The latest community quilts were completed by Cheryl in Dallas. She told me she is getting started on a second chemo treatment (she didn’t respond well to the first regime), and it is going well. The goal is for the chemo pills to slow or halt the growth of the cancer — and maybe even reduce the size of the tumors. Thanks to everyone who is praying for Cheryl. It is a wonderful way to share the love that seems to abound in the quilting community. You blog readers are the best! Cheryl sent this narrative and photos for you to enjoy.
Jo, I have a trio of beautiful quilts to share with you. You sent these tops to me last year. They were made by an anonymous quilter, and I’m assuming all three were made by the same person. These quilts are based on 25-patches. It is such a simple pattern, and the results are stunning. Anonymous Quilter did a magnificent job on these tops, such precision workmanship!
Quilt #1 is this gray 25-patch with purple sashing. I love the combination of every variation of gray in this one. The top is 75” x 86”, which will do for a twin-size bed.
Take a look at some of these little squares. Too cute!
I quilted this one with “Paris”, an edge-to-edge pattern by Natalie Gorman, which is available at Urban Elementz.
Let the quilting begin… It’s pretty easy to set up the computerized longarm to zip back and forth.
My Bernina was in the shop for seven weeks (SEVEN WEEKS!) for a routine spa day. I used that time to get a lot of tops quilted. My stack of tops went fast because I was limited to simple piecing with my Featherweight. A girl MUST have a back-up machine! As soon as the Bernina came home, I started binding. Anonymous Quilter also included binding for these quilts. Take a look at how much binding was left over from this gray and purple beauty:
Hubby helped me hang the quilt on our backyard fence. Love it.
The backing started life as a humble gray sheet from a thrift store.
The only thing better than a scrappy quilt is scrappy binding. I love these bits and pieces that edge the quilt.
Quilt #2 is made of green 25-patches with yellow sashing. It is 74” x 86”, so another twin-size quilt.
Jo, I know you’ll appreciate these fabrics. What a great eye spy quilt.
Anyone a Green Bay fan?
Here’s my favorite — who doesn’t love Thin Mints?!
Little Woodstock, is that you?
Loaded on the longarm and ready to go.
The quilting pattern is Ancient Scrolls by Sarah Ann Myers, digitized by Patricia Ritter. I got it from Urban Elementz. I use this pattern frequently and I really like how it turns out.
After a few hours of back and forth on the Lenni machine, it was ready for binding. The leftover binding was only a few inches. My Anonymous Quilter friend really knew what she was doing when she measured this one.
What a lovely result from those simple 5×5 blocks and sashing.
Yes, more scrappy binding. It just gets better!
The backing is from a generous piece of fabric donated to me by a local quilter who was cleaning out her stash: yellow background with green leaves. I’d say it found the perfect landing place.
Quilt #3 came in a bit small for a bed quilt. It was 74” x 74” when it arrived in Dallas. It is every variety of yellow blocks with black sashing.
I got busy and added a few bits and bobs to make the top bigger. First was a narrow brownish border, and then a row of 4.5” squares with black strips alternating from one side to the other. Then another narrow border, this one in yellow with a black print.
And lastly, I added a wider black border. I sprinkled black print fabrics throughout the black border — because I didn’t have enough black fabric. A quilter’s gotta do what a quilter’s gotta do. Anonymous Quilter included 288” of binding, so I made another 100” of binding from my stash. Yellow is my favorite color, so I had a lot of fat quarters to pick from.
The grown-up quilt is now 97” x 97.” It will be just right for a queen bed, and those are in use in the married student housing at Dallas Theological Seminary.
The backing required some piecing. I used a yellow sheet and a white sheet for the biggest sections. Narrow strips of the same brownish and black fabrics from the front of the quilt add a finishing touch to the backing.
The pattern for this edge-to-edge quilting is Threadz, by Patricia Ritter. I use that pattern almost as much as Ancient Scrolls.
These three quilts are going to Luke’s Closet, for distribution to students at the seminary here in Dallas. Most of the foreign students who arrive for their studies bring only what will fit into their suitcases. Volunteers donate kitchen equipment and bedding supplies to make these students feel at home in their temporary accommodations. Being as how the seminary students come from all over the world, there is no telling where the quilts will wind up when the students start their ministries.
Jo, I sure hope the person who made these quilt tops will identify herself or himself in your comments section. Kudos to her or him for a great job. I love the result of these babies!
WOW…aren’t these all great. I think my favorite is the yellow. I think it’s because here in Iowa, the Iowa Hawkeyes are big and their colors are yellow and black.
Great work by Cheryl and the person who pieced the tops. If it was you that made them, please leave a comment so we can recognize you…and readers, which color is your favorite??
The green one is my favourite, but they all look great!
