THE PERFECT BABY QUILT

 One of the original "Sunday Sew and Sews" had a pattern she created for the perfect baby quilt. Janet Noever called this her SAWTOOTH STAR BABY QUILT. 

Here are two of her creations. Janet usually started with a panel or kid themed fabric for the center:

As simple as it gets, one star block, one border

Janet loved Seminole Piecing and often added it to the baby quilt

Donna D, one of the Sunday Sew and Sews has made several of these, here is her latest, designed for the newest ALABAMA fan:

At the time of Janet's unexpected death in 2020, Janet was in the process of making 50 baby quilts to donate to Huntsville Hospital to be given to children patients. The Sunday Sew and Sews took on completing this project and several months later Janet's quilts were presented to the hospital. I wrote about that here: A Quilter's Legacy

The other quilt Janet loved to make for donations was this one, she called it "My Favorite Donation Quilt". Various strips/widths of kid-themed fabrics couldn't be easier so I am not providing instructions here, but I do have a TUTORIAL:

A little Seminole Piecing for interest makes this a bit more work

When I make this quilt, I start with backing and batting, then "flip and sew" each fabric in place through all three layers. This means it is quilted as it is created. I did a TUTORIAL for my method here: STRIPPY QUILT 

Here are 3 mockups I made in EQ8 to give you ideas for Janet's SAWTOOTH STAR BABY QUILT:

Janet's original design, 36" x 43"

Super Simple, 36" x 36" 

Border Variation, 32" x 44" 

INSTRUCTIONS FOR JANET'S SAWTOOTH STAR BABY QUILT,  36" X 43" finished

Fabric Required:

Center Focus Fabric                Fat Quarter

Star Points                                Fat Quarter or 1/4 yard

Background Fabric                     2/3 yard

Top/Bottom Accent Border          1/6 yard

Border Fabric                             1/2 yard

Cutting Instructions:

Center Focus        cut 14.5" square

Star Points            cut FOUR 8" SQUARES for Half Square Triangles

Background          cut FOUR 8" SQUARES for Half Square Triangles

                              cut FOUR 7.5" SQUARES for Corners

                              cut TWO 2" x Width of Fabric (WOF) strips for top and bottom borders

Accent Border      cut TWO 2.5" x WOF strips for ACCENT BORDER top and bottom

Outer Border        cut FOUR 4.5" x WOF strips for outer borders

QUILT ASSEMBLY INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Make  8 HALF SQUARE TRIANGLES:

 Pair 8" squares of STAR POINT and BACKGROUND fabrics, right sides together

On the WRONG SIDE of the BACKGROUND fabric draw a diagonal line 

Sew 1/4" from BOTH SIDES of the DIAGONAL LINES 

Cut apart on the drawn line, press toward the Star point fabric, OR press the seam OPEN, your choice

Trim to 7.5" square

2. Sew the EIGHT Half Square Triangles into PAIRS:

3. ASSEMBLE THE QUILT CENTER using the quilt diagram as a guide:

 Sew the Star Block by adding corners to TWO of the Star Point Pairs, press toward corners

Sew Star Point Pairs to each side of the Center Square, press toward center

Join the THREE rows to create the middle of the quilt

4. ADDING BORDERS--from here on MEASURE YOUR QUILT to determine what size to cut the borders:

Accent Borders: Cut TWO borders from strips previously cut 2.5" x your quilt measurement. In a perfect world it is 28.5" wide, yours may differ a little

Attach Accent Borders to Top and Bottom of Star Block, press toward Accent Borders

Background Borders: Cut TWO borders from background fabric strip, 2" x your quilt measurement

Attach Background Borders to Top and Bottom Accent Borders, press toward Accent Borders

Outer Borders: Cut TWO borders for the Left and Right Sides. MEASURE YOUR QUILT to determine what size to cut them, 4.5" x your measurement. In a perfect world they are 35.5"

Attach Left and Right borders, press toward the outer borders

Cut TWO borders for the Top and Bottom. MEASURE YOUR QUILT. In a perfect world they are cut 4.5" x 36.5". It is MOST IMPORTANT borders be cut to the SIZE NEEDED so the quilt will be flat and square.

