Community Quilts from Jazz

I have a parade of quilts from Jazz to share with you today..

Jazz writes:
“Hi, Jo! I have a little quilt show for you. I’m betting most of your audience has been to a quilt show, but what about an all-embroidery quilt show?

As I was recovering from my hip surgery and post-op complications a few months ago some of your faithful kept me cheered up with stamped cross stitch kits, and you provided some with finished embroidered pieces to be turned into quilts for the newborns and other patients at Ben Taub Hospital in Houston.

The first one is this delicate purple/pink/blue floral embroidery that was sent by you, Jo. I don’t know where you find these gorgeous pieces!  I sashed it with fabric from my stash and backed it with a lush, light purple and pink splotched flannel sent to me by Missy R. from Gainesville, Florida in March. I stitched in the ditch and then drew circles around and inside by tracing around the blossoms with two plates, to emphasize the wreath shapes of the stitches. A lucky patient at Ben Taub Hospital in Houston, Texas is going to cherish this 40” square lap quilt from the unknown artist who hand-worked it.

You also sent me this darling elephant, duck, and brown bunny embroidery. I machine-stitched around the garland and animals and finished by making parallel horizontal lines about 2” apart.  The backing is a nice flannel print of colorful little hearts given by Anonymous in a big box of flannels last October. The soft lilac binding is from Anonymous, too. This cuddly quilt finished at 45” x 65”.

Do you remember these twelve cute… little dancing kittens you mailed to me earlier this summer? They look like they’re performing in a ballet recital.

I trimmed each to 8” x 8” squares and laid them out and sashed them with this perfectly coordinating fabric you sent me in February. The pink binding was from you in December of 2020. You must have been a fortune teller to realize how cute it would all look together!

The completed piece is 26” x 38”. The kitty flannel back was part of a larger gift from another Anonymous, from far west Houston.

These embroidered deer were originally part of a pair of pillowcases you forwarded. Since Ben Taub Hospital needs quilts more than pillowcases I made them into a nice big (40” x 50”) quilt by separating them with some dark green leaves on medium green cotton from my stash and lengthening the pillowcase ends with coordinating autumn colors, stitching in the ditch between them. Then I stitched horizontal lines 2 ½” apart. It’s sashed with a brown leafy print you gave me about a year ago.

Brown plaid flannel was part of the enormous gift Becky M.  (Alaska and Texas) gave me last September.

Jo, you also sent me these seven gorgeously hand-worked roses, all in a stack. They were stunning all separated but look how they glow in this setting! The rose sashing was a length I purchased previously with no plan in mind, I just loved it and knew I’d be glad to have it … someday. The bright yellow was stored happily next to it in a box. The purple binding was mine, too and I am so pleased at how happy it all looks.

It finished at 40” square. After I took this photo, but before I brought them all to the hospital I hand-stitched hearts in empty squares to balance the quilt. The back and all the batting in all these quilts were all from you too, Jo.

Another Anonymous friend gifted me with these stamped squares. About a year ago I had the same kit that I embroidered in the pink and red suggested on the package and gave the finished product to Ben Taub Hospital. This time I made up my own bright palette using the flosses from you Jo and sashed and bound and sashed it with a rainbow piece from Jeanne M, who lives in Tucson, Arizona, but travels all over the country with her beloved in their camper. It’s about 45” x 45”.

The backing is a white field scattered with tiny multi-colored hearts and stars.

Donna G. of Rogers, AZ sent me several stamped cross stitch squares of stars in March. So far I’ve finished four baby quilts from them, each measuring 44” x 44”. The first one I did in light pastels has already been dropped off to Ben Taub Hospital in a previous donation.  This one is in a little darker hue, still baby pastels.  The star sashing is white stars on light blue, a gift from Houstonian friend Sarah Wolfe, and the back is pastel dots on blue flannel.

 

Here is the third one I completed in bright colors.

The sashing, binding, and back are all bright-colored stars on red from Dorothy S, from W. VA in Feb 2022.

 

And the most recent completion of the collection is this patriotic red, white and blue quilt.

The sashing and binding are purchases from the new grand opening of a Joann CoFabrics and Crafts store near my home. The snow white flannel back was from Dorothy S, of West Virginia in Feb 2022.

Each one was machine-stitched in the ditch with thread matching the sashing and stitched over the black embroidered star outline with black thread. (Many thanks to Dianne L, from Decatur, Arkansas, Linda R. of Choteau, Montana, Lois H. of Kansas City, Missouri, and Kathy S from Arizona, you, Jo, for the batting and embroidery threads. I love doing these!)

There are enough remaining squares to do more quilts; what colors do you think they should be?

Again, I am indebted to the kindness of you and all our friends who so generously gave me the materials  with which to make and finish all these projects.”

Jazz is always happy to take any embroidery items you might want to share.  Stitching them and them making them into baby quilts combines two of her favorite hobbies, embroidery, and quilting.

A huge thanks to everyone who has supported Jazz and sent her goodies to use for baby quilts…and of course, thanks to Jazz too.  So many babies are blessed by your work!!