Our guild makes baby and children’s quilts and donates them to a local women’s shelter. This is my latest donation. I wanted something colourful and cheerful. I hope the child who gets it feels comforted by it.
Category Archives: Charity Quilt
Quilts of Valour
I started this charity quilt prior to COVID but put it aside when I started getting into online zoom art quilt classes with amazing instructors around the world. 2023 is my year of catching up and finishing outstanding projects. I am happy to say this is my 4th UFO finish
Filed under Charity Quilt, Quilts of Valour
Blanket of Love Finished
I am so pleased that my Blanket of Love is finished and dropped off. As much as I cursed the design I chose, I’m really pleased with the final look. I could see myself making one for curling up on the couch and reading a book or watching TV.
Here it is all lovely and crinkled after getting washed.
Filed under Blankets of Love, Charity Quilt
Blankets of Love Week 1
A week into my quilting project and I don’t have as many blocks made as I would like to. I am my own worse enemy. Why did I pick such a time consuming fiddly block when I have so many to make. Sixteen completed … so, so many more to go 😩😳
Filed under Blankets of Love, Charity Quilt, Quilting
Blankets of Love
COVID-19 has taken it’s toll emotionally on so many people. I’ve decided to make and donate a quilt to the Foundation of Mental Health’s Blankets of Love Program. I have challenged myself to only use fabrics from my current overflowing stash. It is going to be a combination of neutrals in the background with punches of colour. Hopefully it will provide warmth and comfort to someone in need.
First block is done….only 79 more to go 😉😂
Filed under Blankets of Love, Charity Quilt
Fan Faire BOM Update
I have been busy working on a very special art quilt so I got behind on our Guild’s Fan Faire Quilt-a-long. I spent the weekend cutting and piecing and now I am all caught up and waiting for our new blocks in January
October blocks
November Blocks
December Blocks
Quilts of Valour #3
This is the 3rd quilt that I have made and donated to Quilts of Valour. It is a simple rail fence quilt but I used the colour and value of the fabrics to enhance the simple layout.
I hope the recipient really enjoys it and knows that they are thought of and appreciated for their service.
Filed under Charity Quilt, Quilts of Valour
Humboldt Strong
I was deeply affected by the loss of so many people as a result of the Humboldt bus crash. The Saskatoon Modern Quilt Guild put out a call to quilters across Canada asking us to make and donate quilts to give to people who had been directly affected by the crash. They asked for 200 quilts. I knew I wanted to help. Then I found out that one of the victims was member of a friend’s extended family. Instead of making a generic quilt for the group, I decided to make an quilt dedicated to the family who lost their son. I hope that it will provide some comfort to them.
Filed under Charity Quilt, Lap Quilt, Quilting
Quilts of Valour Donation FAL #2
Back in the fall of 2014 I was very lucky and won a fat quarter bundle from Sew Sister’s Blogathon Canada. It was Northcott’s Stonehenge OH CANADA line. Last year I made this quilt and donated it to Quilts of Valour Canada.
I used the leftover fabric to make another quilt to donate in 2016. This also gives me my second FAL finish for the first quarter (here is a link to my original FAL post)
I used a poppy motif in the centre of the squares and in the border. I also did quite a bit of ruler work in the light border and between the squares. The front is so busy that it is hard to see the quilting. I like the design that it makes on the back.
I altered my label to add the Quilts of Valour logo.
Linking up to:
Design Wall Monday @Patchwork Times
Linky Tuesday @Freemotion by the River
WIP Wednesday @The Needle and Thread Network
Let’s Bee Social @Sew Fresh Quilts
Needle and Thread Thursday @My Quilt Infatuation
Whomp There it Is @A Quilted Passion
Finish It Up Friday @Crazy Mom Quilts
Free motion Mavericks @Lizzy Lenard Vintage Sewing
TGIFF @Celtic Thistle Stitches
Can I Get A Whoop Whoop @Confessions of a Fabric Addict
Show Off Saturday @Sew Can She
Filed under Charity Quilt, FAL, Finish-A-Long, FMQ, Quilting, Quilts of Valour, Scrap Quilt
2016 FAL Quarter 1
I’m jumping on board the 2016 Finish-a-Long again. I just love that it keeps me focused and motivated to complete my list each quarter. This year it is being hosted by several different bloggers from around the world.
