Author: Pat

One reason I like to share photos of my quilts on Facebook is because they pop back up a decade or so later as a “memory” and make me smile when I see them. I remember not being able to wipe the smile off my face at the lizards I quilted to match the focus fabric in this little quilt. I even drove over to a nearby park to get a picture of it on the playground.

For a time, I enjoyed making “Quilts for Kids” through their official website and this was one of their free kits. They asked that you mail it back finished with another quilt of your own.

I quickly realized I could make and donate double the number of quilts if I didn’t pay shipping costs to send them out of state.

Many years ago a friend told me “do what you love, love what you do” and, I’ve been very fortunate to be able to do exactly that..

Which also brings back a memory of my all time favorite quote ~

When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, ‘I used everything you gave me’. ~ Erma Bombeck

Today I made a trip to Resource Depot, a non-profit materials recycling thrift store.

I wanted to look for a few more rolls of adding machine tape and luckily, I found some! I got these (plus some index cards that I like to use to keep a running grocery list) all for just $2.oo.

Since I like to use paper foundations for my string quilts, these work great for short strings and scraps. These are examples of quilts I’ve made with them.

I also scored a 9 1/2″ Omnigrid ruler for $3.00 or maybe it was $4.00… I don’t remember but I know it was a whole lot less than you’d have to pay for a new one! It’s the exact size I prefer using to trim my string blocks.

Do I need another ruler this size? Yep! I plan to start making string blocks with friends soon so an extra one or two the right size will really come in handy.

I didn’t expect to find any nice quilting fabric but I was pleasantly surprised to find these:

A two yard piece of fabric by wilmington Prints for only $4.oo. It’ll make a great quilt border. I like to select a border fabric before I make my string blocks so I can pull the colors I want to use from there. I think blocks in shades of gold, cream, rust, and brown will look great. I see it with a blue inner border too or, maybe the center string for the blocks Ocean inspired fabrics are always my favorites!

Another two yard piece of fabric by E.E. Shenk for $4.00. It will work great to make a cute kiddo quilt or two.

I probably had a half a dozen ideas on how I can use this cat fabric before I even left the cash register! And, because I love the mission of this non-profit so much I dropped a couple of dollars in the donation box before I left.

I spent about 75% less than what these items would have cost me if I had purchased them at regular retail prices. For sure, I need to make a point of getting over to Resource Depot more often.

Last year, one of our guild members challenged us to make a leaders / enders project using this pieced unit. If you’ve never heard this term in the quilting world you can read all about it on Bonnie Hunter’s Quiltville blog here.

I began making blocks using either white or black depending on what thread I had in the machine at the time.

While piecing the guild’s contest blocks into the top for our South Florida Fair quilt I managed to get a lot of the block units pieced using dark thread.

This week I finished the Leaders / Enders quilt.

I added two black strips and two colored strips to each L/E unit to create log cabin blocks. This quilt will be donated to the Vita Nova group I mentioned in last week’s post.

I’ve been making a string quilt and hand binding it this week, while also thinking about what to create next.

I’d forgotten I’d put a few patriotic quilts in a bin before the holidays. Looking back over my blog posts I can see the blocks were made for this one so it will probably be the next in line. Hopefully, I can finish all my L/E units with white background while using light thread.

I haven’t quilted much since the holidays because I had a short ER visit and subsequent stay for a few tests. Fortunately, it was just high blood pressure, and I got a stern warning to make a few changes.

I’ve been walking daily and gradually increasing the distance. I’m also eating healthier and eating on an intermittent fasting routine (per doctor’s recommendation), with an eating window from 2 to 6 pm every day. I’m also avoiding stress and drinking lots and lots of water. Sadly, I had to part ways with my old friend – Diet Mt. Dew. I’m doing well with all the changes and ready to get back to sewing so let’s talk quilts.

One of our guild members is associated with the Vita Nova organization. You can learn more about them by clicking on this link and reading their mission statement below:

“Vita Nova is a safe bridge to independence for former foster care and homeless youth through supportive housing, education, employment, and life skills training. They aim to eliminate homelessness for youth ages 18 to 25 in Palm Beach County. “

I’ve had some quilts ready to donate for a while, waiting for the right organization. When I heard they needed quilts, I recognized the Vita Nova name from a thrift store they ran years ago and knew it was an organization doing great things in the community. This was the right place for those quilts. I’m donating the six below and hope to make more in the future.

I usually don’t wash quilts before donating unless they’re for a hospital or a baby. I decided to go ahead and wash these so they’ll have a cozy, crinkly feel. I also want to avoid any young person worrying they damaged the quilt the first time they washed it and saw it crinkled up in the dryer. 😊