The last couple of months have been crazy busy between work, home, family and quilting. I finally got to reveal my super-secret project from the winter: my Playtime pattern was published as the June quilt of the month by the Modern Quilt Guild (MQG). I can’t share the pictures here, but I can give you the link to the Playtime article in the MQG Journal, Issue 02. Everyone can see the quilt and read the article, but you have to be a MQG member to download the pattern. It is really exciting that my second pattern ever is published by such a well-known organization.
While I can’t share the pattern or pictures, I can show you the new quilt I have made from the Playtime pattern. This was my original color plan. I learned so much from the process of submitting this to the MQG. They contacted me (before the deadline) to let me know they were interested in the pattern. They sent me a palette of seven colors and I had to use those fabrics to recolor the design and have it approved. They also approved the design for the back (which was not part of the original submission). Once the color plan was approved, I sent fabric and batting requirements and waited. From the day I got the wonderful box full of fabric and batting, until when the quilt and pattern were due to MQG was 36 days, so I got sewing right away.
The MQG sent very clear instructions on fabric preparation (do not wash), quilt preparation (add a hanging sleeve the same color as the back, add a label the same color as the finished quilt, do not wash the finished quilt), and pattern formatting. I really learned a lot about how to be clear in my instructions in a pattern.
Playtime: Black Edition
After I sent off the pattern and quilt, I waited to answer questions, give more information, and make sure they REALLY wanted the pattern and quilt. I sent off a head shot and brief biography – that was the hardest part for me!
Then I waited, and waited (3 months seems like a long time when you are excited) until I got the information to set up payment and next day, the MQG Journal was released!
I have really enjoyed the process and making another Playtime quilt. There is even a video on the Capital Quilts website of me talking about some of my recent quilts, including Playtime. You can see the video here. This is a still from the video with the Playtime quilt.
For the Playtime: Black Edition, I had a really short time to make it, so I didn’t wash the fabrics and didn’t put as much quilting in as I would have liked. As a result, the quilt doesn’t hang perfectly flat, but it is perfectly usable. I may try to add some quilting later. In any case, we are looking forward to this being our TV-watching quilt.
I am looking for a few adventurous quilters to test my Mai Tais quilt pattern. This is one of my “cocktail” quilts and uses curved Drunkard’s Path blocks. I really value the contribution made by pattern testers. No matter how clear I *think* I am, they always point out some critical edits.
This pattern will be available in four sizes: Baby (40 x 40 inches), Throw (70 x 70 inches), Extra Long Twin (70 x 100 inches) and Queen/King (100 x 100 inches). There are two different color options shown, but you can change the colors to your taste. Here are some mock ups of the various sizes and and color options:
Baby
42″ x 42″
40″ x 40″
72″ x 72″
Throw
70″ x 70″
Extra Long Twin
72″ x 102″
70″ x 100″
Queen/King
102″ x 102″
100″ x 100″
Here are a few photos of the actual quilt:
Mai Tais on the Lanai – 2020
Detail of Mai Tais on the Lanai
This quilt will get you over a fear of curves!
Pattern testers will get to choose the size and colors they use and will keep their quilts. I provide a small stipend to help defray the cost of materials. Testers will have at least four weeks to make the quilt top.
If you are interested in being a pattern tester, please e-mail me and I will send you more information. It is really a lot of fun!
Applications close at 5pm ET on Tuesday, May 18, 2021. I plan on selecting testers and sending out the pattern by May 24, 2021 with comments due on June 23, 2021.
I hope you decide to join Better Done Quilts as a pattern tester.
The 50 days of works in progress challenge is finished. From February through late March, I (and a bunch of others on Instagram under #50daywipschallenge) committed to only working on projects that were already started. I thought I should share the results. There is one quilt that I have finished, but I can’t share because it is a gift. Here’s the sneak peak:
I also got two other big quilts finished. I realized that in our current pandemic situation, I was not likely to be able to rent time on a long arm, and have a coach help me with some of the techniques that were beyond my experience (which is everything except simple edge-to-edge quilting or a basic meandering free-motion quilting). So I sent all three large quilts to long arm quilters.