Feel free to change your borders, add more or less. Create Pieced Borders if you like. Keep in mind, it is best to keep the finished size to no WIDER than 40" so regular quilt fabric can be used as the backing without the need to enlarge the back. 

This quilt is fast and easy to make. It is easy to alter in many ways. We are all thankful to Janet for her friendship and her great organizational skills that made it easy for us to complete her important project.

 See the earlier post to see Janet's great notebook: Janet's Donation Quilt Project . See the post that shows all the finished DONATION QUILTS

Let's quilt!

Barbara

SUNDAY SEW AND SEWS

 In December 2016, a couple of fairly new students asked me if I thought they were "capable" of making the 2017 Block of the Month quilt for The Quilt Show, Halo Star Medallion, designed by Sue Garman:

I told them they were capable, BUT it would not be a fast, throw-together quilt, and they would learn a lot from it. I had no plans to make it but would answer any questions they had.

After thinking about it, I decided I would enjoy putting a small group together to work on this quilt. I reached out to my quilt guild Facebook group and had to stop taking names when I reached 15 people! As I was busy teaching a lot, the only two hours a month I had were on Sunday afternoon--so we became the Sunday Sew and Sews. 

Most of them are still members and while not everyone works on the current Block of the Month quilt with The Quilt Show, they all learn from what it can teach us. And most importantly, they have become close friends, with me and each other.

Last Sunday we met and Show and Tell is always a highlight. Enjoy:

Donna D has two adorable grandchildren. Auston gets this Alphabet/I Spy quilt:

 

And Miss E gets this Numbers quilt--both totally appropriate gifts from their retired schoolteacher grandma!

Donna also showed us this wedding gift she made, pattern and colors selected by the couple:

Then we got to see this amazing Western Sun made by Jodie L. She started it in a local class I taught and it is the same size as mine, 110" x 110", why you can't see the entire quilt here. She used a wide variety of 1800's reproduction fabrics, as did I, so I LOVE this quilt! And her accent squares are red, while mine were cheddar: 

Pam R showed off this wonderful Kim Diehl pattern, another great quilt with lots of fabrics:

And Pam went in a completely different direction with this. The center is a Robin Ruth's designs Mariner's Compass. I don't recall the story of the corner blocks--I believe they are from Kaffe Fassett prints:

Judi H has been enjoying bluework--hand embroidery with blue thread: 

And Judi had a new baby to welcome into the world. Brenda M, one of the original instigators of the Sunday Sew and Sews, quilted this for Judi, and the top was made from another Sunday Sew and Sews pattern. The late Janet Noever designed this as her go-to donation quilt pattern for many quilts she made and gave to local hospitals. After she passed the Sunday Sew and Sews helped complete about 50 of them:

Life is just one big circle, good and bad, happy and sad. We share all the "stuff of life" with each other.

This week we lost one of our beloved members, Nancy Hill Watts:

Many years ago Nancy had breast cancer. About two years ago, it returned and she underwent lots of treatments again and felt she was back in good health. In November she found out the cancer had spread to her lungs and her time with us was limited. Sadly, she passed away February 6, 2023.

Nancy loved all forms of needlework and will be greatly missed by many friends who shared that love with her. And her family. And her former work colleagues. And all who knew her. Her obituary taught me things I didn't know about her life before I came into it, as a quilter. Nancy Hill Watts

 

I have written about Sunday Sew and Sews many times--you can tell they are important  to me. Check out a few special posts here:

Janet's Legacy

A Tribute

Halo Star Medallion quilts-- check out THS POST to see the amazing Halo Star Medallion tops that came out of that first year 

The best thing a quilter can do is to surround her/him self with a special group of like-minded friends. All it takes is someone to say "Would you be interested in getting together?" 

We are all better as people and quilters because of the bonds of love and friendship we have built over these years. And it goes on.

Let's quilt.

Barbara

Charity Quilts and the Joy of Giving

 Sunday was the day the Sunday Sew and Sews presented Janet's daughter, Nancy, with the 52 Charity quilts Janet had begun. Janet passed away suddenly in February 2020, from a stroke, and this project needed to be adopted.

