A Linus Quilt for a Little Girl

For the past 6 years, I’ve been making 3 quilts a year for the Greater Cincinnati Linus Project.  This year, I made an additional quilt.  I had bought some panel fabric on Etsy showing girls and boys at work and play.  I cut it apart and used the boy panels for one quilt and now I’ve used the girl panels for this one.  For alternate blocks I found an interesting block on my Judy Martin Stars & Sets software.  Judy has a way of giving a relatively easy block a twist and making it special.  This block is called Waltzing Matilda and is also in her book, Ultimate Book of Quilt Block Patterns.  There is a tiny amount of partial seaming at the very beginning of the block and from that point, it’s an easy block to piece.  It’s a good introduction to partial seaming for beginners.

The software was used to make a 4″ version for the border and I used the outline shape to quilt in the center of each 12″ block.

I used red calico as sashing to bring the panels to the correct size and did some decorative stitching in the sashing and borders.  Fleece forms the backing/batting as recommended by the Linus Project.

The quilt measures 40-1/2″x50″.  I hope some little girl in the hospital enjoys the bright colors and cute pictures in this quilt.

A Storybook Linus Quilt

The third quilt I made this year for donation to the Linus Project is one that was made with a large panel showing rows of storybook characters.

The top border incorporated a “Whirlwind” block from the Electric Quilt 6 software alternating with 9-patch blocks.

The bottom border was all 9-patch blocks.

The backing/batting was light blue fleece and machine quilting was minimal, using free motion stitching around the rows of storybook figures and in-the-ditch stitching on the borders.  The inner border had decorative stitching going down the center.

The finished quilt measured 38″ x 57″.

The Linus Project distributes donated quilts and blankets to seriously ill children in local hospitals.

Back-to-School Redwork Wall Hanging

To commemorate back-to-school time, my oldest daughter gave me a redwork panel she had embroidered with a charming old-fashioned schoolroom scene.  She got the pattern from Quilting Bee Designs and used her usual excellent embroidery skills to make it special.

I thought the size of the panel would make it an ideal piece for a wall hanging and started thinking of what I could use as a border that would frame the work without overwhelming it.  I found a block pattern on Judy Martin’s Stars and Sets software that I adapted to use as a border.  The name of the block is Virginia Backroads and typical of Judy Martin’s designs, it takes a relatively easy pattern and adds an extra twist or two to make it interesting – to sew and to view.  I like the way the star overlaps the adjoining blocks and I extended the 9-patch portion to make the size I needed on each side of the embroidered piece.

I used a lot of scraps in red and white to piece the backing and the quilting is made up of very simple outline stitches and stitch-in-the-ditch with machine embroidered feather stitching along the edge of the panel.

The finished size of the wall hanging is 20×26-1/2 inches.

Above the wall hanging I like to place a small picture or piece of needlework.  My daughter adapted an internet drawing to make a design of a schoolhouse and tree with falling leaves which she did in redwork.  I simply framed the piece with a border.

These cheerful, colorful pieces are a nice addition to my living room.

A Linus Quilt for a Little Boy

Each year, I try to make 3 quilts to donate to the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky branch of Project Linus which provides quilts and blankets for hospitalized children.  For my second donation this year, I used some fabric panels that I found on Etsy.  The beautiful, colorful images are of children at work and play.  I picked out 5 panels that featured boys and used fabric incorporating white stars on a red background for the sashing.

For the alternate blocks, I used a block called “Perky Split Nine Patch” from my Electric Quilt 6 software.

For the top and bottom borders, I used a technique for putting together small diamonds that I had seen on the Fons & Porter TV show.

I used fleece for the backing/batting, as recommended by Project Linus, and machine quilting was in-the-ditch and outline stitching.

The finished quilt measures 37×49 inches.

I hope some little boy will enjoy this quilt.

Quilting with Laura Quilt

One of my Christmas gifts was a pattern book by Linda Halpin, Quilting with Laura – Patterns Inspired by the “Little House on the Prairie” Series, published by RCW Publishing Company.

