Hello all! If you are familiar with the Hands to Help challenge over at Confessions of a Fabric Addict, you know that this year's challenge is ending. I think this is the first time in a while that I have all the donation quilts finished by the end of the challenge. Yay me! I showed the two smaller quilts that I made for the challenge HERE, and today I have two (slightly) larger quilts that I've also finished:
The light has been really weird because we've had so much rain lately, and please ignore the fact that the deck floor still needs staining. It rained again before I could get to it! These two quilts are going off to Little Lambs for this year's challenge. Quilting these was super easy and I think they turned out great.
I made the hippo quilt as part of the Stay at Home Round Robin, hosted by Quilting Gail, earlier this year. I straight-line quilted it in four different directions, with lines that are just about equal distance apart. There may be a few bobbles, but no one but me will notice. The happy hippo got a fun, bright, and busy backing, too, which should hide any mistakes:
Quilting your own quilts does make you confront the mistakes you make in piecing, and sometimes you-- or I, really-- make mistakes in the quilting, too. I decided to quilt the hippo center in a cross hatch, and this was a mistake, I think. It's too dense and makes the hippo a little flatter than the rest of the quilt:
I might take out a few lines of quilting there, but I'm afraid to ruin it with the seam ripper. We'll see how it looks when it comes out of the wash. After quilting, this little quilt turned out about 37 by 40, which is perfect for a child.
The second quilt is a double nine-patch that was made last year and just quilted up for donation now. I quilted this with the walking foot as well, in a cross hatch with a bright green thread that turned out to be perfect for the quilt. It is so soft and cuddly!
Since the animal print on the front is so dark, this little quilt got a bright and happy polka dot backing and a snappy green binding. That makes it pretty green, but I think it works. And who could resist a quilt that includes this adorable sloth?
This quilt finished off at just about 43 by 43, another perfect size. These two comfort quilts will be off as soon as they come out of the dryer. I never know whether to wash donation quilts, but I took these outside and it was pretty wet, so it seems like the best idea. Who wants to give a child a quilt that might be dirty? Not me!
Hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Looks like it will be sunny and hot here, so it's indoor stuff for us. Hey, restaurants are indoors, aren't they? Maybe time to check those out again!
Sharing at Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Finished or Not Friday, and Brag About Your Beauties.
11 comments:
Your two donation quilts look great, and some children will love them! The hippo panel is adorable! I think donation quilts should always be washed before sending them off.
Those both turned out cute, Mari!! They are sure to make for a couple of happy children. The quilts look SEW snuggle worthy!!
Both quilts look great, and I'm sure they will delight the recipients. We have hot weather on tap today, and I have to out in it a bit, but tomorrow I'm staying in and sewing all day (hopefully).
These are wonderful, Mari!
Great finishes! Using a panel in the center of your RR quilt was a great idea.
Both of these little quilts will delight a young child in need of comfort and cheer. I never used to wash the quilts I gifted, but now do for two reasons. First to remove the spray baste and second to check for dye bleeds since I don't pre-wash and frequently use bright primary colors in my kids quilts. Our weather is heating up again so the mulch spreading will have to wait for a while.
Pat
Oh my - both are adorable quilts that some child will love. I sent 2 to the Little Lambs as well, and just got a thank you note last week. And I sent 1 to the chemo/hospice group as well. And I donated a quilt top to a group closer to home who will finish and give to a hospice group. It feels to good to share.
Oh these are so sweet!!!
Both quilts are a lot of fun, Mari! Perfect for donating for H2H. They're going to make some little people very happy!
lovely quilts for a very good cause...my first year participating...and a banner year too!
These are both adorable. I know I am late to the party but I hope you left the hippo quilting as it. I am quite certain a child will love it no matter what!
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