I have written about this several times:  A Quilters Legacy is the comprehensive post about this project. The Sunday Sew and Sews took on completing all of the quilt tops--quilting and binding them all. It was our way to honor Janet as our friend, and pass on the good wishes in these quilts she so wanted to share. 

Of course, it's the time of COVID so we met at my  home wearing masks. Do you recognize anyone?

How about now? That's better. Masks off for the photo: 

It is hard to see the scope of all the quilts here--52 in various sizes. Some are perfect for NICU donations, some for hospitalized children and a few are large enough to make good donations to the local Veteran's home.  A few more shots of the big pile:

Janet designed this very simple quilt specifically for her donation quilts--so easy to make, simple to finish and the perfect size for a young child. She called it the "Sawtooth Star Baby Quilt". This one is "fancied up" a bit with Seminole piecing borders, a technique Janet was very fond of. This quilt is 35" square:

Here is one I finished, from the giveaway Janet did for the Sunday Sew and Sews last summer. I wrote about that here: What Did I Keep?

Nancy has the huge task of settling Janet's estate. She is not a quilter but she appreciates the passion for and love of quilting her mother had in abundance. And she appreciates the work that was put forth to bring Janet's donation project to completion. Totally unexpected, Nancy came loaded with Thank You bags that she shared with everyone, including the two who couldn't make it. Inside were 6 Baby Bites cakes and a gift card to Starbucks. Nancy handing out the goodies:

Next week the quilts will be presented to Madison/Huntsville Hospital for distribution to patients there. We know these quilts will bring joy to those who receive them and we are all happy to celebrate the life of our friend Janet in this way. 

You learned it a long time ago: "Tis better to give than to receive". Completing this project brought joy to us as well. Do something kind for someone today. It matters. 

And wash  your hands.

Let's quilt,

Barbara

Quilting and More Quilting

 I am in the middle of a quilting frenzy. Not in a bad way. 

Now that the "secret sewing" is done, and the taping of The Quilt Show is behind me, I have started lots of basting and quilting of tops that are ready to be finished.

Just a taste:

A NEW class to be taught locally at a NEW shop September 26, It's a Puzzle:

Another NEW class, to be taught October 10, Cobblestones: 

The back of Cobblestones: 

Yesterday, I started this--Afternoon Delight--Small Sample, made with demo blocks from the blog. So far I have stitched in the ditch with Microquilter thread, stitched around all of the Shoo Fly blocks, and echo quilted two of the applique blocks. Next up is a switch to red thread to quilt diagonal lines through the Double 9 Patch blocks:

Every time I baste a quilt, I prepare a small test sandwich with the same fabrics, top and bottom, and the same batting, so I can test thread color and tension before quilting the actual quilt: 

A good tip: use a busy, printed back if you don't want every wobble or oops to show: 

Yesterday I made this 9 patch top, nine 12" blocks, to use for Natalia Bonner's "9 PatchALong" using her mini 4-in-1 tools---I have both of them and want to learn to use them better. The sashing here is 1.5" finished, I wish I had made it 2" finished. She is quilting a printed panel you can buy--I have a sinful amount of fabric so dug into my Amish solids boxes. The Patch-A-Long is free and will run for 5 weeks, twice a week, Tuesday and Thursday--find it on YouTube, or her website or Facebook page: 

More basting, Stars and Stripes, a Quilt of Valor:

The next to be basted, Patriotic Pineapple, another Quilt of Valor:

And the next to be basted after that, "Janet's Happy Village", a top by my friend Janet. I will use this fantastic fabric I also got from Janet--it was the perfect size for the back of this quilt so I changed my original plan to make the village smaller:

One other finish, a donation quilt, one of the 50 of Janet's project quilts that the Sunday Sew and Sews are finishing for her. This Sunday we will present the 50 completed quilts to Janet's daughter and she will get them to the organizations which will receive them:

I still find it a little sad that I have no airplane rides booked currently, but that will change in the future, lots of contracts are being written for future travel. In the meantime, I keep happily busy in my studio.

