped fabric which I used for the backing and binding.
I machine quilted it and I’m really pleased with the result.
Linking up with Angela’s So Scrappy blog.
It’s Scrap Buster #10 Wonky Quarter Log Cabin #1
I love Pola’s style, using scraps, strips, recycled fabrics to create colourful quilts for charity, friends, family and so on. Pretty much what I do, although not so much recycled and I certainly don’t have the stash that Pola has. I enjoy seeing her hauls from the scrap store and how she deals with them. So efficiently too!
I watched the video and made a pile of quarter log quilt blocks using 2” lemon, bright yellow and vivid lime green squares. I so enjoyed the process. I watched how Pola tried out making a quilt by putting four blocks together in the middle and then going out from that centre.
I had to do a lot of jiggling and measuring but it was such fun!
Here’s my finished quilt, perhaps it should come with a warning to put sunglasses on before you view!
It measures 42” square. I quilted it with a design I saw on Pola’s Quilting. I have never have been brave enough to try before and I took Pola’s tip to go with the flow. I used a yellow thread - literally just had enough to finish the quilting and put the binding on.
Heres a view of the backing, a lovely bright jungle print.
No other quilting was done because I wasn’t very well and ended up in hospital on Friday. Hoping to go home tomorrow as the team has made great strides in sorting out my various problems.
Hope I manage to make a start on those Friendship Stars that I intended to do this week.
Joining up with Angela’s So scrappy RSC blog. Plenty of green in my quilt to qualify for RSC green theme.
I decided to machine quilt this little String Quilt differently from the others in this series.
I used a decorative stitch which I was happy with.
After I made the previous String Quilt I had a length of pale blue binding left which I thought would JUST be enough to bind this quilt. Well, when I sewed it on I was about 1.5” short! So I rummaged around in my scraps and found a strip about that width so I “patched it in” and it worked perfectly.
I have also spent a lot of time on a very bright quilt of Quarter Log Cabins which I machine quilted and now waits for me to trim and bind. I hope to show you the finished quilt next week.
Not sure what to do next but I have lots of 2” and 2.5” strings that need processing so ‘I’m thinking of making some Friendship stars. We’ll see!
Linking with Angela’s So Scrappy RSC blog.
Having finished 2 baby String Blocks quilts at the end of December I discovered I still had a lot of strings leftover so I decided to start a 3rd one. For a little more variety I cut up some chunks from stash and made a flimsy.
That’s now waiting to be basted and machine quilted.
Still a lot of strings so I decided to make some quarter log cabins, using solid bright yellow, pale lemon and a lime green for the starter 2” blocks. I watched a youtube video by Pola quilting which gave me a starting idea for this next quilt which I’m aiming for around 40” square.
Joining up with Angela’s So scrappy blog.
Happy New Year! Very best wishes for a healthy 2024, full of great sewing projects.
I finished two Maternity Unit quilts last night, hand sewing the binding down. Really pleased with them both.
The first one used up more of the RSC Wonky stars. I have very few left, mainly red ones, so I think I will start making more as an RSC project this year. Whilst I was cutting binding for this quilt I also cut some 2” squares, ready for three yellow Wonky Stars kits.
I looked through my stash of novelty fabrics for the alternate blocks and managed to cut two squares from the last of my Winnie the Pooh fabric. I bought this fabric to make a Baby quilt for a friend’s newly born grandson Ben. He is now in his 3rd year at university! Time for that fabric to be completely used up I think!
The second finished quilt was the second String Maternity Unit quilt. When I made the first I used a piece of leftover binding and added to it, using up all that particular blue solid. Enough for this quilt and also I think for another one.
The trimmings from both of these quilts went into my String Basket along with some smaller chunks of scrap fabrics I cut into strings. I also cut the telephone directory papers for the foundations and also the central 1.5” white strips so I’m ready for another sewing session today.
I love making these small quilts, using up so many small scraps and strings as I make them.
Last year I made 16 quilts, many of them small Maternity Unit or Doll quilts. I gifted some straight away but others I have kept in my stash. I know a former pupil of mine is expecting a baby this month and I would love to gift her one of my quilts- I know baby will be a little girl and I have several to choose from! The rest will go to Project Linus.
Joining up with Angela’s SoScrappy RSC blog.
