Community Quilts from Jazz

I have some great quilts to show you from Jazz today.

Jazz writes:
“Jo, you’ve made some spectacular quilts! Do you remember every one? Sometimes as I flip through photos of mine I’ll see one I’m sure was entered into the collection by mistake. Not only do I not recognize it, but I’m also absolutely certain that I did not make it! Then something will remind me of when and for whom it was created, and I just chalk it all up to a senior moment.

Here are two pictures of a quilt I’ll never forget making for a baby at Ben Taub Hospital in the summer of 2022 with fabrics given to me by your friend and mine, Jeanne M. from Tucson, Arizona. Even though neither of us has met her in person, you gave her my name and address over a year ago and we’ve become devoted pals.

I just love the bold, bright circles and stripes, the vivid solids against the dazzling white background. The black tying thread is from Carlena D. from El Cajon, California, the black binding is from my stash, and the brilliant pink backing and the batting is from you, Jo. The quilt finished at 34” x 48”.

Remember when I told you I was signed up to take a free motion quilting class? I was so excited that instead of making the required quilt of 5” squares for the lessons I made two. This one has comical farm animal print squares alternated with white on white. The yellow border and brown binding all came from you, Jo.

Before the class date the quilting teacher got sick with COVID and her class that was cancelled, so I straight stitched a diamond design. It’s 37” x 37” and you supplied the batting. I’m holding onto my other top, hoping she will recover and reschedule the class.

In the meantime, Missy R. must have felt my disappointment all the way from Gainesville, Florida. To cheer me up she sent another big box of flannels and some fluffy batting. This cute little 27” square is all from her donation, including the batting. Jo, you sent me the pink and white plaid back. Don’t you just love the little purple and blue hedgehogs?

And there weren’t only flannels in that box from Melissa. She included… some cotton squares of Winnie the Pooh, green and white. I bought some new pink Pooh fabric and used some coordinating charms from a kit contributed by Becky M. when she and her husband were in Houston about a year ago from their home in Alaska. To allow the characters and colors shine I stitched in the ditch. (Yeah, I’m still doing that, at least until the FMQ’ing class is rescheduled.)  An unnamed follower of Jo’s Country Junction sent me the Pooh fleece that made magical serendipity on the back. The tan binding was mine. 36” x 36”.

But, back to the flannel from Missy R. Curious George finished at 36” x 36” and is batted with more of what Missy R. included. The blue and yellow border came from Janie W. in Edmond Oklahoma last November. The binding is actually tan, not pink, and the back is yellow and white check flannel.

You sent me the last two tops, along with this explanatory note from the donor:

That must have been some artistic Vacation Bible School! Look at these imaginative drawings. How to quilt them in a way to honor the integrity of the sketches?

I stitched over each line with the color of thread the artist drew with. Many thanks to Kathy S. of Alexis, Illinois (in February), Dianne L. in Decatur, Arkansas (in March), Lois H. in Kansas City, Missouri (also February this year) and Linda R. sent me from Choteau, Montana in February for the generous supply of every color of threads! I used selections from each collection to outline the pictures. Here are three representative pictures.

I batted it all with batting from you, Jo, and backed it and bound it with cheerful yellow and blue yardage Sue R., who lives near Houston, gave me almost two years ago. It measures 38” x 42”.

The images on the last quilt top from the same VBS sponsor seems to have been drawn by older students and colored in. I stitched over the outlines of it and backed it with a flannel sent by an anonymous giver. The print says “Yo Abuela” (I love Gramma). Guess you’ve heard that Hispanics make up the largest demographic group in Texas, si?

It’s batted with the fluffiness provided by Missy R. and bound with a pink from Jo.

It finished at 32” x 38” and it, like all the others, will swaddle a newborn as s/he goes home from Ben Taub Hospital, one of the largest indigent care hospitals in this country. Most babies born there stay in the regular nursery, but the Newborn Special Care Nurseries and Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Units care for the sickest infants, and each one gets a souvenir volunteer-made quilt.

Thank you to everyone who has furnished the fabric and supplies to make it possible for me to contribute to this endeavor.”

WOW…I love how these all came together.  Jazz really does an amazing job.  I’m so impressed with all the work she does to support the hospital and its littlest patients. A big shout out to all of you who have supported her in her makings of these great baby quilts.