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A few weeks ago, in my post from Florida, I shared a photo of a big boo-boo in the block I’d made in class.

I told the ladies in the class that I’d fix it. And I did, as you can see in the photo at the top of this post 😊. Whew!

The lecture I presented to the Southwest Florida Quilters guild is one I call Quilt Tales. I present it while wearing my father’s tuxedo, and I share stories of my quilt journey and the lessons I’ve learned along the way. One of the stories is about a doll I made many years ago in a class with Eleanor Peace Bailey. Her name is Elise.

If you’ve heard my lecture you may remember that my friend Mary, who was with me in Paducah that year, ended up making a doll of her own after seeing mine (it’s a crazy story). She named her doll Evita.

After the lecture in Florida, Robin told me about a doll she’d made in a class with Eleanor. She’s a mermaid and her name is Miranda (thanks for sending the photo Robin!)

Robin asked me if I knew that Elinor passed away last May. I did not and was saddened by the news. Elinor was a fascinating woman and her dolls are a riot. I found her blog on the internet and got lost in her adventures.

To visit it for yourself and discover the joy that is Elinor click here. I feel very blessed to have taken a class with her.

This got me to thinking about the other dolls I have, even if I don’t actually play with them anymore. Sommer asked to make a bracelet with my beads last week and she found this small doll in my large collection of beads and other things. She is only 6″ long and I never named her. I purchased her from a friend in the Milwaukee Art Quilters a long time ago. Pat made many imaginative dolls to sell, and this one actually has a pin back so she can be worn.

Maybe I’ll ask Sommer to name her the next time she’s here.

I don’t have a large doll collection, but don’t we all have a few special ones adorning our homes? In the kids room upstairs we have an interesting antique buggy we purchased at a friend’s rummage years ago. It’s filled with some of my favorite dolls. The ones on the left belonged to my great Aunt Marion. Sarah, the patriotic doll third from the left, was purchased at a craft fair, and I made Molly when my kids were small.

What’s interesting about this buggy is that it can convert to a stroller for toddlers by removing the cushion and exposing the well in the middle where kids can place their feet. So clever!

And then there are my mom’s Nancy Lynn Storybook Dolls. I found a display case for them in Galena, IL years ago and am so grateful to have them.

On top of the case are my yo-yo doll couple. I posted their story way back in 2015. Click here if you’d like to read about them ~ along with a few of my yo-yo quilts. So, I was very interested when a month ago, while at our Sisters of the Cloth retreat, I noticed Sandy had a new friend with her. An adorable yo-yo dog!

She told me her grandmother made many yo yo dolls and she even had a photo of one of them ~ delightful.

After putting together this post I couldn’t resist giving Mary a call. We hadn’t been together for way too long. We decided to meet for lunch and bring “the girls”. It was a fun time of remembering and giggling for all of us!

Perhaps the next time the kids are over I should take all my dolls down and we can have some fun using our imaginations.

Do you have a special doll you’d like to share with the group? Please send a photo and the story to me at:

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And some additional “limited time” information for quilters in southeastern Wisconsin. I was at a fun retreat this past weekend in Mukwanago with my friends in our Fabric-ators group. On our “go to lunch and shop hop” day out, Deb suggested we go to Coins and Quilts in Hales Corners, WI (in the southwest corner of Milwaukee County). Connie and Robert have recently moved their shop to a new location at 5158 S 108 St (Hwy 100), and the deals were jaw dropping! Here’s the scoop:

“We have decided to extend our Grand Reopening Sale through March 31.

$6.00/yd on Bolted Fabric on the Sale Side. Minimum 1yd Cut

$5.00/yd on Bolted Fabric on the Sale Side if You take what is left on the Bolt.

40% Off all Fleece, Wideback & 54″ Wide Fabric on the Sale Side.

40% Off all Kits, Precuts, Fabric Bundles, Books, Single Cuts, TADA Papers & Full Interfacing Rolls On the Sale Side.

