A New Quilt Finish (Kind of)

Have ya’ll heard of the Jelly Roll 1600 quilt?  It’s an amazing way to take a pre-cut jelly roll (or the equivalent amount of scraps cut into 2.5 inch strips) and make a generously sized lap quilt in a shockingly quick period of time.  As of late, I have made 3 tops and they were all easy-peasy and fun!

I made this quilt top for a friend from church.  He is an older gentleman that I have known for decades.  He and my Dad are good friends, too.  He is undergoing some cancer treatments and having a very difficult time and had a hospital stay over Memorial Day weekend.   I was able to put this quilt together in an evening and my Mom layered, backed, tied, and bound it together the next.  She and Dad delivered it to him in the hospital.  We chose the red, white, and blue fabrics because Dad said that this soft spoken gentleman had served in the military.  It’s also a great choice for quilts for men.  Patriotic fabrics may be somewhat silly (see the smiley faces with flag bandanas in this quilt) but they tend to be devoid of frou-frou and great for quilts for men.

They tell me that our friend was genuinely pleased with the quilt.  That feels pretty darn good since I was hoping that it would give him some comfort and a reminder of how much he is loved by his church family and friends.

Dad took these photos of the finished quilt for me and shared them.  I am glad that they show bits of their log cabin in the background.  It’s just a perfect backdrop for this quilt!

I don’t generally gravitate toward hand tying as a finishing option for my quilt.  However, it is a very good option for finishing up a quilt in a hurry (technically, I am not sure if it is a quilt if finished this way, but whatever).

I have two other tops put together that are waiting for Mom to finish them similarly for friends who need comfort.  One is a gorgeous, brightly colored one.  I would have likely never chosen these colors to go together, but the orange and turquoise that recur throughout this quilt are simply gorgeous together.  They totally remind me of the intended recipient.  I also made another patriotic quilt for a gentleman.  I am sure that I will get pictures posted as they get finished.

Now, Mom and I have been going through our stashes to find fabrics that we likely won’t use for anything else and I have a huge pile of fabric that will need to be cut into strips for future quilts to give away.  I am sure we will always know folks who will need some comfort or kindness, plus there are wonderful charities out there that would love these quilts also.  If you are interested, “google” the term quilt charity and your state for a great list.  Project Linus is a particular favorite of mine.  If you would rather make something simple like pillowcases, Con-Kerr Cancer is a great charity also.  There are also hundreds of other worthy groups working to make the world a better place with the help of regular old folks and some scrap fabrics.

I have been working on some other little projects also that I will show as I get some photos taken and such.  Here is the video that started the Jelly Roll 1600 Quilt craze!  Note that I don’t miter my ends, but just butt them together.  I’m lazy like that!

Till next time,