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Tuesday, July 23, 2013

2013 Aurifil July block finished



Finally, I finished the block for July. It took a longer time to make this than I had expected, since this is the very first time I have hand-pieced a quilt block. The end result doesn't look that bad, though!

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Tornado Relief Quilt completed

Monday my contribution to the Disaster Relief Project was completed and handed over to the local quilt guild here in Oklahoma. We have had 4 days of almost continuous rain, this is very uncommon for July. For that reason I didn't get to take outdoor pictures of the finished quilt.

The first picture shows the quilt laid out on the floor, 50" x 70".


I am sorry that the light is not the best. Then I convinced DS2 to model the quilt in the doorway, looking out at the downpour outside.


Another picture with the quilt draped over a chair, looking out at the veranda. Yes, it was raining cats and dogs out there!


Here you can see the texture of the quilting. I free-motion quilted it with an all-over design of stars and loops. I used a Tangerine colored thread which fit very well with the different fabrics, in my opinion.

Below, you can see a closer detail of the quilting if you click on the photo to enlarge it. The inner border is cut from the same star fabric as the center of the large bow ties. The binding is midnight blue.


I am sorry that I forgot to take pictures of the back of the quilt. :(
The backing fabric was very appropriate for this quilt; a lot of basketballs! Some kid is going to be very happy receiving this OKC Thunder Quilt!

When I handed over the quilt, I decided to stay for the whole guild meeting. This was the first time I have attended a guild meeting here in the US. It wasn't that different from the meetings back home, of course some show&share, announcements of different types, price drawings, and a lecture. Debbie Maddy showed an abundance of beautiful quilts, among them quilts made from the Carpenter Star block.

This was a great experience, and I hope to do it again, soon!

Edit: Linked up to Link A Finish Friday and The Free Motion Quilting Project .

Friday, July 12, 2013

My first Swoon

My first Swoon block is completed! I cut all the parts for two of these blocks and put each set individually in zip-lock bags for easy travel. Now one top is done, and another one in a different color scheme will also be made. The blocks are 20" x 20", and will be turned into big pillows, eventually.


I have also made some progress on the Tornado Disaster Relief Quilt mentioned in the previous post here . The quilt is now basted, and I hope to start the quilting as soon as possible.


Today I also received a big package of different quilting threads, so now I am fully equipped to start the quilting.

I am linking this post up to "Link a Finish Friday" over at Richard and Tanya Quilts, and to Pat Sloan's blog.

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Tornado Disaster Relief Quilts

A few days after arriving here in the US, I read a notice in the newspaper about a Special Community Projects Work Day where the participants were going to work on quilts for the Disaster Relief Project.

As you may remember, Oklahoma was hit hard in by tornadoes in May this year, and Moore was the town with the biggest damage. 24 casualties were reported, among them were many children. Several people lost their homes and everything they owned.

We drove through the area,and even now, 1 1/2 months after the disaster, there was still a lot of wreckage left, destroyed buildings and broken trees. It was special to see the disaster area with my own eyes, it gets a lot closer than just seeing it on TV.

I decides to join the Projects Work Day and met up at the designated location ready to make a quilt. The local quilt guild had made kits for a bow-tie block quilt, and all the ladies that showed up got a kit. I think the design was originally made after the the Katrina hurricane disaster in the New Orleans area in 2005. The design is quick and easy to make, and you can easily assemble a quilt top in one day.

The design is based on 10" blocks, including a "little tricky" 8" block to join the bow ties. (At least it is tricky the first time you do it, but I got better at it after a while.)

This is my first completed block. "My" fabric was with a Oklahoma City Thunder design, one of the best basketball teams in NBA. Bright colors one more time!


Here is another example of the block, with calmer colors. The inner and outer border is added on this one. The complete quilt measures 50" x 70 "


As it is when a lot of quilting ladies meet, there was some show and tell in the beginning. One lady showed a beautiful sail-boat quilt, I think it was made for her husband.


The work session was set up for the whole day, including lunch. We sewed and chatted, and had a great time together. I got to meet and get to know a lot of fellow quilters.

Not all of the participants made the designated design, I think it was Kim who made this string quilt made from 2.5" strips. It is really good looking, and it will warm a kid in need!


The kits had many different color combinations, but were all stunning in their different ways. Here are a few examples of quilt tops in progress:


Dr. Seuss,


University of Oklahoma, OU,


and a beautiful black and pink version.

Finally, here is my completed quilt top at the end of the work day. The only thing that is missing are the borders, but they were sewn on late the same evening. It is indeed a bright and orange quilt, Go Thunder!



I will show more detailed pictures when the quilting has been done. I had a great time together with the approx. 20 other ladies, and I believe that there will be a lot of pleased kids and people in need receiving these quilts!