My first quarter list has three goals. I want to finish Leftovers VI. It was on my list twice last year so hopefully this will be the last time.
I would like to finish my second Quilts of Valour charity quilt:
And finally, I have a baby quilt in progress. We are having a bit of a baby explosion in our family so I need to get this finished before the next one is born.
Filed under Baby Quilt, Charity Quilt, FAL, Finish-A-Long, Quilting, Quilts of Valour
Charity Quilting
I volunteered to do the free motion quilting for members of my quilt guild who made a quilt top for Our Lady of Grace. Ioleen pieced this quilt from blocks that were donated by guild members. She gave me the freedom to quilt it however I wanted to. As usual, once I get going on the longarm I can’t stop myself. Hopefully she will like it.
Filed under Charity Quilt, Quilting, Volunteering
Charity Quilts
Our guild is collecting baby quilts for Our Lady of Grace. The quilts will go to pregnant or parenting teens. I had some left over fabric from Leah’s Quilt so I decided to make a baby girl quilt. I love the colours…they look so girly and feminine. I went a little overboard with the quilting, what else is new, but hopefully whoever gets it will like it. This quilt is also my second FAL finish for the 4th quarter and my November ALYoF goal.
When it was finished I decided that I needed to make one for a baby boy too. I raided my stash and came up with this version:
They look so cute together:
Linking up to:
Design Wall Monday @Patchwork Times
Made by you Monday @Skip to my Lou
Fabric Tuesday @Quilt Story
WIP Wednesday @The Needle and Thread Network
WIP Wednesday @Freshly Pieced
Let’s Bee Social @Sew Fresh Quilts
Needle and Thread Thursday @My Quilt Infatuation
Whoomp There It Is @A Quilted Passion
Finish It Up Friday @Crazy Mom Quilts
Free Motion Mavericks @Lizzie Lenard Vintage Sewing
TGIFF @Anja Quilts
Link a Finish Friday @Richard and Tanya Quilts
Can I Get A Whoop Whoop @Confessions of a Fabric Addict
Show Off Saturday @Sew Can She
Filed under A Lovely Year of Finishes, ALYOF, Baby Quilt, Charity Quilt, FAL, Finish-A-Long, HST
Nov ALYoF Goal
At our October guild meeting I found out that we are making baby quilts for Our Lady of Grace. I have started piecing HSTs together. I would like to finish my donation quilt as my November goal for A Lovely Year of Finishes.
Feb ALYoF and FAL#2
I can’t believe it but I actually still made my February goal (original post here) and have my second FAL (original post here) for this quarter. Having a new puppy has really limited my quilting time but when the little, furry devil-child is sleeping I am able to steal a few moments of creative time. I did a lot of ruler work on this quilt to enhance the shapes in the design. If you want to read more about my Quilts of Valour charity quilt and see more pictures click here.
Filed under A Lovely Year of Finishes, ALYOF, Charity Quilt, FAL, Finish-A-Long, Quilting, Quilts of Valour
2015 Finish-a-long
Once again this year I am going to participate in the Finish-a-Long (FAL). I have found it to be a very productive tool to help keep me on track. This year the FAL is being hosted by Adrianne at On the Windy Side.
Because I have been so successful with the FAL the last two years, I am shocked to say that I only have a few works in progress so my first quarter list is going to be very small.
First, I would like to finish the FMQ on Leftovers IV and bind it.
I have a baby/crib quilt in progress made with Barcelona from Zen Chic. It is just a pile of blocks right now.
And my last FAL is for Quilts of Valour. I was very lucky and won a fat quarter bundle from Sew Sister’s Blogathon Canada. I am planning a HST quilt….not sure what the final design will look like but I am in the process of making lots of HSTs.