My 100-day transformation quilt was sent to Sesvold Designs. Carmen is a friend from the Friendship Star Quilt Guild. She created a masterpiece, following the diamond shape on the quilt front with exquisite lines of quilting. Just look at the detail:
This quilt was a lot of fun. I started it June 1, 2020 as a block-a-day, 100-day project. I used up all of my strip scraps, and even took scraps from projects I worked on during that 100 days. The back is also special. For Labor Day 2020, my daughter wanted to do some tie dyeing. I decided to try ice dyeing. I had a patterned, white-on-white 108 inch backing that was the wrong color for the project it was intended for, so I decided to dye it. Here’s the result:
Not too bad for a first attempt. Carmen did a great job of lining up the center on the front and back of this extra large (112 x 112 inch) quilt. We are using this on our king-sized bed – the first quilt I have made that my husband and I can sleep under!
The second quilt I finished is a sampler quilt that I started in February, 2017 when the National Quilters Circle issued a block challenge for the Snowy Day Sampler by Andrea at Happy Cloud Creations. Each week a new block pattern was released. I had not made any quilts for about a year and a half and decided this would be a good choice to get me back into quilting. I had blue, purple and teal scraps from other projects, and found the pansy print to tie them together.
The fabrics included scraps from my childrens’ 4H sewing projects, my son and daughter-in-law’s wedding quilt and other quilts I have made. I wanted it queen sized, so I added borders. I loved making the big 16 inch blocks. They went so quickly and the quilt came together easily. After I finished the top, it sat in a box until this spring. I did make a back that lists all of the fabrics and their original use.
When I first learned how to use computerized long arm patterns, I developed an elaborate plan to quilt this, but I was told that it would take me years to gain enough skill to execute it on my own. Fortunately, I found Amanda, at Prairie Folk Quilt Company. Amanda and I have never met in person – I “met” her on Instagram when she hosted a contest for free long-arm quilting. I didn’t win, but I was so impressed with her work, and her comments, that I decided to send this quilt off to her. And I am so glad I did! She was great to work with, asked me a lot of questions about the look I wanted, and even looked at my original design for the quilting and incorporated some of it into her quilting design. I am so happy with how this turned out (and so is my daughter, who claimed it). And she finished it lighting quick. Look at this detail.
All in all, I am pretty happy with what I got done during my 50 days of works-in-progress. And I am very glad I have discovered the joys of collaborating with talented long-arm quilters. Now I am off to working on a new quilt. What are your spring quilting plans?
As you know, I am a nurse and that affects my approach to quilting, especially when making Sick Day Quilts. Wheelchair quilts are a special category. There are so many questions I like to ask when planning a wheelchair quilt – Who will use it? Where (indoors, outdoors)? Can the user stand up on their own? and so on…
There are a few basics to remember: 1. Wheelchairs have wheels. You do not want the quilt to get caught in the wheels. It is bad for the quilt and can cause an accident. 2. People are different sizes. A wheelchair quilt for a child will be shorter and narrower than one for a large, older adults. I am offering one size of wheelchair quilt here, but this can be customized for any size.
If you are making wheelchair quilts as a service or charity project, remember to make some in a wide variety of colors and patterns. Not everyone like florals, or cats, or geometric prints. Some people like solids, or sports prints or regional prints. I strongly encourage making wheelchair quilts for gifts and donation.
The full directions are on my tutorial page and are here.
I made my test quilt in leftover Baltimore Orioles fabric and scraps of leftover orange, black and white prints. The pattern is very flexible. I decided to play with disappearing four patch patterns, so my squares were smaller than the 9 inches called for in the pattern. I just increased the border width to get the size I needed. You can also make it out of large print squares. The instructions specify four-patches, but any square that finishes at 9 inches will do. This is a great project for charm packs. This would also be a great use for test blocks from other quilts. If they are less than 9 inches, you can border them to get the right size.
