Update on Jack's Basket

I thought you might like to know how we're doing on collecting quilts for Jack's Basket.  (Click HERE for information on this charity and our project.)  Here are some photos of the wonderful quilts that have been donated.

The little legs in the photos belong to my grandson, who was "helping" me.  (He took about a thousand photos himself, mostly of his shoes.)

You can see what a terrific group of quilts these are.

Bright and colorful, warm and comforting, all to go to a good cause.

Nice work, ladies!

I'm sure these quilts will brighten someone's day.
Want to see the backs?

Plus 10 more I didn't get photos of!

After the September meeting, we had a total of 13 quilts, seen here laid out on the table, ready to send.

Even with Marie Kondo-style folding, I could only get ten quilts in this big box.  So this is how many I sent.
There is an extra postage charge for using such a big box, so next time I will ship fewer quilts in a smaller box.  We have three quilts ready to go right now.
I will keep doing this as long as anybody wants to make the quilts.

Just to recap, the Jack's Basket charity requests quilts 36 in. square, to go in the baskets they give to new parents of Down's Syndrome children.

Congratulations on donating to a great cause!  We really are the little quilt group that could.

Quilts for Jack's Basket

Hello, Ties That Bind Quilters.

This is Jack.  He has Down's Syndrome.

Because of him, his family started a 501c3 charity that donates gift baskets to families like theirs, that include a child with Downs Syndrome.
The baskets welcome the baby, and contain items to help the parents cope, and especially to let them know they are not alone.  Each basket includes a blanket or a quilt.  All items are donated.

This year, as part of a charity quilt drive online, I made these quilts for Jack's Basket.  I brought them to the April meeting (I think) and of course I mentioned why I had made them.

May's meeting was cancelled, as you recall, and I was sick with a summer virus when June's meeting rolled around, so I stayed home in bed.
One of you lovely people made these three quilts for Jack's Basket!  Colleen brought them over, and I took these pictures.

These little quilts are terrific!  They're made from novelty fabrics, which you know kids love, with soft batting and cozy flannel on the back.

Both of the blue ones have under the sea themes.  These will be so cute for the babies.

Piggies!  I have to admit, this one is my favorite.  The quilting is great on all of them.

If you are the generous and talented person who made these quilts, could you let us know?

I have already mailed off the quilts I made to Jack's Basket, which is in Utah, since they were due by June 1.

But--what if we filled up another box?
How about this one?

All 3 of the quilts above are already in this box.  There is plenty of room for a few more.

So, if this is something you'd like to do, I will collect finished quilts and mail them to Jack's Basket.  I will do this through the August meeting (August 21, 2019).

They would like quilts that are 36 in. x 36 in., made of soft cotton or flannel.

Please note:  this is NOT an official charity project of Ties That Bind.  We agreed years ago to limit our official giving to local charities.  We are just doing this as individuals.

If you'd like more information about Jack's Basket, click HERE for their web site.

Thanks to all the quilters who stitch for the joy of others.

April Meeting Show and Tell

Hello, Ties that Bind Quilters!  I hope you were able to come to the April meeting.  Our speaker was renown quilt show judge Maribeth Schmidt, from Cedarburg, shown above with one of the wonderful quilts she brought to share with us.

Now for more show and tell!  The following photos are just some of the terrific items shown.  More will follow in next week's post.

I wish I could have gotten a close-up here--the prints are bugs!  Specifically, praying mantis, I think.

This quilt was made from the army fatigues of the recipient.  Isn't this the perfect pattern?

Colleen made this phone stand.  I absolutely WANT one.

A cute scrap quilt for charity.

Bright and beautiful!

Strings!

Lovely colorful top!

A traveling quilt, with lots of Route 66 fabrics.  This is the front ...

And this is the back.

Great job, everybody.

More photos next week.  Til then, keep smiling and keep sewing!

Quilter's Sale April 9th

The Kettle Moraine Quilters will hold a sale of craft items, fabric, books, UFOs, and many crafting supplies donated by their members on April 9th.  The money raised will be used to buy batting for the charity quilts they make.

Leave your credit cards at home!  Only cash or check will be accepted for items.

Here are the details.

When:  One day only, April 9, 2019, from 11:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Where:  5th Avenue Methodist Church, 3233 S. 5th St., West Bend, Wisconsin
Enter through parking lot door.

Good hunting, ladies!  It's for a good cause!

Double Friendship Star, Block #3

Hello, Ties that Bind Quilters!  This week's blog is about our Friendship Star Quilt Block of the Month, called Double Friendship Star.
I'm going to take you through the sewing step by step, but you'll need your instructions from Pam for cutting directions.
Ready?  Here we go!

For me, the first step was the hardest--choosing fabrics that went together, but had enough contrast to stand out.  In the end, I went with the classic 1930s combination of print and solid.

With the fabrics decided, it's on to the cutting. 
Once everything is cut, I always lay it out like a jigsaw puzzle, so I can see where I am.

The block is a 9 patch, and each square in the 9 patch measures 4 in. finished. 

Four of these squares are the corners, and are super easy.

Two more of the squares are large half square triangles, made from a background triangle and a triangle cut from the fabric you chose for the big star.  Just sew those triangles together, and trim to 4.5 in.