15% Off Everything on the Non-Clearance Side.”

 We had a blast, and we did our best to help Connie and Robert make room for new fabrics!

But we did leave quite a bit behind 😁. The website for Coins and Quilts is: coinsandquilts.com.

Then we went back to Tall Pines Retreat Center to sew, laugh, eat and just enjoy being friends. Greetings from the Fabric-ators!

Way back in May of 2021 I announced on my blog that I was planning to lead a trip to England and Wales, with a focus on the Birmingham Quilt Show. Sadly, a fresh pandemic scare caused that show to be canceled. At that point I started thinking about all the wonderful quilting adventures I’ve had, and I realized that I’d reached a point where I was ready to step down from leading trips, and start being one of the travelers in the “back of the bus” 😊. So, when Kristi Mirocha, my dear friend and skilled travel planner, announced she was planning a trip to the British show ~ I was one of the first to sign up! We’ll be traveling from July 31 – August 11, and oh the sites we’ll see!

Here’s the information directly from Kristi’s trip flyer:

We are so excited to be able to offer this small group trip in 2024. The aim of this tour is to see the best of local sights, offer textile-related exploration, take in the local culture, and provide free time for you to explore as you wish to make this trip truly your own. With the numbers expected for this summer’s travel overseas, the hotels have offered us 15 rooms at this time. Don’t delay if the phenomenal Festival of Quilts or the beautiful country of Wales has been on your bucket list!

These are some of the wonderful destinations included in the trip:

And here’s the itinerary:

Wednesday, July 31, 2024 • Departure ~ Our journey begins as participants travel to London, England.
Thursday, August 1, 2024 • London ~ Upon landing in London and clearing customs, travelers will transfer to our London Heathrow airport hotel. Depending on your arrival time, the day is yours to explore or rest. This evening, we will enjoy a welcome dinner at a local restaurant.
Friday, August 2, 2024 • Birmingham ~ After breakfast we depart for Birmingham, stopping to explore along the way. We will travel the leisurely lanes of the Cotswolds, past bubbling brooks and quaint villages, stopping to explore as our schedule permits. We end the day in Birmingham, our home for the next three nights.
Saturday & Sunday, August 3 & 4, 2024 • Birmingham ~ We participate in the excitement and learning of the Festival of Quilts.
Monday, August 5, 2024 • Aberystwyth ~ After leaving Birmingham, we head westward, enjoying the scenery of Northern Wales, exploring castles and seaside villages and end the day in Aberystwyth.
Tuesday, August 6, 2024 • Aberystwyth ~ Our focus today is Welsh patchwork and other textile arts. Numerous stops featuring fabric, yarns, and haberdashery.
Wednesday, August 7, 2024 • Swansea ~ We enjoy a tour of Southern Wales as we make our way to Swansea, our home for the next two nights.
Thursday, August 8, 2024 • Swansea ~ Today finds us touring Southwestern Wales before we return to Swansea and dinner on our own tonight.
Friday, August 9, 2024 • London ~ We depart for London after breakfast, visiting sights enroute, leaving time for a panoramic tour of London to get our city bearings.
Saturday, August 10, 2024 • London ~ This morning, we tour various city sights before setting you free to explore London as you wish before a farewell dinner together.
Sunday, August 11, 2024 • Transfer to Heathrow airport today for the flight home.

Click here for the flyer with all the details, along with the form to sign up and join us on this once in a lifetime advernture!

Hanna, Will, Sommer, and my grandniece Lily have all learned to stitch a small quilt when they were around five years old. When Trey was five I asked him if he wanted to make a quilt and he responded “no thanks”. So, a few weeks ago Mike picked up Trey after school and brought him home alone because Sommer had an after school activity. He wanted to see the quilt I was working on in my studio, and as we talked about it I mentioned that the others had made quilts, but when he was younger he didn’t want to. His response: “Can I make one now?” 😀

Grandma was thrilled. He had a blast picking fabrics from my charm squares box, and arranging them just right.