WOF=Width of fabric
All seams are ¼ inch. All fabric should be sewn right sides together. Press after each seam. WOF = Width of fabric
Fabric needed:
Color 1 = ½ yard
Color 2 = ½ yard
Border = ½ yard
Binding = 1/3 yard Border fabric, 1/3 yard contrasting color (color 1 or 2)
Cutting Instructions:
Color 1: Cut (3) 5 x WOF. Sub cut (23) 5 inch squares.
Color 2: Cut (3) 5 x WOF. Sub cut (23) 5 inch squares.
Border: Cut (2) 2 ½ inch x WOF, Cut (2) 3 ½ inch x WOF
Binding: Border fabric: Cut (4) 1 3/8 inches x WOF. Contrasting fabric: Cut (4) 1 5/8 x WOF
Piecing
Make 9 four patch blocks with color 1 and color 2 alternating.
Assemble the quilt in four rows of three blocks each.
Add 3 ½ inch borders down the sides. Measure the quilt lengthwise through the middle. Cut each border that exact length. Mark center on border and quilt top and pin border to quilt top matching centers. Sew with
Add 2 ½ inch borders to top and bottom using the same instructions as step 3, but widthwise.
Finishing
Layer backing (wrong side up), batting, and quilt top (right side up). Baste the layers together and quilt as desired.
Trim the quilt square.
Binding-
Bind as desired. I like a flanged, two-color binding. The binding fabric (background fabric) will be the strip cut 1⅜″ wide, the flange fabric (Fabric E) will be the strip cut 1⅝″ wide.
Take the 1⅜″ strips and 1⅝″ strips. Cut off all the selvedge edges. Sew four 1⅜″ strips together end-to-end with a 45-degree angle. To do this, layer the right sides of the strips together at a 90-degree angle. Draw a 45-degree angle from lower right to upper left. Sew on the line. Cut extra fabric away to leave a ¼″ seam allowance. Press open. Repeat with all four of the 1⅝ ″ strips.
Then sew the 1⅝ ″ strips together in the same manner.
Sew the two strips together along the long edge.
Press seam allowance toward the background fabric (the 1⅜″ strip) and away from fabric E (the 1⅝″ strip). Now fold over with wrong sides together so the raw edges meet and press. About 1/8″ of fabric E will show above the background fabric on the right side of the binding. Only fabric E will be seen on the wrong side of the binding.
On the back of the quilt, lay the binding with raw edges matching the raw edge of the quilt and the flange side (Fabric E) up. Start on the long side, 3 inches above the bottom corner. Stitch binding to back with ¼″ seam.
At the first corner, stop stitching ¼″ before the corner (A) and stitch off the corner at a 45-degree angle (B). Then fold the binding down as shown (C). Starting at the edge, backstitch then continue with a ¼″ seam to the next corner. Finish two corners as described above.
Stop 3 inches above the third corner, which should be at the bottom of the quilt. Back stitch and cut off the binding. The edge does not need to be turned under because it will be cut off for the toe box.
Start again on the bottom edge 3 inches from the corner and attach binding up to 3 inches before the fourth corners.
Your top two corners will have mitered binding. The bottom two corners will have 3 inches on either side left unbound.
Press the binding out with seam pressed toward binding. Then press binding over to the front of the quilt. Pin corners with miters. Slowly stitch in the ditch of the flange all the way around the quilt using thread that matches the flange color.
Keep the remaining binding for the toe box
Forming the Toe Box
After you bind the quilt, cut a 6.5 inch square from each of the bottom two corners. That should cut off the border and one patch of each of the corner four-patches.
Sew the remaining raw edges to form a 90 degree angle. The bottom of the quilt should be like two sides of a box.
Enclose the raw seams in additional binding. Make sure you turn the raw edges of the binding under before sewing.
Toe box side view
From back
I would love to see your wheelchair quilts and hear about who is using them!
