Community Quilts from Jazz

Jazz has been busy and is here today to share with you some of the finishes she’s done.  I think the quilts that Jazz worked on were tops from the Cresco Ladies.  They send so many that I often forget to label them before I send them out.

“Jo, do you believe in coincidences? Like, it would be a coincidence if you had two friends with the same uncommon name. What if you had several friends in different parts of the country with the same unusual name? I do, and they all call themselves Anonymous. They are very generous friends, too. They have provided me with such wonderful things to help with the charity sewing I do. One of them gave the lilac flannel that I used to back this cheerful, pastel floral you mailed to me. I free-motion squiggled in the yellow squares and left the flower faces stitched in the ditch. It finished at about 45” square. I don’t know who created it but whoever it was should know that it will do home with a lucky new baby at Ben Taub Hospital in Houston, Texas.

flannel back

In the same package you included these All-Star sports teams flimsies. These are the types of quilt tops that are so cleverly assembled that all I needed to do was sew them up. This one was just stitched in the ditch with stars up and down the side strips to make it a winner.

Here’s another one, undoubtedly by the same skilled sewist – they both are so cute! And both about 40” x 45”, the best size for new athletes.

And, speaking of coincidence… look at the flannel basketball backing Janie W. sent me from Oklahoma. Perfect, isn’t it? She sent enough to back both quilts even though she couldn’t have known about the tops. Earlier this month Dianne L. of Arkansas sent me some colorful bright blue print cotton that I used to bind both, and I used the transparent thread she sent to stitch the stars.

Boys’ quilts are always in demand by the new babies, so I was particularly happy to get all these. The next one is a race cars quilt top from you.

I used some blue cotton yardage you sent me previously for the back, and black-on-red polka dots from another of our friends to bind it with. I FMQ’ed what I intended to be racetracks in the sashes. I’m counting on the recipient not having seen a real racetrack yet since it was just my second attempt to free-motion quilt. (I’m still picking out the first one.) Still, I hope he’ll understand since everything he will be doing will be for the first time, too.

The next quilt you sent is the first of an identical pair. I drew and stitched squares in the center of this one and then in the seams around the borders. I backed and bound it with a tiny blue and yellow floral print that Sue R, who lives close to Houston, Texas, gave me last year. There was quite a lot of it, you’ve seen it before in other quilts. This one finished at about 45” square.

The last top you included is another adorable one, animal cowboys. I wish I knew who made all these, they’re all so imaginative and whimsical. I especially love the western bandana-style borders. All it needed was stitching around the panels to make them stand out. I backed it with more of the light blue and tan flannel you’ve seen on several other baby quilts, gift of another anonymous champion. The binding is a dark brown with orange-brown cotton from the same  Dianne L. that sent the blue binding on the sports quilts.

All these quilts were batted with the nice batting you had delivered to me many months ago. I’ve really enjoyed working with it, it washes up so soft and cuddly. Just marvelous for the babies.

I still have some more tops you sent, and I’ll be getting them done soon. In the meantime, these are already delivered to Ben Taub Hospital in Houston for all the new little bundles of joy who will go home with them. They – and I – thank you and all your devotees who sent the fabrics, threads, and other supplies used.”

I’m so pleased with all of these.  Jazz is so right when she said boy quilts are needed.  So often we get in cute pinks and purple tops but it’s not often that boy quilts are sent.  A big thanks to the Cresco Ladies for suppying some and to Jazz on working her magic and bringing them together.