Kid quilts

While the only quilt I've personally finished lately was my Scrappy Spirals, I've been working with kids quite a bit this summer with their own quilts.  This week, I taught a group of 5 kids at Summer FAIR (a young artist's camp) how to make a quilt from t-shirts.  We only had 4.5 hours total, and none of them had ever used a sewing machine, so I'm quite impressed with what they were able to accomplish.  This quilt top is made entirely from extra Summer FAIR camp t-shirts from previous years.  It measures about 47" square.  I'm going to sandwich it and quilt it up for them and it will become part of the camp's display and promotional materials.

collaborative kid quilt from t-shirts

In June, I had 6 kids here for 4 hours a day for a week to work on their own faux cathedral window quilts from denim and fabric scraps.  I love what they did with them - makes me want to make another one for myself! Somehow I didn't manage to get photos of them all before they left, though.

My sample quilt

kid quilt - 16 fabrics used 4 times each

kid quilt - All black and white prints

kid quilt - She had to leave a day early so her quilt is a bit smaller, but still plenty big enough.

But first, I've got two more baby quilts to finish for this fall.  Back to the sewing machine!

County Fair Time!

It was close, but I got a quilt finished for the county fair.  The quilts were due by noon on a Monday, and I finished stitching on the sleeve at about 11:45 am.  In truth, it I wasn't as done as I had hoped - there is no quilting in one of the inner borders - but it was done enough.  Turns out, it was done enough to win a second place ribbon in the small/medium hand quilted category.  Woo hoo!

I enter a quilt every year in part for the objective, impartial feedback.  For years, I've been "dinged" for my binding not having square enough corners or plump enough or whatever.  This year I got highest marks for my binding, with "Binding is well executed" underlined twice.  That made me so happy!!  The devil is in the details! 

Thank goodness for the fair, it gives me a hard and fast deadline to help me with my finishes.  This quilt is the one I chose to give to a friend of mine's baby, and even though the baby was born in April, I was still struggling to finish.  I swear, the closer I get to finishing a quilt, the slower I move.  Anyway, I sent a photo of the finished quilt to my friend, and she and her family went to visit it at the fair this week.  She sent back this wonderful photo of her husband and her baby checking it out.  I love giving quilts to people who will both appreciate and use them!

This baby has the most wonderful parents!  I'm so glad to have them all in my life.

 I also love going to quilt shows.  The talent is so inspiring!  But I noticed that what draws me to a quilt is rarely that which makes it a ribbon winner.  I took photos of some of my favorites, and most have no ribbons, and those that do aren't the blue ribbon winners.  It is pretty obvious what attracts me when you look through these photos - lots of colors and fabrics.

Rarely am I drawn to batiks, but this little quilt SINGS to me!

Scrapalicious!!

This quilt is ENORMOUS!  So simple, yet so striking.

This was one of our retreat projects.  I love these blocks set on point.

Not my usual quilt preference, but this little beauty called out to me.

I feel like I am underwater with those fish!

I could happily while away the afternoon on that porch, quilting or knitting with that view!

Again, not my usual style, but just neat!

I love miniatures.  And scraps. Again, simple, but I love it!

Stunning, right? I see a colorwash quilt in my future.

Whimsy makes me happy.  The fact that she pieced and appliqued the back also makes me happy.

Just looking at these makes me want to run down to the sewing room and start creating.  But first things first.  I've been commissioned to make 2 pair of baby booties for a woman's grandsons who are about to be christened.

One down, three to go.