Unfinished objects (UFOs) and works-in-progress are a normal part of my quilting life. I do have one friend who only works on one quilt at a time. She works on it until it is finished then picks a new project. She is very successful at making high quality quilts. I envy her focus, but I don’t understand how her mind works. I always have so many ideas floating around that I want to work on. I definitely have SOS (Shiny Object Syndrome) where I always want to flit over and look at the new shiny project (or gorgeous fabrics). SOS seems to be a common issue for many quilters, so there are a lot of UFO and WIP challenges out there. I had decided to switch some of my long term UFOs to 100-day projects this year when @flyinggoosestudio issued a 50 day WIP challenge. The idea is to work on nothing but UFOs and WIPs (in other words, not start any new projects) for 50 days. It is a low-stress challenge and one that really appealed to me right now.
So far:
I finished piecing a wedding quilt that was due three years ago and am finishing the back before I send it off to a longarmer.
I prepped a quilt top and back that were started four years ago and sat in the closet since 2019 to ship to a longarmer who offered to use her art to enhance my piecing.
I finished my quilty Valentine’s Day cards for my family.
I got major work done on a wheelchair quilt for a presentation on March 1st.
I made progress on my Double Irish Chain quilt that was untouched for three years.
1. Bluebonnet Broken Star
3. Purple Heart mini quilt
3. Polyhedral mini quilt
3. Coffee mug mini quilt
3. Tea mug mini quilt
3. Atomic star mini quilt
I’m pretty impressed at the progress in 17 days – I can’t imagine how much will get done in the next 33!
I have never been big on making test blocks. I just bought a little more fabric in case one of my first blocks needed to be redone. I actually cannot remember making a test block before. I always was too eager to get started with the project to take the time. And I didn’t know what to do with the finished test blocks.
My latest project, the Singapore Sling quilt, was going to be made with these new templates that my daughter 3D printed. She wanted to make sure they were accurate. My first thought was I would use some scrap fabric to make sure they work. However, I knew I had extra of the Good Vibes fabric designed by Christa Watson for Benartex, so I decided to try a test block with the fabric I planned to use for the quilt (this may sound basic to you, but it was a novel idea for me).
I carefully laid out one block and realized immediately that both my background and foreground fabrics were directional. I tried to line up the templates so the fabrics would be straight and I cut them out using the templates. Then I carefully pinned and sewed the block.
It took me about 15-20 minutes total and I learned a lot of valuable lessons:
The templates work and appear the be the correct size.
If I cut the fabric to keep the pattern straight, all of the cuts are on the bias.
It is really hard to get the fabric pattern perfectly aligned for this block. And I don’t like the look when it is off.
The tight curves are really tight – I ended up trying glue basting for them and it worked like a charm.
I will need to be very precise in my seam allowances.
I need to starch the fabric before cutting and before piecing. The fabric distorted a little with the curves. You can see below that the line does not fall perfectly straight.
I may need to slightly trim the blocks to get them all square and perfectly the same so the quilt top lays flat.
I like the finished look of the diamond.
There is enough contrast between the foreground and the background.
Because I learned so much making the first test block, I decided to do a second one keeping one edge of the template on the straight of grain. I like the scrappy look and it was much easier to cut out.
What did I learn? There are some excellent reasons to make a test block, especially if the equipment or techniques are new to you.
Of course this leads to a new question – what do you do with test blocks? Let me know what you do with them and we will address that in another post!
The project I have been working on has seven inset circles. While I love the look, it can be overwhelming. The project is designed to teach curves and help quilters overcome their fear of curves and inset circles. After making all my circles and fitting them into the quilt, here is my approach to inset circles and all of the tips I can think of to take the fear out of circles.
TIP: Take your time. Making inset circles is not fast. You will get a bit faster as you get more comfortable with them, but it is not fast. Put on some non-distracting music, take a deep breath and take your time.
TIP: Use a lot of starch. I find that if the fabric is not starched enough, it distorts more when I sew the inset circle.
I start by heavily starching both the background and circle fabrics. For this tutorial, I will be making a 10 inch finished circle, set into a 10.5 inch block. Cut an 11 inch square of the circle fabric (off-white) and a 12 inch square of the background fabric (aqua).