Filed under Charity Quilt, FAL, Finish-A-Long, Quilts of Valour
4th Quarter FAL Wrap Up
This is my final finish for 2014…and #4 out of 5 that I had hoped to finish in the last quarter (see list here). It is a quilt that I made to test a pattern called High Tea designed by Adrianne at On the Windy Side. The quilt is is going to be donated to Little Warriors Be Brave Ranch. Each child is given a quilt when they arrive at camp and when they leave they get to take it home with them.
I came so close to completing all 5 quilts. Leftovers IV just needs a tad more FMQ so I guess it will have to go on my 2015 first quarter list.
Filed under Charity Quilt, FAL, Finish-A-Long, Quilting
Lucky Me…..I won!!
I can’t believe it. I just got an email from Sew Sisters Quilt shop telling me that I won their day 6 give-a-way from Blogathon Canada. I’m so excited. I won a fat quarter bundle of Stonehenge Oh Canada fabric. In my comment I said that the bundle would make a lovely Quilts of Valour quilt. Well I am going to follow through on that and donate the finished quilt to QofV. Thanks to Sew Sisters for hosting this wonderful event and for all the quilters around the globe that participated. I found some wonderful new blogs to follow.
Filed under Charity Quilt, Quilting, Quilts of Valour
High Tea Quilt Pattern Revealed
Adrianne from On the Windy side has released her new quilt pattern High Tea so now I can show you the quilts I made to test her pattern. It is a very quick and easy to make pattern that is pre-cut friendly (charms squares, layers cakes and jelly rolls) but also easy to make using yardage. I made a ‘boy’ version using green and gold sashing in support of our Edmonton Eskimos. I used charm squares and a few layer cakes for the 4-patches and yardage for the sashing. I followed her pattern exactly on this one:
For the girl’s version I used yardage rather than pre-cuts. I left every other centre block plain so that I could do some free motion quilting and I changed the sashing around the centre blocks so that the neutral sashing acts as a frame for the bright/busy 4-patch and the coloured sashing forms a frame around the FMQ.
When these quilts are finished, I am going to donate them to the Little Warriors Be Brave Ranch. Each child is given a quilt when they arrive at camp and when they leave they get to take it home with them.
Adrianne’s pattern is officially available for purchase starting today and for 48 hours it will be half off at her Etsy shop and on Craftsy. You can see mine and all the other pattern testers’ quilt tops on Adrianne’s website.
Linking up to:
Design Wall Monday @Patchwork Times
Anything Goes Monday @Stitch by Stich
Show and Tell Tuesday @I Have to Say
Linky Tuesday @Freemotion by the River
Show and Tell @SNAP creativity at your fingertips
WIP Wednesday @ The Needle and Thread Network
WOW Me Wednesday @Polkadots on parade
Let’s Bee Social @sewfreshquilts
Filed under Charity Quilt, Quilting, Work-in-progress
The quilt that keeps on giving
Batik Beauty 109″ x 109″
I recently donated this king size Batik quilt to be used at a silent auction fundraiser for The Bockman Foundation. It is a non-profit charity that helps people with spinal cord injuries. I got a thank you email informing me that the quilt sold for $600. I then found out that the people who bought the quilt re-donated it to another silent auction fundraiser for a family with 3 young children that tragically lost their father. I hope that my quilt brings at least another $600 for that unfortunate family.
Filed under Charity Quilt
First Quarter FAL Wrap-up
Way back in the beginning of January I set my sights high and put 11 quilts on my list (I blogged about it here and here). This year the FAL is being hosted by Katy at the Littlest Thistle. Although I did finish piecing and/or quilting all of them, a few never got the bindings sewn on so technically they don’t qualify as a finish. Officially I have 8 finishes. I quilted all 5 of the charity quilts for the Little Warriors Be Brave Ranch (I blogged about them here, here, here and here). In the end, I actually FMQ 6 of them. I hope the kids enjoy them.
I was particularly pleased with finally finishing my Kimono wall hanging. It was on my FAL list 3 times before it actually was completed and hung on the wall.
