Community Quilts from Jazz

I’ve heard from Jazz.  You might remember she had hip surgery earlier this month.  She is doing well.  She sent this post just a few days before her surgery and I’m finally publishing it now.

Jazz writes:
“Howdy, Jo! Greetings from Houston, Texas, where we like our weather chili-pepper hot! (Well, we try to like it, but sometimes all we can do is hide inside in the air conditioning, drink iced tea, and think about how all our non-local friends must be admiring us – not just any cowboy could survive this humidity and the high 90s.)

It’s a clear, magnificent day, though, for quilting so that’s what I’ve been doing. This is an example of a quilt completed from one of the flimsies you sent. It’s a western-themed 45” x 54” delight. I stitched in the ditch with brown thread to highlight each image and backed it with this warm, rich brown you gave it in a different mailing, but doesn’t it just complement the front? (It looks greenish in the photo, but it’s not in person.) It’s bound with a light tan cotton from my stash. It will wrap up a future rancher new baby born at Ben Taub Hospital here in the Texas Medical Center.

All the quilts in this offering are sandwiched with the batting you also sent. *Thank you*.

The next one was …made of wide strips of the same nursery print in pastel yellow, pink and blue. All I had to do was wavy-quilt it with this coordinating blue, yellow, and grey cotton, and bind it with a delicate pale blue you sent me in another mailing.  Quick and easy! It’s a big-hearted 42” x 45” and will go home with a newborn, too.

Here’s a close-up of the precious fabrics it was made from. Doncha’ think I’m getting courageous with my FMQing? Not yet your hook-and-loop, but I’m working up my daring.

Here’s another top I received from you…I never know the name of your talented sewists, but every one of these was carefully and colorfully made, crisply pressed and I think they each turned out beautifully.

I stitched all the straight lines, outlined the letters in grey stitches (not with clear thread!) and sewed red stars in the opposing red blocks, and a heart in each of the alphabet squares. The back is that super-soft tan and light blue plaid flannel you’ve seen in other pieces. It was provided by our mutual friend Anonymous.  I’ve used it several times; it’s so cuddly and washes up so nicely. It finished at 36” square. Love it!

This one was a panel depicting a whimsical jungle scene. Since all the charming tops in this collection arrived together I’m wondering if the same clever artist made them all.

I completed it by stitching ever-bigger squares inside squares to emphasize the design of the cute, cute, cute print, and backed it with this cheerful yellow floral print from another donor.

I believed these were the last of the quilt tops from you, but as I was folding them to package for dropping off at Ben Taub Hospital I saw another box full of tops you sent – who knows how long ago? I’ll get after them, but I can’t promise that another collection won’t surface again. I’m sure they multiply at night; either that or you’re magically transporting them here without my awareness. Aren’t you running out of hiding spaces in my small sewing room?

In the meantime, I’m getting the embroidery kit squares finished that Holly M from Indiana sent last December finished, and quilted, and re-doing the quilting on a kit Jeanne M of Arizona sent. This one worked up especially beautifully and I enthusiastically FMQ’ed it but am still removing those stitches. Soon I will try, try, again.

In the meantime, y’all just stay cool and dry and feel sorry for revere our strength in this torrid temperature.

See ya’ on down the road.”

What a great batch of quilts!!  I’ve been talking with Jazz on and off since her surgery encouraging her to take it easy.  I’m hoping she is but she’s go-getter and a former nurse.  You know what they say, “nurses make the worst patients”.  Take Care Jazz…we’re all cheering you on!!

Many thanks to everyone who donated.  I’m pretty sure the quilt tops that I sent Jazz were made by the Cresco Ladies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rainbow sashing and binding Anon.

Back flannel (very nice!) Dorothy Sherback, W. Va 2-22.

Embroidery kit anon (a different one).