End of month applique update!

I finished two more blocks, quilting along with Cathy.  I am loving this quilt!  It is just so much fun;  it is Mrs. Lincoln's Sampler quilt.  

 My two blocks for the month...rumpled instead of pressed, but done!  Tada!!!

  The following quilters are participating.  We will be showing completed blocks on the 30th of each month!  Take the time to visit them to see their completed monthly blocks!

Karen – Log Cabin Quilter

Cathy – Biglakequilter

Jennie  – Overthehillandrunning

Julie K –  Juliekquilts

Robin –   solsticestudio

Nanette – Doitrightquilter

Jan – Nanette will show her progress on her blog.  \\

Have a great day, everyone!

Julie

Caps and more caps...caps for caregivers!

 Well, these caps are finished and on the way to the hospital. I put them on the old piano until I could package them up, with their label.  Because of all of you, we covered all of my unit for day and night shifts, and also provided caps for the ICU, and now this batch is going to the covid unit on the second floor.  Hurrah!!!  So we did a lot of good!!! I also made caps for our housekeepers, and they seem to like them a lot; matching their uniforms.  They go into covid rooms too, and so need protection to contain their hair. 

Heartfelt thanks for all your hard work and encouragement and love!!!

Julie

Mini of the month for August!!

 Well, this little quilt came into being because I had a bit of stem left over,  all pressed and ready to go.  So...what if I put it in the center of a block, added some scraps of string piecing, and appliqued some leaves on it?  So there you go!  My mini of the month, all because of that little piece of stem left over!!!  Please see all these lovely bloggers, as they too make pretty mini quilts of the month!

Kyle (Timeless Reflections)

Cynthia (Wabi-Sabi Quilts)
Quilting Babcia (Amity Quilter)

Barbara (Quilts, Gravestone and Elusive Ancestors)
Kathy (Kathy's Quilts)
Sandy (My Material Creations) 
Janet (Rogue Quilts)
Barb (Fun with Barb)
Cathy (Big Lake Quilter)
Randy (Barrister's Block

Have a lovely day!

Julie

Working very hard with not too much to show for it!!

I finished the little 1/2 square triangle border for the Autumn quilt.  I liked sewing this border!  I did stay stitch around the edge, because I still have to do a lot of applique in the previous border.

Not pressed yet, but in one piece!  Not sure how far I will go with this quilt, but it is fun to think of what to do for the next border.

We no longer have hospital volunteers, due to the Corona virus. Volunteer work in a hotbed of virus is not healthy for our older volunteers, so the program is suspended for now.  Our volunteers used to make small incisional brace pillows for our patients, so I am making them now for our floor.  They are 11x16 inches, and I ordered a huge box of polyfil to fill them up.  I will try to make 8-10 per week, depending on need, and also depending on when the volunteers come back!  Of interest, the main volunteer pillow maker is 94 years old, and her name is Wadie.  She and I are fast friends!!  She is a doll, and misses her volunteer work.

Progress on the Friendship quilt!  Eight more blocks down!!

 And I am trying to figure out fabrics for a quilt of valor.  I don't have just lots of big pieces of fabric, but I am determined to use what I have...so here I go!  I am going for it, with my friend Annie, who is also making a quilt for a gift to a young person.

Hugs to all!

Julie

The hexagon quilt from 1995

Once upon a time, (in 1995) there was a beautiful nurse, who was sewing bits of cloth together by hand, hexagon shaped, into quilt blocks, like these, while she was on her short lunch break at work.  I was a very young nurse, and very intrigued with what she was doing, and went in to the breakroom and asked her what she was up to!  She explained to me that this was English Paper Piecing.  The next shift that we worked together, she brought me some papers and scraps of fabric.  I was immediately smitten with the whole thing!  Marilyn W. is now a retired nurse, but is still quilting, and 80 years old this year.  She taught me to piece this way, with the tiniest stitches in the world!

Fast forward to 2019.  I had all these blocks done, but was absolutely thinking I would never, ever finish this quilt, so I gave the quilt top to Marilyn, for a gift.  I just knew she would finish the quilt and enjoy it for herself and her family, and was so glad to give it to her.  She loved the gift and thanked me for it, and I was so happy, thinking she would love it, as she taught me how to do this type of quilting.

Move forward in time again to 2020, in the pandemic.  Marilyn took my start, finished the top into a lap quilt, hand quilted it and called me that she had something for me.  I had no idea, but went to her home, and lo and behold, she had finished the quilt and gave it back to me!!!!!!!!!!  I said no, no! That is for you!  She said she needed something to occupy her time while she was in quarantine at home, and she had hand quilted it, and she wanted me to have this quilt back.  OH MY WORD!  IT IS SO BEAUTIFUL!  Not the dated fabrics, or the silly fabric choices I made with my limited fabrics, but her stitches, her time and effort.  She said that she did not know how much longer on earth she would be, so she wanted me to have this back.  Can you believe that???