Finish #7 was a baby quilt. I did my first test drive of a longarm machine with it. I enjoyed playing with the machine so much that I ended up buying my own longarm. This quilt was donated to a silent auction fundraiser for a friend’s daughter. (I blogged about it here)
And finally, this is finish#8. It is a monster 104″ x 116″ king size quilt filled with gorgeous, blue asian fabrics. I made my own pantograph for it. It is clam shell shape with 3 grass like fronds coming from the bottom left corner. I saw a similar design on line but it was a digitized pattern and I don’t have the computer module for my longarm so I couldn’t buy it. I used the old fashioned, pencil, graph paper and the bottom of a jar to make my design.
Filed under Charity Quilt, FAL, Finish-A-Long
WIP and a new Quilt-a-long
What started out as a gift of a lap quilt for our Niece’s wedding gift has now morfed. First it grew to a queen size. I went out and bought more fabric and I also purchased my backing fabrics. Well surprise…surprise….it is now a King Size Quilt. Yikes…..not only do I have to do some extensive fabric shopping for the quilt top but the two fabrics that I bought to use for the backing are now too short and there is no more on the bolt at the fabric store. Not sure what I am going to do but I guess it is going to be a pieced backing for sure. I don’t want to show any pictures of the completed blocks, I want the finished product to be a surprise, but here is a glimpse of the fabric explosion in my studio. I’ve got so many different fabrics that I am using to make the house blocks.
Even though I am on a tight deadline to get our Niece’s ever growing wedding quilt completed…..I’ve decided to join the Triangle Quilt-a-long. Am I crazy or what???? I was going through my bloglovin’ feed and came across a post about this new QAL. I like having more than one project on the go at a time cuz sometimes you just need a break….just to walk away from the current project you are working on to get a new perspective. I thought I would use my leftover collection of Summer Breeeze I and II fabrics (left over from making this quilt for my friend Sue) and add a few solids for contrast. If I like the final product it may be another charity quilt for the Little Warrirors Be Brave Ranch. Here is my stash…..I just need to officially sign up and iron and starch all my fabrics…..cutting starts this Friday.
There is one week left until the end of the first quarter finish-a-long hosted by Katy at the Littlest Thistle. All of my tops have been finished and they have been sandwiched and quilted. I’ve got to do some mad hand sewing to get all the bindings on in time.
Filed under Charity Quilt, FAL, Finish-A-Long, QAL, Quilt-A-Long, WIP, Work-in-progress
FAL Finish #7
I finished binding this baby quilt and I donated it to my personal trainer’s daughter to use for a silent auction fund raiser for her soccer team. Unfortunately I forgot to take pictures of it before I gift wrapped it so this old picture will have to do.
Filed under Charity Quilt, FAL, Finish-A-Long
FAL Finish #6
Here is another charity quilt for the Little Warriors Be Brave Ranch. It is a baseball themed quilt that should hopefully bring a smile to a young boy’s face. I just used a simple all over meander.
Filed under Charity Quilt, FAL, Finish-A-Long
FAL finishes 4 and 5
Well there are only 2 weeks left in the first quarter finish-a-long. I had 11 items on my list so I guess I am almost half way through. These two quilts are both for the Little Warriors Be Brave Ranch. I tried my hand a creating my own pantograph and it turned out ok. Both quilts are Micky/Mini Mouse themed so I wanted to do an edge to edge design that would be in keeping with that. Hopefully the kids that get these will enjoy them.
Filed under Charity Quilt, FAL, Finish-A-Long
WIP Wednesday and FAL Finish #3
I’ve had a fairy productive week. I had to take my Asian Peacock wall hanging off of the frame so that I could finish the last charity quilt for Little Warriors. It was a cute jungle themed quilt so I used an edge-to-edge paw pattern on it. I think it would be great for a boy or a girl.
Once I finished this charity quilt I had to decide whether to put the wall hanging back on or to jump ahead and load my one block wonder. The OBW won so I’ve been working on that for a few days. Since the pattern is so busy I opted for an all over chrysanthemum design with some custom work around the appliquéd geishas. It should be finished in the next day or so and then it goes into the big pile waiting for the binding to be completed.
