Helping Hands 2 Help 2014

Sarah over at Confessions of a Fabric Addict has a really worthwhile project going on now.

Through Hands 2 Help charity Quilt Challenge 2014 people are making quilts for 3 organizations: Quilts of Compassion, Happy Chemo, and folks recovering from Hurricane Sandy.

Not only is it a great cause, but there are also discounts, free patterns and other give-aways.

It's not too late to sign up.  Head on over to:

http://confessionsofafabricaddict.blogspot.com/2014/03/make-list-monday-hands2help-other-things.html

Marjorie K. Rawlings Quilt?

Tragic Ending For a Quilt

On our Spring Break trip we made a side trip to the Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings State Park.  We might not have even noticed the small sign except that Little S's school is named for her. It was out in the middle of nowhere but worth it to see how excited Little S was to be there.  

Unfortunately it was not a day for inside tours but we were able to poke around and explore outside. Look what we found covering the chicken coop!

What a sad ending for a completely hand stitched quilt - covering a chicken coop. The coop already had a roof so it was unclear what the purpose of the quilt was. Maybe to cover the sides at night but it didn't appear to be big enough for that.  The greenish fabric under & next to the quilt appeared to be a table cloth and was in much better shape.

At first I thought the extreme difference in colors was fade or the back folded over the front, but it was just very different fabrics. Some of the stripes were completely shredded up to the seams.  I was tempted to take it off and spread it out to photograph flat but I was afraid it would fall apart even more. It was raining while we were there and it had obviously been rained on many times already. 

The girls asked why I didn't take the quilt and rescue it from its fate.  Even they recognized that this was not the proper use of a quilt. I do wonder if it had belonged to Marjorie Rawlings or was from the caretakers. Either way, what a shame. 

Note: Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings (August 8, 1896 – December 14, 1953) was an American author who lived in rural Florida and wrote novels with rural themes and settings.  Probably best known for The Yearling which was made into a movie starring Gregory Peck.

Stash report 031614

Back to sewing after a few weeks of forced separation from the sewing machine.  Yippee!!  So I have fabric moving out again.

Sashings, inner and outer borders on the blue & green baby quilt DONE.  All scraps and fabric from the stash. 

Fabric Used This Week:   1.7 yds for sashings, inner and outer borders

Total Used 2014:  16.7 yards

Fabric In This Week:  0 yds 

Total Bought/Received in 2014: 7.25 yards

Net Used 2014: 9.45 yards

Now to see what I can use up to make a backing.

Go see some other stash reports at  Patchwork Times

Strawberry Picking

I see more strawberry jam in my future.

Visiting my sister to kick start our Spring Break. Went strawberry picking at Spivey Farms. Fill a quart basket for 50 cents.  Kept filling and filling and dumping into our own containers.

   And eating and eating!  On our way out paid  on the honor system. 

 We ended up with 26 quarts for $13.  Wow. Way better than the grocery store in price and taste.   Sure wish it was closer to home so we could do it every year.

Flimsy at Last

Took longer than I had hoped but I finally got the top done.  R was home from college briefly, I was called in to work extra days, etc, etc but the delay worked out fine.  I had more time to think about getting the borders on since I was unable to sew so I changed my original plan and went with solid corners in the outer border. I like having more yellow to liven it up even more for a baby and it was easier. So when I finally got 15 min to sew again it was DONE!

Thanks to a situation that has been hanging overhead for ages reaching resolution the quilt doesn't have to be done by mid-March after all. Phew!  I am happier for the resolution than the postponing because it means that we are good for overseas travel again!!  So I can hand-deliver!!!! either the pink quilt or this quilt to the new niece or nephew in Guatemala this summer.  We are so excited!

Spring break is next week. I will have plenty of time to get it quilted and then get this quilt and the pink & purple quilt bound for sure.  I am eager to get back to the red, white and blue quilt. 

Found a great place to photograph the quilt while killing time waiting for Middle E's activity - a 20 min drive for a 1 hr meeting in a really out of the way place :(   Little S remembered the playground at the athletic field nearby and saved us from sitting in a parking lot!  The view from the top of the slide/bridge is perfect to get a nearly direct overhead shot.   I have a feeling we will be back!

Linking up with Confessions of a Fabric Addict to show off a finish.

Strawberry Jam

Yummy!  A goal this year was to make jam and jelly when fruits reached their lowest price of the season. I already made apple and here is some strawberry.

I will get more strawberries during spring break next week and make more. It is always the most popular.  I give most of it away as hostess, thank you and teacher gifts. Can't go wrong with homemade jelly and a loaf of fresh bread!!

Scrappy Challenge Near Finish

I almost got it done.   The center is finished.  I need a few more keys on the piano though.  Came up a little short there. 

I have a great excuse.  It is R's Spring Break and she is home from college for 5 days.  Yippee!  I would not trade that for anything.  Her sisters are loving it.  It is so nice to see them all together again.  Not sure when we will have her again, so we are taking advantage of every minute.

In this upside down picture you can see the January Scrappy Challenge block in the upper left and lower right.  The February Blocks are in the center of each outer side.  The 4 center blocks are stars made from the leftovers of my Smith Mountain Morning with a few adaptations to work with the scraps and colors for this quilt.  The upper right and lower left are churn dash blocks - making do with what I had.

It has to be completely finished by mid-March in order to get hand delivered to Guatemala for the new baby.  It will be.  After R leaves I will pour myself into it instead of moping around missing her!!

This was a good challenge for me.  Gave me something to focus on for a needed quilt instead of spending too much time agonizing over choosing the perfect design.  I enjoyed learning new units.  It all went together quickly.  I look forward to March's block.

See some other scrappy finishes at Patchwork Times