I really like this EZ Circle Cut template. But you can use any half or quarter circle that is accurate. For a 10 inch diameter finished circle, you will cut a 9.5 inch circle out of the middle of the 12 inch square. On this template, you fold the fabric in half, put the fold on the fold line and cut at the 9 inch groove.
The circle fabric needs to be bigger than the cut out from the background. For a 10 inch diameter finished circle, a 10.5 inch diameter circle needs to be cut. On this ruler, you fold the fabric in half, put the fold on the fold line and cut at the 10 inch groove.
Once your background and circle are cut, fold each separately into equal quarters and press lightly with the iron to mark the quarters as you can see below.
Start by folding the background fabric so that the fabrics are right side together and the circle is laying flat. Pin the quarter marks of the background to the quarter marks of the circle.
Then pin around the circle to make sure that the fabric is equally distributed and is not pleated or kinked. Pin from the background side.
TIP: I find that fine or very fine pins work best.
Some people swear by glue basting instead of pinning, but it has never worked well for me.
I find that it works best if I sew with the circle side down. Bernie, my sewing machine, is set up so the needle stops in the down position, and with the stitch length at 2, slightly shorter than the usual 2.5 stitch length. I always check my bobbin and my tension before I start sewing a set-in circle.
Stitch slowly until you come to the first pin. Pull the pin, use your finger to check that the fabric is laying flat, and slowly stitch to the next pin. Repeat all the way around the circle.
Secure your stitch at the end by backstitching or taking a number of tiny stitches.
After sewing, clip the seam allowance no more than 1/2 of the way to the seam. I usually clip about every inch around the circle.
After clipping all the way around, finger press the seam allowance toward the background.
Then press lightly all the way around, making sure the seam allowance is toward the background.
Then I spray the circle with water and press heavily to remove the quarter lines and finish the block.
Once the block is pressed and cooled, remove from the ironing board and take to the cutting board.
Measure 10.5 inches square, leaving 1/4 inch seam allowance around each side of the circle, as shown above. Trim.
That’s it – you now have a 10.5 inch block with a 10 inch diameter inset circle. It will make a 10 inch finished block with a fully inset circle.
A friend recently shared that one of her quilting goals for 2021 is to master the mitered borders. I have found that making multiple mitered borders is just as easy as a single border, so I thought I would share my process with you.
Step 1: Sew the inner border pieces to the outer border pieces using a scant ¼ inch seam. The top/bottom borders should be the width of the quilt + twice the width of the border +1 inch. For example, if the quilt is 50 inches wide, the inner border is 1 inch wide and the outer border is 4 inches wide the length of the top/bottom borders should be 60 inches: 50 + (2 x 1 inch) + (2 x 4 inches) + 1 inch = 50+2+8+1. The right/left side borders should be the length of the quilt + twice the width of the border + 1 inch.
Press the seam allowance of two strips toward the inner border (place on sides of quilt) and two strips towards the outer border (place on top and bottom of quilt).
Find the center of each border unit by folding it in half. Mark with a pin. For top/bottom borders, measure 1/2 the width of the quilt on either side of the center mark and pin. Then fold the end pin to the center pin to find the quarter mark and mark with pins. You should have five pins. For example, if your side is 25 inches the pins would be placed like this:
Step 2: Pin the quilt top and borders.
Find the center of each side, the top and bottom top and mark with a pin. Find the midway point between the center and end on either side and mark with a pin, as above. Align the center and quarters of the border with the centers of the top and pin at marks. Align end point of top with outer pins on border strip and pin. Pin rest of borders to top.
You should have border fabric left on either end of the quilt top.
IMPORTANT – Mark the quilt top on the wrong side with a dot 1/4 inch from each corner. Start sewing at one 1/4 inch mark and stop stitching at the mark ¼ inch before the end of the top. Backstitch at beginning and end of seam one or two stitches. Sew all four border pieces to top leaving ¼ inch unsewn on each strip at every corner.
Press seams toward the quilt top.
Step 3: Making the miter.