Since he’s almost 9 (his birthday is this Tuesday) we decided he could use my Bernina, I just needed to raise the foot pedal a few inches off the floor and he was ready to sew. He loved “going fast”, but then I needed to slow down the motor speed and teach him about control ~ and a 1/4″ seam allowance. He focused well!

Sommer took a picture of him when he got the top done:

He chose a Spiderman flannel for the back, and the next week he layered everything and stitched all the way around, leaving an opening to turn. This past Wednesday it was time to turn everything right-side-out and quilt it.

He sewed every stitch himself, and learned about pinning and ironing too. I think he was pleased, and his favorite “squishy” was going to be wrapped up warm that night.

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Also, this past Saturday was the Winter Quilt Show, hosted by the Wisconsin Museum of Quilts and Fiber Arts. I was supposed to be at a retreat this past week also, but I ended up snuggled on the couch with a head cold and missed it all. I did however enter two quilts in the show, and I was thrilled to discover they both won second place in their categories: Citrus Splash in the Modern Category

and A Walk in the Paper-y Woods in the Art/Improv category.

Praise the Lord! Thanks to Blue Bar Quilts in Madison for sponsoring these awards. And thanks to the museum for hosting this lovely show ~ and for the pretty ribbons.

As I began writing this post I was really wishing I’d been able to see all the quilts. A day later I received an email from the Quilt Museum with a link to photos of the winners of this year’s show! WooHoo! I couldn’t see all the quilts, but I really enjoyed this glimpse at some of them. You can click here to see them too!

And… if you have the opportunity to visit the museum soon, I know you’ll enjoy their current exhibit which is in it’s last week: Conversations in Cloth / Kapad ni Vatchit / કાપડ ની વાતચીત. There is also an exhibit of art quilts from the group “Women Who Run With Scissors” in the stairwell mini-gallery. Don’t miss it! Mike and I found it all fascinating!

In last week’s post, as well as this one, I’m taking trips down memory lane by repeating some oldies but goodies from way back in my early days of blogging (with a few updates). 

Last week I shared information from a long ago post about getting a perfect scant 1/4″ seam allowance. As I “copied” and “pasted” the information I noticed the word “kisses” was in blue, meaning it would link to an even older post. I’d used that word as a descriptive way to say “just touching the blue line” (click here to read last week’s post).

So where would that “kisses” link send me? To a post from January 2, 2011 – and I truly laughed out loud! I had forgotten about that New Year’s post entitled “Puckerless”.

Here’s the way it began:

Happy New Year! The tradition of kissing your sweetie at midnight on New Years Eve gave me the idea for my topic of the week :-).

A kiss involves puckering and that can be a good thing:

But sometimes its better to pucker less:

This is especially true when machine quilting! Even if you use a walking foot those pesky puckers have a way of sneaking in on the top and on the back too.

Do any of you remember that post from way back in 2011? If so, please let me know. I’m guessing the majority of you reading this blog joined me more recently. The photos are pretty funny (thanks to family members who puckered up for the camera), but the subject is relevant today. I’m still using those techniques for avoiding puckers in piecing and quilting. They are tried and true, and so I’ve decided to do a bit of a review for anyone interested.

To avoid puckers on the back of a small quilt in preparation for quilting I use masking tape to secure the back to the table or floor. I prefer a table because my back and knees don’t work as well as they used to, and when on a table ~ clamps along the edges work great, with tape along the sides that don’t reach to the edge.

Once the back is taut, the batting and top may be smoothed on top and the pinning can begin. I’ve found this very helpful, but be careful not to stretch the back since this can cause the quilt to shrink up when the tape is removed ~ which leads to puckers on the front ~ ugh.

I’ve also found that when I put a stretchy fabric on the back of my quilts, like fleece or minky, I have to be very careful not to stretch the back at all. I just smooth it flat and clamp/tape it to the table.

For larger quilts I’ve shared my basic quilt frame technique before.

