A Winter Project

As slowly as I go, the quilts may be too warm for usefulness by the time I'm done with enough to share with patients at the nursing home.

I don't even know that they'll be welcomed. I'm careful not to include dangling objects or buttons or anything that the state inspectors might find potentially harmful at a nursing home.

I haven't made a photo of the first quilt I made and it's tucked away right now.

The colors here are muddy because of the overhead light on a dreary day. I wanted to see how the blocks looked before they're joined.

A flannel print with 'Lady' things like purses and heels and sunglasses and bows and diamonds set the theme. Lime fleece squares will feature appliqued pink high heel shoes, a flower for one and a cameo sort of applique of a woman with a hat. Plaid seersucker for both the texture and the colors. A bright hot pink pocket at center left from a pair of never-worn shorts. A velveteen square on the opposite side in the same shade. Upper right is a lavender satin square. I think channel quilting will be good for the satin.

The umbrellas fleece goes with two other quilts with some of the same colors. Sometimes I forget what goes where and for a brief moment of confusion, thought this was the backing material. Not. It will be fleece in maize or pink.

I figured out a way to keep everything together as I plan in situ once I get an initial plan sketched on paper. I take old sheets folded in fourths and lay out squares on them. When there's enough of  material for 2 quilts of a theme, I fold the sheet in half longways. Uncut material and trims can just pile on. Once there's a visible workable plan, the whole thing is rolled and stored atop a spare bed.

When I've run out of sheets I start sewing. When the plan is fairly firm, everything can go into a dress box, but I must stop reading and dreaming and start actually putting things together. Every quilt will have at least one pieced block or two or more.

Some blocks will need trims applied before sewing together. Minor things like ruched ribbon are not difficult, just time-consuming.

My original plan after I first read about Touch Quilts was to use up years' collection of fabric and trims. When I decided that buttons and beads and metal notions were not appropriate, I had sorted through huge collections that await yet another project.

Another thing I realized was that all my store of fabric was not vast enough to include suitable material for backing. I ordered off for a large collection of fleece and flannel.

There's a long way to go before I use up all that waits for usefulness. I added to my ribbons; most of mine were too narrow, left over from doll clothes and other tiny projects.