H2H for 2020

I found myself a little behind in starting on my quilt for The Hands 2 Help challenge this year.   Like many others in the quilting community I have been spending much of my free time making surgical masks. So time just got away from me.   I had plans of making a fun and scrappy rail fence quilt, but my quilting mojo just was not feeling it.  So I decided maybe a better plan would be to start with a UFO that was well under way.  A while back, I had fallen in love with a quilt made of “giant” tulip blocks while watching a Missouri Star Quilt tutorial.  Jenny Doan does just wonderful how-to tutorials.  I had quite a pile of these fun blocks sitting next to my sewing machine.  So up on my design wall they went.  They make quite a nice garden, don’t you think?

A quilty hug...

Quilts are just the best gift.  They give as much enjoyment to the giver as they do the recipient.  I think all quilters would agree, yes?  Because so much joy was felt during the making, some of that joy is bound to be be felt by the recipient.  At least that is my hope.  

My Hands2Help quilt will be sent off this week to Emily for Quilty Hugs for Happy Chemo.

This lovely pattern is from Diane D. Knott's newest book.....Thank-you Diane for your wonderful scrappy quilts.  They truly are fabulous!  Now to decide which one to make next.  Hmmmm.....  

We finally had some fleeting sunshine so I could photograph outside.  I especially love making a scrap quilt for someone going through a difficult time (like chemotherapy).  Perhaps, they will be distracted from their illness and fears for a little while at least as they "discover" the "hidden pictures" sewn into their quilt.  What better way than this to use up those beloved novelty prints.  It warms my heart to think I may be able to brighten someone's day.  Even if it is for a fleeting moment....

And as everyone knows, a quilt is not complete without a label.  I also thought I would try to show off my new go to machine quilting design, too.  My photography skills are not the best, so hopefully it can be seen in the picture below.  Just in case you have to use your imagination to see it.....This one is a boxy meander.  I'm a novice machine quilter, so I'm trying to slowly build a repertoire of quilting designs.  

After I chose my backing fabric, I realized that if the recipient is "too young", they might not even know what those "funny looking things" on the fabric are?  My how times have changed (giggle).  I probably should have looked for one with cellphones rather than rotary phones.  But....they could be a conversation starter (giggle).  So maybe my selection is okay after all.   

I hope my quilt brings enjoyment and warmth to whomever's lap it lands on.....

Thank-you Sarah for the countless hours you spend (and have spent) on organizing H2H.  The guest blog posts were wonderful!  I enjoyed them so much.  And I loved the opportunity to try out a new pattern, use up some of my beloved scraps and practice my machine quilting. 

I'm looking forward to next year's challenge 💙💚💛💜!

H2H 2019

Time flies.....It is so hard to believe that we are so close to the end of another H2H season.  My favorite time of year.

I’m very fond of String pieced Quilts.  Making string blocks is like a trip down memory lane.  Each time I dip into my big tub of “strings” and gather a bunch to complete a block, I am reminded of the original quilt from which they came and the wonderful occasion that quilt was made for.  It is amazing how these little bits of scraps can still bring such joy.

I chose a string quilt from Diane D. Knott’s new book.  It’s a spectacular book for scrap quilt enthusiasts.  And I highly recommend it.

I just finished quilting my labor of love which I recently loaded on my quilting frame.

I’m working on getting the hang of my Q’nique.  It is a wonderful little machine from Grace Company.  Perfect for someone like me who really wanted a longarm but wanted a machine that was simple to operate and has just enough bells and whistles.  I’m still just a beginner with this new member of my sewing machine fleet, but am becoming more confident with FMQ on it.

Now on to one of my favorite things....the binding.  It really is one of my favorite things to do.  I know I am probably in the minority here, but I really do enjoy binding a quilt.  It might just be because it means the quilt is finally done 🤣😂 .

H2H

I guess it is true that all good things must come to an end since this is our final link up to Hands 2 Help.   I had a wonderful time meeting new friends and being inspired by their fabulous quilts.  When I signed up to join this party, I had the hardest time deciding which charity to pick and oh my goodness, “What quilt am I going to make?”