Rather than reposting it here, It’s just simpler to send you to that original post if you’re interested. Click here for all the step-by-step information!

So how do I avoid puckers on the top? Here’s a portion from my original post on this topic:

Even if you safety pin baste your quilt sandwich together well (every 3 or 4 inches), and use a walking foot, those pesky puckers still tend to sneak in. So what’s my favorite tip for avoiding this frustration? I call it my “3 Pin Technique” and it’s actually quite simple.

1.  Put the needle down at the beginning of the line you wish to quilt (I plan to quilt between the light and dark purple areas on my fabric).

2. Place a straight quilting pin (mine have yellow heads in the picture) perpendicular to the quilting line and about 1  1/2″ from the needle. Place the second straight pin 1 1/2″ further down the line and repeat for the third pin.

3.  Stitch along the line to the first pin, and then remove it. Continue this way to the second and third pins.

4.  Repin ahead of the needle as in step 2 and continue along the entire line.

Although this may seem a bit tedious, you can really get into a rhythm and the “easing” action of the pins will make pucker problems a thing of the past. The feedback from my students has been great!

So, do you have any tips for avoiding puckers on the front or back of your quilts? Please share them with us!

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And… a follow up to last week’s post:

My dear friend and fellow quilting instructor, Margaret Gawlik, sent me a lovely email after my last post. In it she shared photos of some of the ways she’s made blocks of different sizes fit together, and she said I could share these ideas with you. Here are the photos and the explanations she sent:

“The first quilt shows your “on point” idea … worked fabulous in making a charity quilt bed-size with some odd sized blocks.  (I have another group of orphan blocks & need to do this again!)

When guild members gave me blocks, I finally figured out this method to make them all the same size … and large enough for a bed size quilt, since they started out 6″.

I love this ~ sampler blocks in the middle of stars - brilliant! And Margaret continues:

And this is my version of a barn quilt, and a way to make rectangles into squares that all could be made the same size “

Making rectangles into squares and pairing them with log cabin blocks – very clever!

Thanks so much Margaret!

Over the years I’ve had the opportunity to organize group quilts for charity events. I’ve also been the recipient of stacks of blocks made by a number of different people. And – I can’t count the number of times quilters in my Open Lab classes brought stacks of blocks like this in, in hopes of my having a method to put them together. The following are some techniques I’ve used a lot and posted about before, but some things just bear repeating. I hope you’ll find them helpful.

No matter how we try, there is no way for all quilters everywhere to sew with identical seam allowances. So what do we do when we want to make these types of group quilts?

Well, if you are in a group where each member is making the same block, I do have a suggestion from a post I wrote about back in 2011. It’s a great technique for keeping your own seam allowances consistent too, and I share it often in my classes. Here’s the story that confirmed it really works:

In 2006 I was asked to organize the making of a queen sized quilt that would hang in the sanctuary of the church I was attending at that time. I recently realized I never took a photo of that quilt, and was saddened not to have it included in my photo collection. So I made a call and was so pleased to have the church secretary send this to me:

As you can see, the “quilting committee” decided on a watercolor style quilt. We asked the congregation to donate woven cotton fabrics. After removing the “bad” ones, we began sorting by value, cutting them into 2 1/2″ squares and laying them out on a huge, gridded piece of flannel. We had enough quilters in our church that this part came together quite well. Once it was laid out it was time to sew. Five of the women brought their sewing machines into the fellowship hall, and five others volunteered to be the runners and pressers. I started at a bottom corner and laid out 5 x 5 groups of squares on trays, labeling them so I could put them back together. The runners would take a tray to the stitchers and, once sewn, they’d be taken to the pressers, and then put back on the flannel in place.

In order to assure the blocks were the same size I went to each machine with an index card and marked a scant 1/4″ seam allowance with masking tape on each machine. When I got to the fifth one the quilter said “you will not put tape on my machine – I have a perfect seam allowance”. She couldn’t be persuaded. The next day I attempted to put all the 25 patch blocks together and every fifth block was too small! The others were perfect. Grrr. After quite a bit of unsewing and resewing, I layered and machine quilted the center. It then was pinned into my hand quilting frame (the only time it’s been used to quilt a bed-sized quilt 😕), and everyone from the congregation was invited to add their own stitches in the black border. It ended up being a delightful project.