Linking up to:
Linky Tuesday @FreeMotion by the River
WIP Wednesday @The Needle & Thread Network
We Did It Wednesday @Sew Much Ado
WOW Us Wednesday @Savy Southern Style
Whimsy Wednesday @The NY Melrose Family
WOW Me Wednesday @Polkadots on Parade
| 2014 WIP | Size | Current status |
| Pink & blue batik | King | binding |
| Jana’s Wedding | Queen | piecing |
| Asian Shadow Box | King | binding |
| Waterlily | Wall hanging | quilt top |
| One block wonder | Queen | FMQ |
| Peacock | Lap | FMQ |
| Blue Hydrangea | King | FMQ |
| Dragonflies | Wall hanging | Binding |
| Charm Square Crib 2 | Baby | binding |
| Charm Square Crib 3 | Baby | binding |
| 2014 Completions | Size | |
| Kimono | Wall hanging | Hung |
| Little Warriors Charity (x6) | Twin | Donated |
| Charm Square Crib 1 | Baby | Donated |
Filed under Charity Quilt, FAL, Finish-A-Long, Work-in-progress
WIP and First FAL for 2014
I’ve finished quilting 1 of the 6 charity quilts for the Little Warrior’s Be Brave Ranch. I did an edge to edge design called Baptist Swirl.
I’ve finished quilting my Asian shadowbox quilt and I’m half way through hand sewing on the binding. I will do a ta-da post with pictures when it is completed.
I am thrilled to finally have my Kimono quilt on the frame. It was on last years’s FAL list twice and never got touched. I’ve just got a little bit of the border left to do and then it is binding time.
Linking up to:
Linky Tuesday @FreeMotion by the River
WIP Wednesday @The Needle & Thread Network
Whimsy Wednesday @The NY Melrose Family
WOW Us Wednesday @Savvy Southern Style
Wow Me Wednesday @Polkadots on Parade
We did it Wednesday @Sew Much Ado
Needle and Thread Thursday @My Quilt Infatuation
Really Random Thursday @Live a Colorful Life
| 2014 WIP | Size | Current status |
| Pink & blue batik | King | binding |
| Asian Shadow Box | King | binding |
| Kimono | Wall hanging | binding |
| Waterlily | Wall hanging | quilt top |
| One block wonder | Queen | piecing |
| Peacock | Lap | quilt top |
| Blue Hydrangea | King | FMQ |
| Dragonflies | Wall hanging | Binding |
| Charm Square Crib 2 | Baby | binding |
| Charm Square Crib 3 | Baby | binding |
| 2014 Completions | Size | |
| Charm Square Crib 1 | Baby | Donated |
Filed under Charity Quilt, FAL, Finish-A-Long, WIP, Work-in-progress
More FAL additions
I’ve got 5 more quilts to add to my Q1 list for the 2014 finish-a-long bringing my total to 11 items (this is my first post for Q1). I’ve got 5 twin sized quilt tops that need to be quilted. They are going to be donated to Little Warriors Be Brave Ranch that is scheduled to open in June. The plan is to give each child a quilt that they not only use while they are at the Ranch but they get to take it home with them when they leave.
Filed under Charity Quilt, FAL, Finish-A-Long
WIP Wednesday/More FAL finishes
I am scheduled to take my first longarm class in a couple of weeks and I need to bring a small finished quilt top to work on. Wouldn’t you know that although I have more than 10 quilt tops waiting to be quilted, they are all large queen/king or small wall hangings that I want to do some special quilting on. Once again I looked to Pinterest for some inspiration for a quick baby quilt. I found this upsized charm square idea on a blog called Thumbelina. I changed it to run the stripes vertically instead of horizontally. I had 3 charm packs and a couple of co-ordinating fat quarters which will give me enough for 3 baby quilts.
I finished free motion quilting the last two charity quilts for High River. That gives me finish number 4 and 5 for the 4th quarter FAL at She Can Quilt.
I also finished piecing my final Christmas gift (lap quilt) but I can’t show a picture because it is a surprise for the recipient.
