Who doesn’t love spring fabrics? Especially at this time of year when I am hoping we have seen the last of Old Man Winter for a while. This charity quilt finish is just the ticket to get us in a warm weather mood.
This spring-y quilt top was made by Dori Jenkins. Dori’s top is 81” x 84”. I sent this beauty to Cheryl in Dallas because she has a continual need for larger quilts for her favorite charity.
Compare the photos above and below. Can you see what Cheryl has done to Dori’s quilt top? Yes, she cut the black border in half. Why? Because she wanted to enlarge the quilt, of course. (Let’s me explain…)
With the quilt top on the longarm machine, you can see the new border. Cheryl in Dallas used pale florals cut into triangles to add a few inches to all four sides, then she reattached the rest of the black border.
Ohhhhh! What a wonderful result! From this distance, I can clearly see that Dori matched two equilateral triangles together to make diamond shapes and each diamond is surrounded by black sashing.
Cheryl’s spring-y florals in the border and Dori’s spring-y florals in the quilt center look like they belong together.
Cheryl used two pieces of white polka-dotted fabric for the backing, but neither of them was wide enough or long enough for the quilt. She added pieced inserts horizontally and vertically to hide the fact that the backing wasn’t quite big enough. A good solution, if you ask me, and it looks like it was designed that way.
The backing insert included small strips of fabrics that Cheryl used when she added the triangle border. Now the quilt is 89” x 92”. The digital quilt pattern is Zoidberg Feathers by Barbara Becker.
When the black border was added back to the quilt, it no longer fit because of the addition of the pieced border. Cheryl included triangle inserts on each corner and in the middle of each side to make the black fabric long enough to surround the quilt.
Dori’s quilt is ready to go to the House of Hope in Gainesville, Florida. There it will be given to a new resident who joins the 6-month program. Most of the women in the program have recently been released from jail (or directed to go there instead of jail). These quilts are usually the only handmade object the women own as they start to build a new life. I think this quilt is a beautiful way for the next arrival to start her next chapter.
Next stop: Federal Express!
Awesome work Cheryl and Dori!!
Another gorgeous donation quilt! Love the addition of Cheryl’s border! Great work ladies!
Cheryl is one talented lady!
What a wonderful donation quilt Dori! Add Cheryl’s creative solution, and gorgeous quilting, and it’s perfect! Hopefully the recipient will cherish it, and understand that someone believes in her.
Oh my! what a clever way to enlarge the quilt and address the sashing issue. Both of the quilters made this a real beauty and I hope the woman who receives it enjoys it and all the love that is sewn in every stitch. Nice to hear from you Jo, hope your week of testing has gone well, I’ve missed your postings.
Beautiful job ladies. Thanks for all your labor and love put into this quilt. Thanks for sharing.
Talented ladies, indeed! Love the diamonds and the additional borders are very nicely done!
Great Job! Thanks for sharing your time and talents, gals!
Quick question for all you ladies who make charity quilts … do you put a label on the quilts? Do you include your name? I’m not sure what’s appropriate for a memorial quilt made for a major tragedy. The quilt store collecting the quilts is having labels made to attach to each quilt, but since I’m not nearby and won’t be taking part in adding the labels, should I include my own? I don’t want to seem like I’m looking for a pat on the back, I just wonder if whoever the recipient is will wonder where it came from. I’d appreciate any advice. Thanks!