Retreat weekend projects

This Past Month

I haven't been idle...  

In Lawrence, Kaw Valley invited us to have a Quilts of Valor booth.  Here's a picture of me & my good buddy, Shirley.  She cranks out Quilts of Valor like a woman possessed.  Seriously.  She and her sewing group are prolific and generous.  I've become a far better quilter just by being in her company & will always be grateful for having known her.

Here's me with Tammy & crew from Marmalade Fabrics.  Tammy lives dangerously near me (less than a mile, people) and she has all of this beautiful fabric in her home.  For this show, she brought it all to sell.  Check out the stack of solids I got!  And the vintage sewing box!  Five BUCKS for that sewing box.  SCORE!

I put those fabrics with some other blue and orange solids I've been hoarding collecting and I think they make a lovely palette.  These will be used to make a robot for Owen.  Not sure yet what pattern (if any) I will use, though.

Next on my sewing to do list was to make a weighted blanket for Wyatt.  They say that children with Autism and Sensory Processing Disorder sometimes sleep more soundly & are comforted by weighted blankets.  I used poly fil beads that I found at Michaels next to the batting.  This was a first attempt.  It's a little bigger than a placemat & I plan to try using it to keep him at the dinner table by using it in his lap.  He is "sensory seeking", so the added weight is a little like a hug to him.  Gives him sensory input & makes him feel calmer.  At least that's the theory.  I used 1 or 2 Tbsp poly fill beads per 3 inch area. Turned out ok.

  

Next up, I used a quilt top that I'd made with 2 charm packs (I might've added a few squares... Cannot recall).  This has been in my WIP pile for some time now.  I used a sheet that I thrifted a while back for the backing & sewed it right sides together like a pillowcase.  Then I turned it right sides out, top stitched around 3 sides & sewed shafts in the ditch along the lines vertically.  As I filled the shafts with 1 Tbsp poly fil beads, I sewed horizontally in the ditch to seal off each row.  I hope my description is clear...  Each 5 inch square has 1 Tbsp of poly fil beads & is sewn shut like a bean bag.  I broke several needles, so go slowly if you make one of these.  Slow sewing isn't something I'm accustomed to. 

I wish I could say that Wyatt likes his new blanket, but that wouldn't be accurate.  When I get him to fall asleep each night, I cover him with it.  I really do think it's made a difference.  When he gets restless in the night, the weight of the quilt seems to comfort him. 

This is a quilt that I'm working on from a tutorial by Ali in the Lovely Linen Bee.  The blocks were made by myself and my bee mates in the KC Scrappy Bee.  I am not sure if it's finished or not.  I would like to add a row on each side to make it larger, but I'm out of white flannel for now.  We shall see.  At the least, it will need a dark border.

Here I am quilting a lap quilt for a veteran.  It's not a Quilt of Valor because it's smaller than their required minimum size, but it will be a comfort to someone who is wheelchair bound as they recover.  My friend, Pam made the top, but I worked a little in the ditch to get it quilted.  Sharon is binding it.  We really have a great team.

Additionally I went to a retreat last weekend and finished THREE tops!  Yay!  Unfortunately, I don't have those pics on my camera just yet.  Will post again soon.  Thanks for reading!

Even More Quilts of Valor

These Quilts of Valor were awarded at Tallgrass Creek Retirement Center in Overland Park, KS to the Vietnam and Korean War Veterans.  1 1/2 years ago, we awarded Quilts of Valor to all the WW II Veterans, POWs and a Holocaust Survivor.  We plan to cover each veteran resident with Quilts of Valor.  This facility is generous by providing us a free space to meet monthly to sew for Quilts of Valor.  The staff and residents are very encouraging and excited about our mission.