Quilt-Finished

  

I have been working on a Missouri Star Quilt designed by 3 Dudes Quilting. You can see a video here.  For me, the hardest part of any quilt is the actual quilting.  I don't turn my finished quilt tops over to a professional quilter.  A lot of people do.  I don't for two reasons.  One, it's my quilt and I don't think I can claim it if I have someone else do part of it. Two, it is expensive to have a quilt finished and I am cheap.

If you have been following my blog, you will have seen progress on this jelly roll quilt. ( A jelly roll is a roll of strips of fabric cut into 4 foot lengths. all the fabric goes well together and it is a way to make a fabulous quilt in less time.  Check out the video!)

I had to take a break.  I was tired of quilting.  I made some baskets, I made some pillow cases for Ryan's Case For Smiles and I was ready to finish the quilt.  Plus, I had decided I wanted to gift it for Christmas, so I had to get it done!

The fabric isn't pink.  It just looks like it in this light.

 

You can see the stitch in the ditch, and free motion quilting detail best on the back of the quilt.  I used a thread that blended in with the back, but you can still see the detail at the right angle.  

Even after you finish the quilting and the binding, you aren't quite done.  You need to snip off any stray threads and to clean and iron your quilt.

  

The fibers from the batting in the middle gets on top of the quilt when you are working with it. At least mine does.

  

I like to a use a sticky roller over both sides of the quilt to pull off any stuck fibers.  And the occasional me hair!  I like to press my finished quilt to make it crisp looking and get rid of any wrinkles.

  

Then I am done!  I always take a picture of a finished quilt.

   

And now I can start on the knitting project I have been thinking about.

Ryan's Case For Smiles

  

I saw a notice in the paper about a group that makes pillowcases for children in the hospital.  This is an organization called Ryan's Case for Smiles.  They try to give a pillowcase to every child admitted to the hospital.  In this case, the local group gives the cases to the children in Carilion's Children's Hospital.  There are a lot of organizations that focus on research and cures, but Ryan's Case tries to improve the quality of life for the children undergoing treatment.

The article was asking for volunteers.  It sounded like the kind of thing I would like.  I got in touch with my friend Doris and she said she would go with me.  In addition to showing up and helping, they asked for donations and 1 1/2 yards of colorful fabric.

  

I brought my sewing machine and Doris brought fabric for both of us.  The event was held at the Church of the Transfiguration in Fincastle.  There were several stations set up to make cases in an assembly line.  The fabric was already cut for the body and the top hem.  One group folded and pinned the cloth for the first seam.  They used a "burrito" fold, which I had never heard of.

  

I was paired with another newcomer to sew that seam on the "burrito" and pass it on to the ironing and finishing stations.

  

Over the course of the day we made 200 finished pillowcases and had many in various stages of completion.  It was a tiring day for me, because it hurts to sit for long periods of time, but I met a lot of nice people and I felt good about doing something for children.  If you hear about a group in your area, you might want to check it out. No sewing skills necessary!