So the gift of her teaching me, and my gift to her of the quilt top, and then her giving back to me a quilt...wow.  I have been spoiled so much this year, it is incredible!!

Here is the way she finished it.  She must have a bolt of that pink backing fabric, because she has certainly used it in every project she makes.  She sewed the hexies like this on the edge, have you ever seen that technique???  It is so pretty!

And that is the story of the Hexie Quilt from 1995!!

I am making a bit of progress on the autumnal quilt.  Lori at Humble quilts at one time told me to take an element of the center of a quilt and make a border for a quilt...so, following her advice,  I looked at this block, and make the corner flowers and also the leaves and golden center circles motif.  

So there you are!  A bit of stitching done.

 I made some caps like this one, for the young gals...they seem to like the "do-rag" style.  They are super fast to make...

Have a great day, everyone!

Julie

Sunday doings

I received an amazing birthday gift!  A whole quilt, already cut out, using the original fabrics!  It is the California quilt, by Laundry Basket quilts.  WOW!!  This is absolutely amazing...I have never had a quilt in the original designer fabrics.  Binsa!!  thank you!  I am making blocks each day!

https://cobblestonebridgequiltsnthings.blogspot.com/  Please see her blog, as she is doing some amazing things, including a tremendous amount of work for charities.  

Here are all my blocks together for the Farmhouse Sampler.  I like them!!!  20 inch blocks make a quilt come together faster!

Binsa also sent caps, all the way from Australia, for our nurses.  They are just darling! THANK YOU!

A local quilter, Miriam, made this hat, for me...wow!  I get one too?  HOW FUN!!  I love it, thank you!  One for me to keep and wear.

I made these two different styles caps on request, for someone who wanted a pastel one and someone who wanted a patriots cap.

 

I have many more caps cut out and ready to sew.  22 here in this stack.  I cut the elastic also, to be ready to go.

I now have a request to make masks for children, so I will make these this afternoon...school is starting, and one gal at work said she just cannot afford to supply paper masks for her kids over and over, and would I make her masks she could wash?  You bet I will!!  She is our surgical secretary...

Have a great day!

Julie

Farmhouse Sampler update: The center block

 Karen at the Log Cabin Quilter and I are making these blocks from the Farmhouse Sampler, one block a month, and posting our progress on the 15th of each month.  The blocks are quite large, sized at 20 inches finished. It is folk quilt, so I automatically love it.  They are a bit sparsely appliqued, but that is joyful too...there are supposed to be stars on the blocks, and I may change that to hearts, as I love hearts!  

Please see Karen's blog to see her block this month.   

https://karen-logcabinquilter.blogspot.com/

Have a super day, each of you!

Julie 

Autumn Medallion; Caps for Caregivers

I have just been playing around with this quilt a little bit.  This center block was a gift, and I am using it as the center of a medallion quilt.  Just for fun!

My dear friend Loris made more Caps for Caregivers!  Inside each pretty cap that you see, are more and more caps!  Lots of caps!  More than a dozen. THANK YOU , Loris, on behalf of our nurses and techs!!  

 A local friend Miriam sewed these hats, from a different pattern.  THANK YOU, Miriam!  These are reversible.

I made this type yesterday, six of then.  From a very different pattern. 

 This is the packaging I am using...a bag, with the label attached, designating who made each cap.  I want the nurses to know that this is a handmade item, made with love and care, just for them.  

Also, I had another anonymous gift of wonderful caps and satchels....THANK YOU!!!  The benefactor wants to be anonymous.  

Have a great day, everyone!

Julie

A little late, but now I am caught up! Mrs. Lincoln!!

I was supposed to post with the group on the first...but it just didn't happen this month.  But now I am caught up!!  Here are my two blocks for Mrs. Lincoln.  I find I am just loving the applique!  It is very, very relaxing, to just sit quietly and stitch.  I never do that!  I need to do more of it!!

I

And here are the blocks in the setting row.

My dear local friend Marilyn made all these nursing caps!!  Marilyn is a retired nurse, and is 80 years old.  We worked together for many years at the hospital.    Some of the caps have matching masks, too, although we are not allowed to use the masks in the hospital.  But they are great for community use.  Thank you dear Marilyn!!

Here is a close up on one of her sets.  They are already all given away to nurses at the hospital.  