My youngest daughter, who is an admirer of Laura Ingalls Wilder and her books, gave me the pattern and I considered making the quilt for her, although I knew this type of quilt was not her decorating style.  Surprisingly, she volunteered that she would like to have the quilt with all its scrappy blocks, so I started getting the fabrics together.  The pattern is for a large 37″x46″ wall hanging and I added borders to make it large enough for a single bed.

The quilt includes blocks actually mentioned in the television series as well as traditional blocks whose names reflect events in Laura’s time.  Instructions and templates are given for 14 blocks of varying sizes and a diagram is given for the layout of the quilt.  My main complaint is that no measurements were given for the many types of sashing used to separate blocks.  I was able to work it out but beginners might have a bit of a problem.

I’m not good at hand sewing, so all of the piecing and quilting were done on my Bernina.  After the quilt was completed, I made a label for each block, printing on fabric and then making a frame for each from backing fabric.  Each label, sewn on the back of the quilt at the spot where the block appears on the front, gave the name of the block for my non-quilting daughter and a brief explanation of why the block was chosen.  Example:  Nine Patch – a block that Mary was able to make even after losing her eyesight.

The most difficult block, and my favorite, was Doves in the Window, reportedly the pattern used by Laura in her wedding quilt.

The patterns in the book are:

• Nine Patch
• Snowball

• Sawtooth
• Indian Trails
• Flying Geese
• Corn and Beans
• Prairie Queen
• Trail of the Covered Wagon
• Bear’s Paw
• Dugout
• Album
• Log Cabin
• Schoolhouse

• Doves in the Window

My daughter tells me this quilt with low loft batting has replaced her handmade, very heavy afghan and is just as warm.

Victory Quilts–Brave World Block

This is the final of 20 blocks I’ve been sewing and posting from Eleanor Burns’ new Quilt-in-a-Day book, Victory Quilts – 1942 Sampler Blocks.  See other blocks I’ve completed in my Quilt Blocks category.

This is an easy skill level block called “Brave World”.  It was a simple block to construct and I think it turned out very pretty.

The book was a Mother’s Day gift and I’ve had a lot of fun trying out each of the block patterns which will eventually be made into a sampler quilt.  Naturally, any one of the blocks or a combination could be used in a quilt and there are many suggested layouts throughout the book.  There are also patterns for some interesting borders along with instructions for assembling and finishing quilts.

This is a beautiful hard cover book with lots of pictures of quilts and also of World War II memories.  There are instructions for 6″ and 12″ blocks – 12 easy skill level, 3 intermediate skill level, and 5 advance level blocks – something for everybody.  I highly recommend the book.

Victory Quilts — Bride’s Bouquet Block

This is the 19th block I’ve made and posted from Eleanor Burns’ new Quilt-in-a-Day book, Victory Quilts – 1942 Sampler Blocks.  See other blocks I’ve completed in my Quilt Blocks category.

This block is an advanced skill block called “Bride’s Bouquet”.  Eleanor’s techniques helped me make this block without too many problems and I love the way it looks.

Victory Quilts — Victory Block

This is the 18th of 20 blocks I’ve been sewing and posting from Eleanor Burns’ new Quilt-in-a-Day book, Victory Quilts – 1942 Sampler Blocks.  See other blocks I’ve completed in my Quilt Blocks category.

This is an advance skill level block called “Victory Block”.  Using a template and Eleanor’s clear directions, I didn’t have any problems with the block and think it’s an interesting patriotic example.

Victory Quilts–Liberty Star Block

We’re down to posting the last three blocks in Eleanor Burns’ new Quilt-in-a-Day book, Victory Quilts – 1942 Sampler Blocks.  See other blocks I’ve completed in my Quilt Blocks category.

This is an advance level block called “Liberty Star”.  Once I understood the way Eleanor had me marking and cutting, it wasn’t that difficult to do.  It makes a very nice patriotic star.

Victory Quilts–Hope of Hartford Block

Finishing up the last few blocks in Eleanor Burns’ Quilt-in-Day book, Victory Quilts — 1942 Sampler Blocks.  See other blocks I’ve completed in my Quilt Blocks category.

This block is an easy skill level block called “Hope of Hartford”, adapted from a 1945 block.  It is very simple to construct even though there are partial seams in it.  The good instructions will lead you right through it.