That's six squares done already, with only 2 seams.  This isn't hard, is it?

There are only 3 squares left, and these are a bit more complicated, but just half square triangles and squares.  These are pictured at the top of the second page of your directions.

Center Square

This is the center of the block.  You need two squares, one of each star color, and two half square triangles made of the star colors.  They are arranged as above, and stitched.

And here's the finished center.

Next comes the square to the right of the center, still in the center row of the block.

This time, we have a square of the big star fabric, a square of the background fabric, a square made of a background triangle and a big star triangle, and a square made of a background triangle and a small star triangle.  Easy sewing.  (For some unknown reason, I didn't take a photo of it finished.  I'm blaming the cat.)

Now for the last pieced square, the center square in the bottom row.

This one is a tiny bit more complex.  There is one square of background fabric, two squares made from background triangles and big star triangles, and one square made from a big star triangle and a small star triangle.

If you got this far, you're almost done.  It's all down hill from here.

Just sew all your sections into rows, and the rows together to complete the block.

And that's it!  Isn't it cute to see that little star peeking out?

Here's all my blocks together.

I can't wait to see how it all turns out.

If you didn't get the directions, be sure to contact Pam W.
Big thanks to Pam for designing this quilt for us!

It's A Stitch Quilt Show

The It's A Stitch Quilt Show is coming up in early May (that's only a month away!)
Entry forms are due by April 12th.

For information about the show, entry forms, and links to all the Seed Packet Challenges from 2012 to 2018, click HERE.

Keep on quilting!

March Meeting This Week!

This Wednesday, March 20th, is our meeting date.  Hurray!  Let's all cross our fingers and hope for good weather.

Details:
Wednesday, March 20, 2019
6:30 p.m.
Pilgrim Lutheran Church
462 Meadowbrook Drive, West Bend, Wisconsin


All are welcome.

So, what can you do with a 2.5 in. strip?  Let's find out!
This month starts our birthday strip exchange.  Each month, those of us participating will bring a strip (2.5 in. x width of fabric) for the participants who are having their birthdays that month.  Different people will ask for different colors or kinds of prints, etc.  BTW, don't forget to wish these ladies a Happy Birthday.
Here are the strips to bring on Wednesday.  The list includes February and March because we had to cancel the February meeting.

February
Kelly D. – Red or white (think aged flags)
Mary L. – 1930’s
Ree K. – deep purple or deep black
March
Lynn S. – blue

This should be fun!

Speaking of fun, have you been making the Blocks of the Month?  Pam W. has designed a quilt just for us, with the very appropriate theme of Friendship.  So far, we have received the first two blocks.  Here are mine:

How is this going to work?  We'll find out as we go along.
With only one block per month, it wouldn't be too hard to catch up if you haven't started yet.  Just saying.
Bring your finished blocks to the meeting.  I can't wait to see what colors and fabrics everybody is using.

Here's Homework Puppy to tell us what else to bring to the meeting.

Panel Quilts (if you made one)

Dues (if you haven't paid yet)

 Food Pantry Donations (cash or grocery cards, please)

 YOUR NAME TAG!!!  (Wear it with pride!)

Show and Tell (the very best part!)



And now for some virtual show and tell.  
First, I apologize for all the terrible camera angles.  Photography is not really my thing (can you tell?).  Also, if your quilt isn't pictured, it's probably because I took a blurry photo or otherwise goofed up.  I'm very sorry.

Virtual Show and Tell

 
Wow!  There is so much talent in our group!  Great job, everyone.
See you on Wednesday!



  

Floating Friendship Star Block #2

Here it is, our 2nd block in the new Block of the Month quilt along from Pam W.    This block is called Friendship Squared and is 18.5 in. unfinished.
Above is my block.  I'm using 1930s reproductions mixed with vintage fabrics for an old fashioned look.  (You know me, I love the 30s!)

The center of this block is a 5 in. (cut) square.  So it's the perfect place for a charm square you've been saving.  I'm using this blue with red and pink hearts.  (February=hearts, right?)  I've got kind of a calendar thing going, but I don't know how long I'll stick with it.  The colors/prints are really more important.

All the pieces in this block are simple to sew--half square triangles, four patches, and long rectangles and squares to finish it off.
I'm looking forward to seeing what Pam has us do with the rest of the blocks.  The sizes are so different, 12 in. and 18 in.
How is this going to fit together?
Stay tuned!  Our next installment comes at the March meeting.  Bring your completed blocks to show.
We are so lucky to have a quilt designed just for us.
By the way, the pattern for this month's block should have come to you in your email, and is a pdf, which makes it easy to print.  If you didn't receive one, contact Pam W.

Just a heads up:
If you are a quilter who likes the work of Victoria Findley Wolfe, this book is currently at the Germantown library:

Modern Quilt Magic:  5 Parlor Tricks to Expand Your Piecing Skills. 
In this book, Victoria teaches us how to sew set in seams, curves, partial seams, etc.

Here's the back.
I enjoyed reading it, and I turned it in last week, so it might be on the shelf waiting for you.
If you use a different library, you can still request the book, and your library staff will get it for you.

Stay warm, stay safe, and keep quilting!