A B C
Lay the quilt on ironing board with the finished side down (A). Fold quilt diagonally as shown (B) so the back side of the quilt is showing (C). NOTE: the A1, A2, B1 and B marks on the illustration are for reference only, you do not need to add these marks to your quilt. Line up the borders from the two sides aligning the marks 1/4 inch from the edge of the quilt top (C).
Align the border strips. Mark the border at a 45 degree angle, as shown (C). Pin, matching creased lines and seams. Slowly machine baste from backstitching point to outer edge of quilt.
Press seam open and check accuracy with 45-degree rule. If it is accurate, sew over basting stitch , from backstitching point to outer edge of the quilt. Remember to backstitch one or two stitches at beginning and end of this seam because it will be the outer edge of the quilt. Remove basting stitch. Trim the seam allowance to approximate ¼ inch. Repeat this process for the other three corners.
As we are coming to the end of 2020 (a year we all want to end), I am thinking about my goals and plans for 2021. At this point in my quilting life, I have two kinds of quilting goals – personal goals and business goals. I try to limit myself to three of each. My first personal goal is to complete three 100-day quilting projects in 2020. I find having a project that only requires a few minutes a day, but that leads to a complete quilt top in 100 days is an awesome way to keep my momentum quilting. The act of sewing a few minutes a day has also become important in taking care of myself. I spend a few minutes doing something I want to do, no matter how crazy life gets. My second goal is to address my UFO list. I want to get it down to no more than 3 UFOs and up to 3 works in progress (WIPs). I actually cleared four projects off since the beginning of November, one by finishing, one by reworking, one by sending it to a long-arm quilter, and one by sending it to our service quilters to finish and donate. I am combining my first two goals by moving forward on my Irish Chain Quilt. This was listed as my Quilt-Your-Weight-Off quilt. When I thought about it, I realized that while I have lost (and maintained) 35 pounds, and I may lose more, I am not likely to get to the 121 pounds needed for the 11 by 11 blocks in the quilt design. I really love the traditional double Irish chain and the fabrics, and I have 45 blocks done, so I can do one or two blocks a day for 100 days and finish the top!
My third personal goal is to complete one of the cruise-inspired quilts. I have a design in mind. And I know I can break it down into a 100-day project. You will hear more about it later in 2021.
My business goals are easier in some ways because I know I need to stay flexible with them. If I have learned nothing else in 2020, I have learned that flexibility is an absolute necessity. My first goal is to post on this blog at least four times a month. I would love to say I will blog faithfully every week, but I know I may miss a time or two. I hope you will bear with me when I have busy weeks. I also hope to get more tutorials posted.
My second goal is to publish at least three quilt patterns. I have two already in mind and I think that planning on one more is reasonable. It doesn’t matter if I self-publish or if they are published elsewhere – I just want to get them from my head out into the world. One will certainly be the Singapore Sling pattern I submitted to EQ8. I have all of the fabrics, so this will be a priority.
My last goal is to work on one technique I need to improve to make some of the quilts I have in mind. There are a lot of skills I need work on – free motion machine quilting, foundation paper piecing, hand piecing, hand applique. I am leaning towards focusing on foundation paper piecing, but hand applique is also something I want to learn soon.
I have no doubt this will keep me plenty busy, along with my jobs and my family. I am definitely looking forward to what 2021 will bring.
Do you set quilting goals, or do you work on projects as they arise?
One year ago, none of us could have imagined the year that we have had. In January, my husband and I took a Caribbean cruise (that he won) and I took dozens of pictures to plan a quilt or two to commemorate the trip. Little did we know that would be our last trip for a long time.
While my day job has been busier than ever during the pandemic, I have been on full-time telework. Which means that the 5-7 hours a week I formerly spent commuting have been available for quilting. A year ago, my goal for 2020 was to plan and contract for at least one guild presentation (which I did), and to write up my Tree of Life wall hanging pattern (which I also did). I had not planned on getting Better Done Quilts launched as a business, or of getting this website up and running. I certainly didn’t plan on the EQ8 October Design Challenge win.