Have an amazing day!
Julie

 

A few rainbow blocks!!

A  few more of these blocks!  Someday, Chantal (she made the muse of a quilt I got this idea from), I will get this quilt done!!!

Julie

Caps, caps!!

I just cannot tell you how much I appreciate all of you making nursing caps!  I know many of you made masks, too...all of you are such amazing givers.  THANK YOU!!  These caps above were made by none other than my sister...she is 78 years old and has sewn over 1000 masks for the people of Abilene, Texas.  Thank you, Patty cake!  See those high heels on her caps?  She is so cute and just is always perfectly put together...those high heels remind me of her!

Diana M made these caps and sent them to us!  THANK YOU!  So very much appreciated!!!!!!!!  These are just darling!

Nancy sent these caps...aren't they so much fun?  THANK YOU , Nancy!!!  So cute!!!!!!!!!!

Kyle sent these caps!  They are so cute!!!  THANK YOU!  And already being used!!!  And she sent blue fabric, which I was almost out of. 

All of these help keep our hair in check, because we not only have to wear masks, now we have to wear face shields when we go into each patient room.  On and off with the shields just pulls and tugs at long hair, and also, the virus apparently clings to the hair, so all of us are wearing some kind of head covering, and it is required that these are washed each night.    

SO THIS IS SO APPRECIATED!!!!!!!!!!!

WE even have an anonymous sewer, helping us!

THANK YOU, everyone!!!!!!!!!!

Julie

Mini quilt for July!

This little quilt is one of two that I made, from fabric scraps from a friend, who has since passed away.  I am giving this little one to her daughter.  I hand quilted this one...

Please see these quilters! They are making mini quilts, too, each month!!  Wendy (The constant quilter) is our fearless leader!

Julie

Kyle (Timeless Reflections)

Cynthia (Wabi-Sabi Quilts)
Quilting Babcia (Amity Quilter)

Barbara (Quilts, Gravestone and Elusive Ancestors)
Kathy (Kathy's Quilts)
Sandy (My Material Creations) 
Janet (Rogue Quilts)
Barb (Fun with Barb)
Cathy (Big Lake Quilter)
Randy (Barrister's Block

Where do I start????

I finished the hand quilting for this scrappy quilt.  I used most of the strips from my two inch wide strip bin.  The bin is mostly empty!!  So that was fun!!!  I was going to hand quilt around every colored block, but ended up just quilting along each white strip.  I think it is plenty of quilting to hold it all together.  Life is short, you know?  I have other quilts to hand quilt, and time is a wastin'! As my daddy used to say. 

 Odd things about this quilt are:  No batting. I used thick flannel for the back, and there are so many seams, that I just left the batting out.  The binding is scrappy,  as I used 1 1/4 inch strips, a single fold binding.  Thus, my stitches showed through to the front often due to no batting!  So I used a quilting stitch to finish the binding, so all the stitches show to the front!  So that is odd.  In fact, the whole thing is wonky and odd!  I like it!!!  PLEASE don't report me to the quilt police...I am sure this quilt is a felony!

I had not one, not two, but three oopsies!  Places where I somehow missed a few stitches in the seam, creating a hole.  So I appliqued some flowers over the holes.  Yahoo!!!  Done!!!

So this is my slow stitching for the day...please see Kathy, here, to see what everyone else is slow stitching on!!

*************************Nurse's Notes**************************

I have given out every single nursing cap that was sent to me, and I am so very grateful to all of you for making them.   The nurses took great glee in picking their caps!  I covered all of day shift with caps, and some of night shift, and I am making more, and it is fun to see them light up at something to distract them from the corona virus.  You would love seeing them!

We had 4 covid patients die in one week on our floor, so everyone was quite frightened and sad.  None this past few days, however.  15 of our nurses, techs and secretaries are out sick with it now.  Two people have actually gotten better, and test negative, so they can come back to work!  One remains quite ill.  One nurse came back, and although she was out sick five weeks, she still has a horrible cough, so I remained distant from her, at her request, although I did have to get report from her...we both wore masks, and we both felt so bad...usually I hug on my baby nurses, but administration says we cannot do that now. I am sick of this virus!  

We had one bypass patient with it, that came in negative, and tested positive two days later...his wife then informed us that she had covid prior to him coming to the hospital!   He passed away...just too much, with the virus and having a fresh bypass surgery.  Poor guy!

Some of our positive patients are going home, better, so that is good.  

I have worked several days in a row, so I am grateful and glad for this day, a day of slow stitching, laundry, leisurely cooking and relaxing a bit!

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Julie