Do. Good Stitches May 2011 Quilt

I'm a member of the "Love" circle of the do. Good Stitches bee over at flickr.  (There's a link to our bee in my sidebar to the right.)  May was my month to finish the quilt and I decided to let everyone choose a color and do whatever type of 12" finished block they liked. It was so exciting to see the blocks arrive!

I tried numerous arrangements for this quilt, but eventually decided on random. I like the way it turned out.  The binding is a diagonally printed black and white stripe and I used a bright floral vintage sheet for the back.

There's something special to me personally about this quilt too.  It's the first quilt I've quilted on a long arm machine. My new friend, Angela of The Jilted Quilt, rents time on her wonderful long arm machine.  She donated the time for me to quilt this charity quilt and it was so much fun to learn and play with the long arm. Thanks, Angela!

Long arm quilting was very relaxing.  It was so easy to get into "the zone" and just go with it.  Next time, I think I'll take my headphones and quilt to music.  I was disappointed when I finished.  I wanted to keep going!  (I just have to add that Ara Jane went over the top with those gorgeous pink hexies.  See a close-up at flickr.)

So, a big thank you to the do. Good Stitches "Love" ladies.  I'll get this quilt packed up and shipped to Wrap Them in Love right away.

do. Good Stitches December quilt

I'm a member of the do. Good Stitches {a charity bee} at flickr started by Rachel at Stitched in Color. My first moth to be the quilter was December and I decided on playing with color and asked my fellow stitchers to make these blocks. If you like these blocks, be sure to read the comments. There are some great suggestions for alternate construction methods.

So here's the finished quilt. I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out.

(Remember, I'm giving up on perfection; this quilt proves I'm serious.*)

Everyone did a lovely job on the blocks. They worked so beautifully together. The quilt measures 50 x 58".

I had two extra blocks and I cut each of them into four pieces for the back.

I couldn't get a good hanging shot of the back to show the quilting, but it's a large double diamond with ties in the middle of the diamonds.

This quilt is being donated to the Wrap Them In Love Foundation and I would like to think it's got a long life ahead of it. I'll get it packed up and sent out tomorrow.

I wanted to share this photo too. I recruited my hubby to help me with the basting. He's such a good sport.

*Yes, I messed up when I sewed the blocks together. I noticed it when I took it out to take photos of the quilt top. But, I brought it back inside, took it apart, "fixed" it, and finished it up. When I removed it from the dryer, I realized that my solution to the problem wasn't a solution at all and I had created a row of blocks turned the wrong direction! I'm hoping maybe you didn't notice until I told you and I sincerely apologize to my fellow bee members for goofing it up.

Blocks in my mailbox.

I hadn't joined a bee until I was contacted by Rachel and invited to join her do. Good Stitches {a Charity Bee}. I am honored to be a part of this wonderful effort where quilters can pool their skills to provide quilts for children in need abroad through Wrap Them With Love.

Rachel is the quilter for our first month (August) and she asked us to provide two red and aqua blocks for a sampler. The only other guidelines were that they finish at 12", that we make two of the same block, and they contain no wonky cuts or curves.

I made a couple of pinwheel blocks. I hope these are what Rachel has in mind. It's crazy that I can have so many fabrics and so few aqua prints.

My first block was an eight point star, but it finished out too big to trim down to 12", so I went with the pinwheels.

The other set of blocks I'm passing off to the postman today are headed to Lucia's house.

Lucia is a very talented fellow member of the Dallas Modern Quilt Guild. She has a 32 year-old friend, Errick, who has been diagnosed with stage 4 colorectal cancer and has just begun chemo treatments. Lucia is a generous soul who is using her gifts to bless others. Like me, her stash was a little skimpy on masculine colors and prints, so she has called for help and I hope that these blocks will fit the bill. They are on their way, Lucia.

I am so ready for my girl to come home from camp! It's so quiet around here. I haven't gotten nearly as much work done as I had hoped, but the house is clean, organized, and ready to pack as soon as Sean gets the boxes out of the attic. I've been keeping up with my Coconut hamstersitting duties. He's so stinking cute; I can't resist playing with him. I let him explore the coffee table (under my close supervision) because he can't run away and totally avoids the edges. I stacked the books up like stairs and he climbs up and down. He climbed into my bowl of perle cotton, but then started chewing on some purple, so that didn't work out. I think he misses Shea as much as I do. I'm praying for her group to have a safe journey back to Texas tomorrow and I can't wait to see her!