I started the year with a plan of taking one day a month for quilting. Not piecing, quilting. Whether done on my Bernina or renting time on the long arm at my local quilt store, I would spend the second Saturday each month finishing the tops I had sitting around. Appropriately, my first quilt finished for 2020 was a top I pieced in 2019, Everything Old is New is Old Again.
Everything Old is New is Old Again – Picnic Petals Pattern by Sheri Cifaldi-Morrill 2020
I started piecing this in a workshop with Sheri from Whole Circle Studio at Mid-Appalachian Quilter’s Annual retreat. I loved the modern take on the traditional flowering snowball block. I chose old fashioned colors and prints to coordinate with another quilt I have, so I could use them in my guest room. The top was done, and I spent time in January quilting it. The quilting is simple, but I love the way it turned out.
My next two quilts of 2020 were baby quilts for family. I forgot to get a picture of the first quilt before I sent it, but the parents were kind enough to send this one. The quilt was on their doorstep when they brought the baby home. This one is particularly meaningful because the medium green fan print is from my mother-in-law’s fabric stash. I kept a box of her fabrics and I include some in special quilts for her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
The next baby quilt was the first quilt I designed using EQ8. Bunnies for Belinda is a fun, gender neutral quilt. The mother’s favorite colors as a child were lime green, orange and purple. I tried to design a quilt with these colors that did NOT look like a Halloween quilt. I think this quilt succeeded. The purple fabric is rabbits, which is fitting because we raised rabbits. It is also quilted with bunnies (quilting by Sesvold Designs).
The first weekend in March, which was the last weekend that I was not in quarantine or pandemic lockdown, I used the longarm to finish my daughter’s T-shirt quilt.
I started collecting T-shirts for all my kids when they were young. I planned to make them each a T-shirt quilt when they graduated from high school. None of them got them as graduation presents, but I am slowly working my way through the box of T-shirts. This one had clear ideas of what she did and did not want in a T-shirt quilt. She selected the batiks and helped me lay out this extra-extra long twin quilt. She also wanted a “fun” back, so it would look good no matter which side was up.
This quilt definitely has a “party in the back”. I ran short of the purple and teal batiks and finished up with similar fabrics from my stash.
I also finished “Mai Tais on the Lanai”. I won a pack of Island Home batiks designed by Natalie Barnes for Anthology Fabrics in September 2019. I designed the first of my “cocktail quilts” using the Drunkard’s Path block. I only used fabrics from the collection and the only fabric I purchased was for the border and binding. The back is pieced with the fabrics in the collection that were left over from the front. This has become my TV watching quilt.
Next I turned to my guild small group challenge. We decided in 2019 to make 2020 challenge quilts. They needed to be 20 inches square, use black, white and one color (no gray) and somehow include “20”. It could be 20 items, the number 20, etc. I am a nurse, and 2020 is the Year of the Nurse and the Midwife, as well as being the 200th anniversary of Florence Nightingale. I decided to honor Florence’s contributions to nursing with my quilted portrait of her.
I am really proud of this little quilt. It was a real stretch for my skills. It is raw-edge applique based on a photo and poster. The hardest part was replicating Florence Nightingale’s signature.
Next was “From Every Direction”, which was described in my last post.
Then I decided to write up the Tree of Life pattern, so I made the Triadic Tree with fabrics I had selected for it about a year ago.
This is the point where I started the blog, so you have already heard about my Mama Bear jacket and “Which Way?” quilts. I have a couple of other quilt tops I made this year in 100-day projects. I finished one other small quilt, but it is for the Modern Quilt Guild mini-quilt swap, so it is a mystery until we exchange quilts in 2021.
2020 was also the year of the masks. All together I have made nearly 100 masks, and continue to make them as they continue to be needed.
While this year has certainly been filled with the unexpected, it has not all been bad. I have finished some big projects and started a few more. My most important quilt accomplishment has been getting Better Done Quilts launched and publishing my first pattern. I hope you had a productive quilting year, and that you stay safe and healthy in 2021!
Better Done Quilts 