Community Quilts from Jazz

Jazz has been super busy finishing lots of quilts. I recently shared a batch and already, I have another batch in from her. She’s definitely a worker!!

Jazz writes:

Hi Jo and friends! I have some new quilts to show you. The first one is made with this sweet juvenile pattern from my never met but still dear friend Jeanne M, from Tucson, Arizona. She was one of the first donors to my charity quilting endeavor, and she’s kept me accountable with frequent check-ins and newsy messages. I’ve been hoarding saving, cherishing some of the smaller pieces she sent until I had accumulated just the right fabrics to complement them.

To show off the cutie-patootie blue, orange, yellow, and green dinosaurs I saved bits of other contributions that I used previously in other quilts. This one finished at about 38” x 38”. It’s backed with a soft green flannel from Jo, and tied with peach crochet thread from Carlena D, who sent it to me from El Cajon, California over a year ago.

Jeanne M also gave me a length this Dr. Suess Green Eggs and Ham print. Dr. Seuss is a favorite of all babies and parents, even parents whose kids are in their 4^th decade. To maximize the characters, I incorporated red squares donated by Anonymous in Idaho, green ones from Linda L. of Racine, Wisconsin, along with yellow and ivory from my stash. It’s bound and backed with more of Linda L’s green. Batting courtesy of our own hero Jo.  40” x 40” of cuddly fun.

I just love this! And it was so much fun to make. Thank you, Jeanne M, Anonymous in Idaho, Linda L, and Jo!

Jo also sent me three panels to embroider. Being close to the 4^th of July I was patriotically inspired to stitch them in red, white, and blue. For this one, the white thread became invisible against the white background, but the red and blue showed up well. The borders came from Anonymous in Idaho, and my stash, but Jo generously contributed the blue and white striped back and the batting for all three.

In an effort to show the white stitches I switched to grey in this one and reversed the red and blue design.

I used the grey star print from Karen V (St. George, Utah) in a border and on the back. The tiny white stars on the red sashing were a gift from Anonymous in Idaho. Binding and batting from Jo. This and the previous quilt are about 42” x 42”, just the right size to swaddle a newborn in, perhaps in a rocker on the patio under a swiftly circulating fan and with a glass of iced tea.  It’s hot here in Houston!

This flag quilt (38” x 48”) was an inspiring one to make, too. The blue sashing was from Jo, the red was more from Anonymous in Idaho, and the back and binding were from Ila M, of Des Plaines, Illinois over two years ago. Ila sent some beautiful yardage and twenty (!) fat quarters in that shipment. The moral of this story is that even if you gave me fabrics or supplies a long time ago and haven’t seen them in a finished project, do not give up hope. I categorize and keep every piece in a box, protected from light and dust until it coordinates with the rest of the donations to go into a quilt for a patient at Ben Taub Hospital, the preeminent teaching, and one of the busiest trauma hospitals in the United States of America.

You can read about the hospital in the new book, The People’s Hospital, by Dr. Ricardo Nuila, just published by Simon & Schuster. Although it doesn’t mention quilts or even the nursery, it’s a comprehensive account of the drama and good deeds that quietly go on daily in the most unassuming hospital in the Texas Medical Center. And y’all are all a part of the goodness! Thank you.

WOW!! Jazz you can tell that you were a nurse before you retired as you are AMAZING at charting and keeping track of everything. You ROCK!! I can’t keep track of a box I got two hours after it is opened. I was never meant to be a nurse. Thankfully Jazz and I have quilting in common!! Many thanks to Jazz and her wonderful supporters for all the good things you are doing!! It’s not un-noticed!!