Linking up to
Wow me Wednesday @Polkadots on Parade
Whimsy Wednesday @The NY Melrose Family
Wow Us Wednesdays @Savvy Southern Style
We Did it Wednesday @Sew Much Ado
Needle and Thread Thursday @My Quilt Infatuation
Thursday Threads @627handworks
I Quilt Thursdays @Pretty Bobbins
Really Random Thursday @Live a Colorful Life
| 2013 WIP | Size | Current status |
| Pink & blue batik | King | waiting for borders |
| Asian Shadow Box | King | waiting for borders |
| 2012 BOM ‘Blues’ | King | quilt top |
| 2012 BOM ‘Opera | King | quilt top |
| Kimono | Wall hanging | quilt top |
| Waterlily | Wall hanging | quilt top |
| One block wonder | Queen | piecing |
| Peacock | Lap | quilt top |
| Leftovers I | Lap | Binding |
| Leftovers II | Lap | quilt top |
| Tropical Punch | Lap | quilt top |
| Blue Hydrangea | King | FMQ |
| Dragonflies | Wall hanging | Binding |
| Xmas Surprise | Lap | quilt top |
| Charm Square Crib | Baby (x3) | quilt top(1), piecing(2) |
| 2013 Completions | Size | |
| 2011 BOM ‘Spring | King | |
| Blue Odyssey | King | |
| High River Quilts | Lap (x5) | |
| Kassidy’s flannel | Baby | |
| Sue’s Summer Breeze | Queen/King | |
| Star Surround QAL | Lap/Twin |
Filed under Charity Quilt, FAL, Finish-A-Long, Quilting, WIP
WIP Wednesday and first FAL finishes
I’ve had a real productive week thanks to my new long arm. On Friday I was given 5 quilt tops that were donated to the High River Quilt Project. I’ve managed to quilt 3 of them so far. They are all quite scrappy and colourful so I just used a simple all over meander. As a bonus this also means that I have the first 3 projects for Leanne’s 4th quarter FAL done.
I’ve also finished piecing Tropical Punch so it is waiting in the queue for FMQ.
Joining lots of linky parties this week:
Linky Tuesday @Freemotion by the River
WIP Wednesday @The Needle and Thread Network
WIP Wednesday @Freshly Pieced
Wow me Wednesday @Polkadots on Parade
Whimsy Wednesday @The NY Melrose Family
Wow us Wednesday @Savvy Southern Style
Needle and Thread Thursday @My Quilt Infatuation
Thursday Threads @627 Handworks
I Quilt Thursdays @Pretty Bobbins
Really Random Thursday @Live a Colorful Life
Anything Goes Monday @Stitch by Stitch
| 2013 WIP | Size | Current status |
| Pink & blue batik | King | waiting for borders |
| Asian Shadow Box | King | waiting for borders |
| 2012 BOM ‘Blues’ | King | quilt top |
| 2012 BOM ‘Opera | King | quilt top |
| Kimono | Wall hanging | quilt top |
| Waterlily | Wall hanging | quilt top |
| One block wonder | Queen | piecing |
| Peacock | Lap | quilt top |
| Leftovers I | Lap | Binding |
| Leftovers II | Lap | quilt top |
| Tropical Punch | Lap | quilt top |
| Blue Hydrangea | King | FMQ |
| Dragonflies | Wall hanging | Binding |
| Xmas Surprise | Lap | Piecing |
| High River Charity | Lap (x2) | quilt top |
| 2013 Completions | Size | |
| 2011 BOM ‘Spring | King | |
| Blue Odyssey | King | |
| High River Quilts | Lap (x3) | |
| Kassidy’s flannel | Baby | |
| Sue’s Summer Breeze | Queen/King | |
| Star Surround QAL | Lap/Twin |
Filed under Charity Quilt, FAL, Finish-A-Long, Quilting, WIP, Work-in-progress
Meet Milzie
I took the plunge….ok maybe it is more like a giant leap…and bought myself a longarm machine. I got an APQS Millenium but I’m calling her Milzie. Here she is being assembled by Matt (aka The Manquilter) and his father-in-law. When he pulled it out of the box it had a giant red bow on it. I feel like an overly excited kid with a new toy.
Here is my first quilt loaded and ready to go. It seems only fitting that the first one is a charity quilt for the folks in High River Alberta who lost everything during the record flood earlier this year. I have a total of 5 quilt tops that I am going to free motion quilt for them.
Filed under Charity Quilt, Quilting
Life In The Dog House 