All the quilts are simple and beautiful! That looks like a free pattern from the Quilted Twins blog. It’s on my bucket list! Cheryl I am still praying for you and so happy you are responding well to the chemo!
Thank you & Blessings to all who made these beautiful quilts possible❤️
The green is my favorite simply because green is my favorite. What lovely work went into those quilts from start to finish. It is fun to imagine in what part of the world they will end up. Prayers and blessings Cheryl
These are beautiful – Cheryl and Anonymous did a beautiful job with these – and a great cause too!
Keeping you in my prayers, Cheryl.
Love and prayers
I love the gray one. This is definately going into my wanna do list. Thank u for sharing. Blessings on your chemo.
Cheryl, It was wonderful to read that you are responding well to the Chemo. My prayers continue. I really like the grey quilt, it has a more modern feel to it. Thank you to the maker who spent all that time putting those squares together, what lovely piecing and to Cheryl for getting them finished.
The green is my favorite. It would go well in my home. Continuing to pray for you Cheryl.
I love the gray, but all are just beautiful. Anonymous sure has a big heart to make and giveaway these beauties.
The quilts are lovely from the start by anonymous to Cheryl’s beautiful finish. I think the green is my favorite too. Cheryl, I just had my second chemo treatment for breast cancer and I will add your name to my prayer list for continued healing.
I’m also partial to the green one. Cheryl, sending healing thoughts your way.
Jo, I went down the volunteer list but didn’t find anyone in NY.. I’d like to find someone locale in the Syracuse, NY area to donate fabric to and save all that postage money. If you have someone in your network in my area please hook us up!
Those quilts were all beautiful. You were so creative in how you enlarged the yellow and black quilt. Absolutely beautiful!
Cheryl, you did a wonderful job with the quilting and with photographing these great quilts! You are in my prayers for healing and comfort.
What a lovely quilting group!
Cheryl, Nance in Reno waving and praying (you finished that bias-stretched flimsy, from a friend of a friend, that was going to go to Oregon, which didn’t need more quilts).
Purple and gray, all the way!! They are all lovely!
I wish I could say they were mine, but alas, I can’t. Fortunately, I can appreciate all the work that went into them and the quilting just enhanced them. Great job to all!!! Cheryl, I hope you continue to respond well and healing is within sight.
Purple is my favorite color but they are all lovely! Many prayers for complete healing. Thanks for all you do in your charity work.
Cheryl, you do beautiful work. I’m praying the chemo continues to work and you’re cancer free.
Cheryl, the quilts are stunning and I wanted to say that I will be praying for your recovery as well. I’ve been very sick with a bad case of chronic Lyme for 25 years. The mutual support among quilters is so wonderful. Life is precious and we need to love each other! Best Wishes to you! Patricia Kendel
Cheryl, praying for continued results on your treatment. Beautiful work on the wonderfully pieced tops. Love the way you enlarged the one top, so creative. Any one of these quilts would be a special gift!
I like the purple and grey one the most, with little pops of pink here and there. But they are all beautiful. Great work from Cheryl and the person who made the tops. How wonderful to make quilts for charities and other concerns, I’d love to be involved with something like that. God’s blessings to you Cheryl for your quilting and also for your health.
Kathy
I love them all! I love simple patterns & these are great examples why. Cheryl & Anonymous did a bang up job on each & every one of them! Positive vibes & healing love to you, Cheryl! {{{ HUGS }}}
admire all of them because of the obvious love that went into them from start to finish. the continuing care shown by Cheryl for the one piecing the tops and the final recipients is so strongly felt. thank you
I just LOVE this quilt! And it looks easy enough for me to try! I’m gonna use grays, silvers, and golds. Hope it comes out okay for one of my donation quilt tops to send to Ray!
Thank you so much for being you and doing all the things you do! I feel like I have friends and I belong when I open my email. Your friendliness and openness is certainly cherished!
I do have a quilting question: Do you have a recommendation for a re-sharpening tool for old rotary blades so I can recycle them?
Pat, your question is going to be in the next Jo and hopefully a blog reader will have suggestions for us both.
This quilt really appeals to me and I am going to try to make one like it. I have collected gray, silver and gold and am cutting 2 1/2″ squares. I have never used gray (or grey?) colors before and it is just thrilling! Thanks for the inspiration!
An this Cheryl be Stetson? I worked with her many years ago in the Duke University School of Business Administration, and have stayed in touch via Christmas cards. I tried to reach her by phone but was unsuccessful. I would very much like to talk to her
I am very much aware of her interest in quilting.
Mary-This is not the same Cheryl.
I love all the quilts! I like the few red squares put in places in the quilt. I love the different fabric binding prices. I made a full size Halloween quilt for my son who got married on Halloween. Certainly didn’t use orange in quilt, chose Halloween prints but in aqua black with white.