Community Quilts from Ray

Ray is just cranking out quilt after quilt.  I have more to share with you today.

Ray writes:
“The Cresco ladies outdid themselves with this adorable quilt.

The center of the quilt is made up of pinwheel blocks in blacks and neutrals. Then they started adding borders. First a solid black and then a neutral check and then the pirate print which is the crowning touch. I used a stipple motif for the quilting as it looked like a path to follow on a buried treasure map.

I used a bone-colored thread on top and black thread on the back to go with the solid black backing from Pat and Deb in FL.

The quilt is 43 x 43 and would make a sweet baby blanket. My thanks to you, the Cresco ladies, Pat, and Deb for your generous contributions.

Ray has more quilts…

Ray writes:
“Here is another quilt that I finished that came for the Cresco ladies. If I remember correctly, the ladies had a marathon of sewing tops from orphan blocks.

This is one of the tops that they made and you sent to me. Someone spent a great deal of time making the blocks and then donating them. What you can not tell is that the blocks were all hand pieced. They are beautiful, to say the least. Finding the backing took some time. Not much in browns in the stash, I did come across the feather fabric from Deb and Pat in FL and decided they would work well together.

I used the extra fabric for the clamps for my binding and I think it really gave the quilt that extra touch of color. I decided to use the stipple motif to soften all the lines in the blocks and bone-colored thread to help blend it all together. This will be a great lap quilt to donate. Thank you, Jo, the Cresco ladies, Deb, and Pat for all the pieces needed to create another beautiful quilt.”

“Before I tell you about the quilt I finished, let me tell you that I have been doing a BUNCH of spring cleaning. I thought I was really organized. LOL!!! I do keep an inventory of what quilts I have and info about them on an Excel spreadsheet. I have some wonderful metal racks on wheels to store tops and fabric. I thought I had the racks organized. WRONG!! They were not. Evidently, when I was in search of a particular top, I was less than careful about how I returned the tops to the racks. For someone who at one time was an accountant, I should know better. Now that I have found tops that were set back and out of order, I am bound and determined to get several of them finished before I return to my old ways.

This next top is from the Cresco ladies and is absolutely adorable. The quilt says spring and summer here I come.

Of course, I must confess that blue and yellow are a couple of my favorite color combinations. (I am more inclined to like a color combination than a specific color.) The white, yellow, and blue daisies are delightful. As I was looking for backing, I came across the yellow gingham from Deb and Pat in FL and knew that I had a great combination.

I selected the floral/daisy motif for the quilting in white thread.

I love it!! It is the perfect size to send over to Hope Hospice for a patient. Lots of lovely flowers and no water to spill. My thanks to you, the Cresco ladies, Deb and Pat for the wonderful ingredients for this very special and sunny quilt.”

“I long-armed this quilt today and wanted to share it with you. The top was made by Patricia T. in WA.

It is a gorgeous quilt and wonderfully made. I should have taken pics of the backside of the flimsy. The pressing was textbook perfect. As far as I could tell she did not use any foundation to the blocks. It looked like the strips were sewn together and then trimmed to squares. I found no paper pieces. Patricia sent me another top from a Pat Speth pattern called Lightning Strikes and she uses a lot of reproduction-type fabrics for the rich colors. She also included the navy blue fabric with the gold pattern for the backing.

I decided to use the leaf motif to soften the pattern. I used a bone-colored thread on the top and a dark gold thread on the back.

It is beautiful. Carol R. has volunteered to bind it for me and then get it to Guardian Ad Litem for a foster child. Many, many thanks to you, Patricia, and Carol for making this wonderful community quilt a reality.”

“I just put the finishing touches on this quilt.

Laura in VA made the top and sent it to you and you forwarded it to me. This quilt grabbed my attention as soon as I pulled it out of the packaging. There was something about the colors, the pattern, and all the batiks that got and kept my attention.

I immediately knew I had the perfect backing for it.

Yes, there it was in with some other items from Doreen C, in IA. That is the prettiest blue backing ever. In all the hustle and bustle of long arming quilts for the end of the season down here, I had to get it completed to get my mind off of it. There is a mission for this quilt.

I used the circle meander motif to help create a water splashing look.

I selected a blue thread that matched the backing.

WOW!!! Love it!. Thanks to you, Laura and Doreen for providing me with the materials to make this awesome quilt to finish and donate.

Thanks so much for your great work, Ray.  You are a huge asset to the charity quilt group.  I’m so glad you stepped up and volunteered.  I have to say I warned Ray that he would be as busy as he wanted to be if he joined the group…I think I was right, Ray is busy!!  Thanks also to all who donated materials to make these quilts happen.