This technique really does work. Here are the instructions from that long ago post:

The trick is to use an index card with 1/4″ lines. Cut the bottom of the card on the last line. Place it under the machine and lower the needle into the card so that the left side of the needle just “kisses”  the next line. That’s the trick that makes a scant 1/4″.

Now you simply need to place a piece of tape along the edge of the card, being careful not to tape over the feed dogs.

Remove the card and use the edge of the tape as your guide.

An added benefit is that this technique can yield identical seam allowances on different machines! Let me explain. There are times when I stitch on the same project on 2 different machines (like when taking a class). I can mark the seam allowance on my home machine, take the card with me to class, place the needle on the school’s  machine in the hole and tape next to it.

Voila – it works no matter what foot is on the machines. 

Let me know if you use this technique!

I’ve also come up with a few ways to get random quilt blocks to fit together. The first is by turning them on point. To read my previous “how to” post on this great technique (that was pinned on Pinterest oodles of times – praise the Lord 😁) click here.

Here’s a sampler quilt on which I used this technique to make all the different blocks fit together, and look like they are all the same size (I apologize for the fussiness of the photo, but you get the idea):

Another method I’ve discovered was used by my friend Maria on her barn quilt. She was able to make these pre-printed panel blocks (which are never square or of consistent size) fit together by bordering each one with the same fabric, and then trimming all the blocks to the same size. She added a contrasting sashing between the blocks and folded black triangles to the corners to give the feel of an old fashioned photo album.

I’ve found these techniques to be more fun than re-stitching all the blocks, and the resulting quilts are even more interesting.

Do you have a different technique that works to make unequal blocks fit together? Please let us know! I always love to add new quilting techniques to my tool box.

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And… if you would like help with any of these techniques, or you’ve hit a roadblock in a current project, or you need help with a “project in your mind”, or you just want to sew with friends…

I’m offering a Stitching Together open lab class in Watertown on March 23 from 9-1! For all the details click here!

Recently I wrote about my trip to Hawaii with my granddaughter. In it I shared a photo of Hanna and me stitching together while on the trip. She was working on a cross-stitch piece for her boyfriend Cole for Christmas, and she really wanted to get it done. Thus on our flights, and after dinner on the ship each night, she would stitch. I knew she planned to bring needlework with her so I brought a project along too ~ a small embroidered Christmas kit I purchased at the Great Wisconsin Quilt Show last year (you can see a bit in the photo, but you’ll have to wait until I finish to see the whole thing).

Over the years when Hanna and her brother would come to Wisconsin my mom and I would teach her how to do some of our favorite crafts. When she was 5 she made her first quilt for her dolly (click here to read that post).

During subsequent visits she made a quilt for her little cousin, Sommer (click here for that post).

A case for her kindle (here’s the link),

And she even chose to make an art quilt (click here)!

She stitched the binding to the back on her flight home that year. Shades of things to come!

My mom was the one who taught her to crochet and cross-stitch. I don’t have any photos of that, but cross-stitching ended up being her favorite.

So … back to the trip. Hanna was a very good influence on me but I wasn’t as dedicated as she was, and sometimes I just sat and did Sudoku. Occasionally while she was working in the cabin I’d mosey over to see how things were coming along. I found out this caused her some consternation because, without my knowing it, she was actually also working on a Christmas gift for me. I had no idea, so when I’d get closer for a look she would have to quickly cover things up with Cole’s project.

The second to the last night of the cruise she was busily stitching away when all of a sudden she jumped up and ran out onto the balcony, saying she’d be right back. She returned to tell me she’d finished a project for me and went out to put it in the frame she’d brought, only to discover it didn’t fit. Then she presented me with this wonderful piece! A Bible verse with lots of tea cups/mugs, and special touches. I cried.