Let's quilt,

Barbara

A Quilter's Legacy

A couple months ago, a quilter friend of mine passed away after a long and fulfilling life. Find out more about Janet here:  A Tribute

Janet made lots of quilts for donation to various organizations, like the hospital NICU, Veteran's home, and others. Her daughter found a large stack of these in progress. Janet had a goal to make 50 of these but did not complete her task.

The Sunday Sew and Sews agreed to finish this project in her honor. Recently, Janet's daughter brought four carloads of stuff to my house for this reason. It has taken some time to organize all the quilts to get them ready for the Sunday Sew and Sews to pick up but they are ready:

Janet was very organized. She had a notebook with four typewritten pages of all the donation quilt tops she had made. That was enormously helpful to me as I found each top, selected a back, batting and binding for each and got it ready for someone to complete:

 The binder also held many patterns Janet had collected over many years for donation quilts--from magazine pages to those printed off the Internet, all neatly stored in the binder.

Just one page of four

The sizes she used the most for various purposes

It took the better part of 2 days to get all the quilt tops ready. There were at least 50 bins of fabric to go through for backings and bindings and bags of batting to cut. I found good selections for each quilt, including the 3 that needed borders added or backing pieced together.

Dining Room Command Central

Garage Staging Area

Janet had two favorite designs she liked for the quilts she made for children. One pattern she designed in 2004, she called the Sawtooth Star Quilt. Janet loved Seminole Piecing and often added it to these quilts as well as her own:

With Seminole pieced border

Very simple border

The one she called "My Favorite Donation Quilt: is very simple--she let the fabric do the talking:

Super Simple

Seminole Pieced borders

Some little boy will love this

Both of these patterns finish at less than 45" wide so one length of fabric makes the back. It take 1.25 yards for the back and just over 1/3 yard for binding.

When people say "I don't have time to make donation quilts" I will think of these and how easy they are to put together. 

Once in a while she made a more time-consuming quilt to donate:

Floating Stars--she probably got these in a swap

Two of the Sunday Sew and Sews volunteered to quilt a bunch of them on their longarms. Robin took 16 and Holly took 10. All I had to do was be sure I gave them all the yardage needed for big backs and batting and binding for all those quilts.  There was a full roll of Warm and White batting and many bags of 3 yards of 90" wide batting, so plenty on hand for the longarmers and plenty to cut into pieces for the remaining 20+ quilts to be done on domestic machines.

When the 26 being quilted by Robin and Holly are done, they will pass them on, along with the binding I included for each quilt, to another Sunday Sew and Sew for final completion.

Now the Fun Part: Once I had all the quilts prepared, I could look through the bins to see what I might want. Oh, yes, we each get 3 bins for our own personal use. There are thousands of yards of fabric here:

As I am making Quilts of Valor at the moment, I was thrilled to find yardage of reds and blues I can use for borders and backs--thanks, Janet! She tended to buy everything--all colors--all styles, fat quarters and 3 yard pieces. The women will have fun this weekend picking out their 3 bins to take home.

One simple rule: no cherry-picking, you take the whole box. Fortunately, Janet had things pretty much in organized groups in the bins. There is sure to be something here to make everyone happy. Three people have already come to get quilts to work on--they were surprised to see all these boxes to choose from.

There are also lots of books--some she even had two copies of. Sadly, today most quilters don't want books, they want to find everything for free on the Internet or YouTube. There are some real gems here, some from 25 years ago, some very recent. I hope they find a new home. If you are looking for a specific book from the past, let me know, it might be here  and I'm  happy to share:

Last Summer, Janet did a giveaway of TONS of fabric and she told us there was still plenty left. Read about that here: Do I NEED More Fabric?  She was right...

I thought I have a lot of fabric, now, really I don't feel so bad. While I often say "I have a sinful amount of fabric"  what I really mean is "I am the curator of an extensive personal textile collection".

Janet would be pleased to know her 50 or more donation quilts will be finished and donated in the next few months. We are pleased to do it in her honor and memory and her family is ever-so grateful. Do you have a "final arrangements plan" for your stash? Since none of us will live forever, that's not a bad idea. 

Let's quilt,

Barbara