This isn’t easy, but I have a confession to make.  I have almost as many quilting books in my bookcase as fabric in my stash.  Phew, glad I got that off my chest.  Afterall, admitting to the problem is the first step, right?

So off to my bookcase I went.  Lately I have had a hankering to make a quilt from Gyleen X. Fitzgerald’s book Bricks, Cobblestones, and Pebbles.

Perfect, decision one was made.  I now knew what quilt I was going to make.  One of Gyleen’s wonderful quilts it is.  Now, what charity?  Hmm...I guess I will just let my quilt select the charity.  I know it will tell me when all is said and done.

And tell me it did......my quilt will be going to Quilty Hugs for a Happy Chemo.  I “built” this quilt with “cobblestones” and each “cobblestone” is made from a different fabric with the exception of the brick red center which is in the middle of each block.  I hope the recipient of my quilt feels the love with which it was made and may pass the time by discovering all the different fabrics from which it was built.

I hope you have enjoyed this journey as much a I have.  Thank you, Sarah for letting me tag along.  Until we meet again, ❤️Paula

Happy Mother’s Day

Happy Mother’s Day to all the wonderful woman who have nurtured children whether they are their birth parent or not.  We all have had wonderful strong women in our lives who have made us the people we are today.

So in honor of Mother’s Day.....

I’ve been spending the day feeding my soul with needle and thread....

I’m having so much fun with Gyleen’s book “ Bricks, Cobblestones and pebbles.  This one is for a friend whose husband was recently diagnosed with cancer.  I hope this will remind her that I am holding her in my heart and thoughts and prayers.  And that she is not alone in this journey.

Ilene loves Disney and she and her hubby spend lots of vacations there so I could not resist including Mickey and Minnie.  I hope it invokes lovely memories made and a sign of more to come.  

Until we meet again ❤️Paula

H2H challenge is coming along

Well, my cobblestone quilt is hot off the quilt frame and ready to bind.....

( my previous post has the back story)

This was quilted on the newest addition to my quilting fleet.....

I bought this at Quilt Festival in Houston last fall.  My sweet hubby said we just had to go cuz flights were too cheap to pass up....so I said “okay, if you insist”.  It was such a great buy that I just could not resist.  I still have a lot to learn but I’m enjoying this new adventure sooo much.  Who would have guessed that quilting on my Bernina or my Tiara (I did say it was the newest member of the fleet 🤣😂) could be so different than quilting on this?

Time to go grab a cup of tea and get to that binding....In the meantime, why don’t you hop over to see what others are working on for the.....H2H challenge

Until we meet again.....❤️ Paula

Quilting is more fun than......

picking up all the sticks and tree debris that the late winter storms have left in our yard.  We have trees debris everywhere.....

The yard is a bit soggy at the moment from the melting snow so I think it would be better if it dried up just a bit before tending to it.  Don't want to trudge all that mud in the house since I spent most of yesterday tidying up.  Makes sense, don't ya think? 

One spot in the house that still is in need of a lot of tidying up is my "happy place" or as the hubby refers to it...the "she cave".  It really needs a lot of attention.  One thing in particular that is really out of control are my scrap bins.....

I can't think of a better way to tackle this problem than to make a quilt.  And one of my favorite quilts to make is a comfort quilt.  It comes in all shapes and sizes and there generally are no to few rules to follow.  Nothing but pure enjoyment of playing with fabric and feeding piece upon piece through my sewing machine. I was so thrilled to come across Sarah's post about the Hands2Help 2018 charity quilt challenge.  Not only do I get to make one of my favorite kinds of quilts, but it will have a home to go to!  I decided to use a pattern from Bricks Cobblestones and Pebbles by the ever so talented Gyleen X. Fitzgerald.  Just the ticket for making a dent (barely a dent) in to my scrap basket.  Love my pebbles......

 They really are quick to make and kind of like potato chips (or in my case M & M's)...can't just stop at one.....

I think I will will let them play together on my design wall for just a bit.....

Hope you are all enjoying Spring in your neck of the woods.  I think it has finally made it here in New England

💗Paula