I thought I’d take the time to photograph and show you the quilts I finished last week for the school kids in need.
Some of the quilt tops came from the Cresco ladies and two came from Jean in WI. THANKS so much to all of you who helped make this happen.
The first top looked like this when I started.
I told you earlier that when I am making these for school aged kids I want them to be around 60 x 80 or so…I ended up putting the cream inner border on this and then the larger red outer border.
Here is the quilting motif I used. Next time I use it I will likely do a video on how I do it. It is a favorite of mine…and it’s easy to do once you’re in the swing of it.
I really like how this turned out.
Do you remember me saying that there was one quilt that the thread kept breaking on, well this was the quilt. I did piece a backing together for it…
The binding matches the outer border fabric.
Here is the next quilt…
It came to me like this…
I added the blue outer border.
I used the Hook and Bump motif on this…I used a variegated thread on the back. I used a seafoam green color of thread on the top. It’s and thread that doesn’t look like it matches any color but it actually matches and looks good on a lot of fabrics.
Can you see that little narrow strip on the far left of the backing? That is where my backing wasn’t large enough and I didn’t realize it until I was almost finished with the quilt. I added that blue strip while the whole quilt was on the frame.
I found a green to bind it with. It doesn’t match the green of the sashing perfectly but, being the two fabrics aren’t touching, it looks just fine.
No one would know unless I told. The backing was all pieced together from leftovers from another project. It looks pretty good for a pieced backing.
The next quilt looked like this when I got it…
I think I remember a blog reader sending some crazy pieced blocks. I wonder if these are it? Anyway, it wasn’t long enough for what I needed so I added a top and bottom border- there’s a narrow cream on and the larger brown one. I was going to add side borders but I didn’t have enough yardage.
I’ve told you all that I have a lot of fabric but the majority of it is fat quarter-sized. It made finishing these quilts a little hard but do-able.
I wasn’t having the best day at the quilting machine the day I did this one. I had all the thread breakage and then the backing on the other quilt was too small so I didn’t want to risk anything. I went with a simple loop quilting motif. I figured if I had thread breakage at least the quilting wouldn’t be so dense…but I ended up having no problems at all with this one.
The binding is red and matches the fabric in the pieced backing. The dark color in the backing was the thrift store fabric.
The next quilt is from Jean in WI. When I got the quilt it looked like this…
I loved the quilt from the first time I saw it. I ended up adding a top and bottom border to this quilt too. It needed to be a little bigger and the simple borders did the trick.
For this one, I slowed down my frantic pace and did a video on how to do this motif. It’s a fun one and pretty simple. I call it ribbons and poinsettias. This is a bit Christmasy of a quilt but not a lot. One might not notice it unless I said something.
The gold fabric at the bottom of the photo above shows Bethlehem and there is a print with words that has part of the Christmas story. I wasn’t going to do this quilt for a school donation but then I remembered some of these quilts are going to the Catholic school too. I’m going to note that this quilt should go there.
I was brave and used red for the thread.
The binding is the same print as the added borders. The backing was a thrift store piece that I only need to put one seam in. YAHOO!
The next quilt is also from Jean in WI. I didn’t do a thing to this quilt. All of the borders were already on it.
It was quick and fun.
I should have but didn’t take the time to shoot a video of this quilting motif. It’s a variation of the hook and bump that I think you all with love especially if you like feathers as it gives you a bit of a feathered look. I’ll take a video of this in the near future too.
The backing is pieced leftover from another quilt backing. The fabric was originally from an auction.
The last quilt I did was a batik quilt. It came to me like this…
Again, I needed it bigger. I added the inner green border and the outer blue border. It was a fabric I bought when a local fabric store went out of business. This one was so fun to work on. It reminded me that I like batiks!
This is a disappearing nine patch pattern.
I should have shot a video for this quilting motif too. I know you will love this and find it easy to do as well. Next time I will.
I used a variegated thread on the top that is rainbow swirl…it’s blues to purples and pinks. I love the thread and use it often.
I used the same fabric for the binding as I used on the outer border.
For the thread on the back…I used up all of the little half and quarter filled bobbins that I had leftover from all my previous quilting projects.
Check out the backing fabric. I was able to use up all of the bobbins except for the black and white and cream. I used up the red, blue, purples, and pinks. It was awesome. I have empty bobbins again!!
The backing fabric came from Quilted Twins. I bought it for another project and hated it for that project. When you buy fabric online and it’s a big print like this with large variation, the small picture that we see on the computer screen doesn’t always show the whole all-over print of the fabric. After I opened it up and looked at it, I just didn’t like it for that project. That’s okay. The fabric has the perfect home now!
I am VERY happy with all of the quilts. It was a whirlwind of a week scrambling to get them all done in between all of the other things I have going on but I’m so happy I was part of it all. I have a little more to do but the end is in sight. YAHOO!!