We hugged and hugged. Then I told her not to worry – I’d find a frame.

Hanna finished Cole’s cross-stitch while on our flight home and shortly after Christmas she sent me this photo:

Cole loves to read and they live in the Pacific Northwest. It was the perfect gift for him.

And how did my beautiful gift turn out? Well, you can see it at the top of this post. And here it is in my studio:

My cup is definately overflowing!

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And one more thing! I will be teaching at the AQS Spring show in Paducah Kentucky in April!!!

Praise the Lord!

General registration for the show opens Tuesday. Click here to see all the classes available at this year’s show.

Who would have imagined that I’d be among palm trees again?

Linda is a wonderful friend and she’s been a fun part of quite a few of my blog posts. We’ve belonged to the same guilds, gone on retreats, and traveled to Paducah together quite a few times. Well, she had the nerve to move to Ft. Myers Florida a few years ago, and she’s been sorely missed. You can imagine how pleased I was to hear that she’d joined a local guild, and she told them about a teacher she knew in Wisconsin. If you guessed that the teacher was me ~ you’d be right! And if you thought spending a week in Florida when the temperatures were below zero in Wisconsin was a good idea ~ you’d be right again 😁!

I flew to Ft. Myers this past Monday. It’s been a marvelous week – with some ups and downs! Her guild is delightful ~ they have so many fun and talented members. I loved sharing my Quilt Tales lecture with them on Tuesday, and Wednesday was our sew day.

Did I mention Linda also signed up for the online Murder Mystery Quilt I told you about a while back? It’s time for an update. The first chapter of this Grecian mystery, and the corresponding block patterns, became available January 10th. All of those involved are invited to join a Facebook group in which we share photos, stories and a bit of craziness as we read along and make our blocks. Prior to the first installment I decided to put my “photoshopping skills” into practice and came up with a group shot of our “Grecian” gang to share in the group (click here for a previous post about how April got us all to join in).

We got our January blocks done and can’t wait for the next chapter and block!

It’s not too late for you to sign up. All the information is in the previous link.

On Thursday I drove up to Venice to visit Cindy and Stu. Cindy is the cousin who also decided moving to Florida was a good idea. It was so nice to share news about our kids and catch up with them in their lovely home. Cindy isn’t a quilter, but I still love her 😊.

I returned to Ft. Myers to find Linda in the hospital. She’s struggled with heart and other health issues for years and is scheduled for a procedure to try and figure out what’s going on tomorrow. So, Carl and I have been spending time with her there. He is such a sweet man, and has been very willing to be my chauffeur because I still had some teaching to do. On Saturday I had a wonderful time teaching Repliqué.

It was so much fun getting to know these ladies and they did a great job!

I on the other hand – had a bit of trouble remembering to tape my fabric in place on my block prior to stitching:

I continued to use it for demonstration purposes, and they were all so kind ~ after a good laugh. I WILL repair my Floridian home. Stay tuned for the results.

My husband has kept me updated on conditions at home and, even thought it’s been frigid for the past week there, it should be above freezing when I return tomorrow. I guess I’ll be bringing a little warmth back with me. Hope you’re all staying warm wherever you are!

The image at the top of this post has nothing to do with the this week’s topic, but we’ve been enjoying a multiple day blizzard, and I couldn’t resist the above progression of snow photos. They lead beautifully into sharing information about the Winter Quilt Show taking place in February:

The show is sponsered by the Wisconsin Museum of Quilts and Fiber Art and will be held at the Washington County Fair Park. Click here for all the information.

They have put out a call for entries and I love to encourage quilters to share their work with others. If you’d like to give it a try you can find the rules and entry from by clicking here.

You might even want to get busy making a challenge quilt for the show. The theme this year is:

and you’ll find the challenge details at the link above. I know it will be a fun event! I hope I’ll see you there!

