Making quilts, Using squares

 When I make a quilt, I save the smallish fabric pieces and cut them into 2" of 2 1/2" squares.  After awhile I have a box full.  I can sew them together like this into 9-patch blocks which are fun and easy to make.  I get stacks and stacks of the blocks.

 After awhile, I have to face it, I have to make the blocks into quilts.  These will go for newborns at church, mostly blue for boys, mostly pink for the girls and a scrappy one I'm making for a friend in  NJ who told me she's worn out the one I made for her 15 years ago.  This is the product of a bunch of the blocks I've made.

Lap size, Single Irish Chain, 2016

I had some two inch squares cut out and in the middle of things I got anxious to sew them together.  I've never done a single Irish chain before.  I really love this pattern, and it's fun and easy to make.  This will go to a Kids in Crisis,

2 Throw Size, for KIC. June, 2016

 These two quilts are resulted from left over blocks from other projects.  The top one was from the quilt I made for Alex Lysenko, a couple of  years ago.  The bottom one was from blocks I made from the 'Marion" fabric, the woman in our guild who passed away, her family gave most of her fabric away.  I made so many blocks like this from her fabric because they're are forgiving and easy to do.  I have almost enough for another boy type quilt.

Full Size, finishing up the quilt for Georgia, 2016

My friend, Georgia, had this quilt pieced by her mother.  She asked me to help her finish it.  I just topstitched the edge to hold it together and added borders.  I used the extra fabric she had to piece together a backing, there wasn't enough of one fabric for the whole back, but I enjoy pieced backing, so it worked.

Throw Size, for Kids in Crisis, 2016

 In my newest quilt magazine there's an article about foster kids who receive quilts.  One woman got one and now years later she remembers how it helped her at a time when she felt alone and abandoned.  She still uses the quilt.  That helps me remember why we, in the quilt guild make quilts for KIC.  The top one is the "plus" quilt, the second picture is the back of the  first one.  The bottom quilt I made a long time ago, and just put the back on.  I was thinking I didn't like the quilt, but it actually looks quite pretty.

Large Throw, 2016, Comfy TV Watching "Hug Me" quilt

I found some big pieces of this very heavy material, that almost feels and looks like flannel on one side, the other is just woven plaid.  I was thinking this is way too  heavy for quilting and was tempted to throw it away.  Instead I cut it into large pieces, put them together randomly.  I was going to leave it, but decided to just tack some beautiful, blue flannel on the back.  I had enough to make two big quilts that are great for keeping you warm in front of the TV, or reading.  I had to serge around each piece because the material tended to unravel, then I top stitched at each seam.  Lot of sewing and lots of thread, but these quilts will keep Vere and Andrew very cozy for years.

Full Size, 2016 Half Square Triangles in Neutral

Over the years I've collected a lot of neutrals and thought a whole quilt with them would be fun.  Also, I love making half square triangles, so this quilt was inevitable.  I had Lou quilt it with her long arm machine.  Notice in the very middle of the top picture is the mistake in this quilt, a whole row with the dark side of the square  facing the wrong way.  I didn't even notice it until I posted the picture.  Oh Well, humans are not meant to be perfect.  I added the three borders, light, medium and dark because it wasn't quit big enough.  I really love this quilt.