Again, thanks to the Cresco ladies and to Jean in WI for your help in making these quilts happen. You’re the best!
What a delightful collection of quilts! So interesting how your borders have added so much to the quilts – and I don’t mean added length and width! The first quilt has come to LIFE with the double border: the fawn colour pulls together all the different coloured squares and the outer red birder with its little tawny coloured motifs is just a perfect choice. You are very clever at putting all these different fabrics together, Jo. How you have found time to do all this I don’t know. We have a saying in England: “Give a busy person the job” and that definitely applies to you.
Your quilts are all beautiful, Jo. The people who have given you the tops will be thrilled when they see how you finished them. I imagine if siblings happen to receive quilts from you they will be comparing their beauties.
You did a fantastic job in making these tops come to life. They are so pretty and your long arm quilting is really good, I love all the colored threads you used. Makes me braver in selecting threads for my quilts in the future.
The borders truly make the quilts, Jo. I went through a time when I wanted to be more “modern” so I made quilts with no borders and plain fabric. They were just ok (boring) quilts. Looking at your beauties the borders just make the quilt perfect. It’s always amazed me at the amount of work you get done. You are a true inspiration for me to get out of my chair and get stuff done. Thanks for all you do.
What a lovely group of quilts! I’m sure the kids will appreciate the beauty and love they represent. You are amazing with all you get done!
Great looking quilts. They are all beautiful! You always pick the perfect finishes so quilts are so beautiful. Again, thanks, Jo for all you do to help others.
I can’t believe you were able to get all of those done in such a short amount of time! Impressive! They all look really great and I love that they are going to a great cause.
That’s a great finish! Good job!
the kids and their families will love you. usually the donated quilts are smaller for the couch. I do hope the schools give the quilts by families. I would hate to see any fights over these quilts. :-) :-) Happy Creating.
The borders on the quilt tops are just perfect and make the blocks ‘pop’. The children who receive these quilts will be wrapped in warmth, comfort and love. One of my quilting groups will be doing the same for out homebound seniors. We have created all sorts of quilts to suit their needs. Busy days creating bring happiness to those who need it the most.
Those are all AWESOME finishes, Jo!! The students are going to be thrilled with their gifts! You mentioned using up your partial bobbins on the back of that last quilt… I use those for basting the side of the quilt on my longarm and then switch back to the bobbin that I’m using for the quilting. In looking at the quilting on these, I have a question. Do you quilt in Stitch Regulation mode? If so, how many stitches per inch? If not, how did you go about shedding your “training wheels”? I’m not sure I’ve ever just let my Millie run. EVER!! (I’ve had my machine for 4 years now.) Any advice?
Joyful Quilter: I do use the stitch regulator. I set it at about 10.
So wonderful!! Loved seeing the quilts and amazed at how much you got done! Looking forward to the quilting tutorials.
The string quilt that Jean in WI made that looks like diamonds will be the perfect end goal for all my random string squares that I made for no particular reason! All the quilts are gorgeous! Well done everyone.
Hi Jo
This collection of quilts is so special. You’ve done a wonderful job making each one fit the need and yet match the colors and design from the original creator. You always say thank you to the people who create and quilt the community quilts and now we are saying Thank You to you! Job well done!
It’s amazing how your borders and quilting lifted these quilts to the next level! Nicely done!
What a joy to see the quilts you have been working on for the kids in need. Its so impressive and I love how you added a border on the bottom to make some of them longer, they turned out great. Bravo Jo!
Those are wonderful quilts. I agree with Linda from UK about the borders you added brought life to that quilt. I am working on a similar quilt and wasn’t planning on adding a border. I’ve changed my mind. Thanks for sharing.
Jo, do you ever rest? What an ambitious and generous project you’ve accomplished — and with such obvious love!
All the works are magnificent, but I am particularly admiring of the first one, the one you bordered in light tan and red. That really transformed the quilt. You have such a gift for knowing just how to finish them to exploit their maximum beauty. And your quilting! I’m so intimidated by FMQ — but you’re tempting me to try.
Gorgeous quilts, all.
Beautiful quilts and beautiful quilting. I love seeing the results from all the donated tops. Wonderful gifts.❤️ Although my efforts are a poor duplication of your designs, I look forward to learning more free motion quilting from your videos.
Jo, I love your free motion videos and can hardly wait for the free motion video tutorials on these quilts! Love your blog and appreciate all the effort and time you put into it. Keep up the good work!
What fun quilts! I am sure the kids will love them. How generous of you to use your time and talent to do this.
you are an amazing woman!!! I look forward every day to read your blog….the good and the sad,thank you for being there
The kids that receive these quilts are going to feel.so special and so cared about! It’s amazing what adding borders did to make each one sparkle. I especially like the layout 9f the quilt with the Christmas story.
Those are beautiful! Bless you and have a safe and happy Thanksgiving.
Your quilts are beautiful! My favorite of all quilts is the nine patch. I like the simple ones best.
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