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And now for this week’s actual post ~ a few final thoughts on stories I began in 2023:

Many of my posts this year shared a project or story that didn’t come to a complete conclusion, so at the end I’d sign off with “stay tuned …”. This post will bring some closure to those posts. One story is about a quilt I finally got quilted using designs from a friend. Another contains 2 UFOs given away and the talented quilter who made charity quilts from them. I’ll end this post with photos of family members and the quilts I made for them.

In April I’d completed my Dresden Plate with Windows quilt and my friend Sharon had come up with some designs for the quilting (to read that post click here). I now have it quilted and I’m very pleased.

I combined elements from a number of Sharon’s designs:

The quilting didn’t show as well as I wanted in the previous photo, so I took one in direct sunlight and that did the trick (it’s a great way to get the quilting lines to show):

The quilting is made up of swirling stems with leaves that turn each plate into a “flower”. Here’s a detail image:

It flows well and I think it adds to the overall design. It was great fun! And now it’s done! Thanks Sharon!

Another great conclusion to a previous post back in July (click here to read that post), came in the form of two charity quilts. Here’s Lorraine’s recent email:

“Hi Chris,
Several months ago I sent you a picture of some quilt blocks that I purchased at Granny’s Attic during the It’s a Stitch Quilt Show.  With the blocks was some extra fabric and a set of directions for a class you taught in Jan. 2013 called Black White and Bright.  I told you that I would send you a picture of the finished quilt. Well, here it is!  (Finally!) The original quilter had paper pieced the triangles.  Since there wasn’t a pattern for the paper piecing I appliquéd some circles and squares on the blocks I made.  I was able to complete 20 9” blocks with what was in the bag.  The completed quilt measures 36 X 45 and was donated to Hartford Hospital to be given to a patient who needs cheering up.

In that same bag I found blocks for another quilt using the same black and white fabrics but with a red accent.  Since the fabrics were the same as the other blocks they were probably made by the same quilter.  There were no directions for this quilt but since the first one was started in a class of yours I thought perhaps this one was, too.  By adding another red fabric for the block centers I was able to complete 16 12” blocks. With a thin red border and some of my black, white and red fabric for a wider border this competed quilt measures 60 X 60.  This quilt was donated to the Linus Project.

I hope you consider posting this story in your blog.  Perhaps the quilter who started these projects will read your blog and see that her efforts did not go to waste.  Both of these projects have been completed into beautiful quilts and are now giving warmth and comfort to someone who feels special for having them.

Chris, I hope you enjoy seeing these quilts.  Thank you for your inspiring blog.  I look forward to reading it every week. God’s blessings. Lorraine”

And here’s Lorraine’s Black, White and Bright:

And the bonus photo she sent me of her other charity quilt:

Aren’t they wonderful! The second project is not from one of my classes, but it is a delightful pattern. Thanks Lorraine, for completing these lovely quilts ~ and sharing their stories!

You may also remember that we attended a number of family weddings last year. Each time I made a quilt for the newlyweds, and I now have photos of the couples with their quilts. I made Kyle and Carly’s quilt while on a retreat (click here for that post), to give to them at their wedding in August, and here they are with their quilt:

Rachel and Cory were married in October (click here for the post about the making of their quilt), and here are the newlyweds with it:

Last but not least, I made a quilt top at another retreat for our son’s family (click here for that post). Since we moved here I haven’t made a bed sized quilt. This quilt required my basting frame ~ and it fits in my new studio!

I don’t need to baste quilts in the driveway or Mike’s shed any more!!!

The quilt was finished and given to them at Christmas. It’s twin sized, but Betsy plans to use it as a lap quilt. I hope they’ll all love snuggling under it!

I love a good ending and here’s the one for today’s post:

After placing my snowy snowmen photo at the top of this post, and sharing the story of my snowman obsession a few weeks ago, Janet sent me this photo of the snowmen her daughter Heather made from logs:

Delightful!

PS If you didn’t received an email to link you to this post, please email me and let me know – . Thanks!