My MLK Mitzvah Weekend!

Here are some of my projects from the MLK Quilt Weekend.

I made two blocks for the Ventura Quilt Guild project. My Brown Bagger quilt buddies were all eager to help and by the end of the weekend, we had made 20 blocks. They are easy and quick to sew. Please consider making some too. You can find this Thomas Fire Relief 12-inch block design at the Ventura Quilt Guild HERE. 

Here are some of our blocks.

They look good in every type of fabric. The girls had fun playing with the different layouts.

We also made lots and lots of pet pillows that will be donated to our local animal shelter. Sandie, Marion and Kim each brought three completed pillows, plus two more empty pillows to be stuffed. One of Marion's sewing friends had donated a huge bag full of upholstery fabric, so Emma and I cut out seven more dog beds. After my best helper Emma finished stuffing all the pillows that Sandie, Marion and Kim had brought, we drove back to my house where she got to visit the pug petting zoo (Caesar gave her lots and lots of kisses) and we filled my car with the extra bags of stuffing that was taking over my garage. I hadn't expected that we would get to make so many pillows! Thanks also to Joanne S. (Emma's Aunt) and Kim P. who helped me sew pillows to keep up with Emma's rapid stuffing efforts!

When we were done, the back seat of my car was full with 18 new pet pillows.

Emma rides to the rescue with the extra bags of stuffing.

This quilt is for my friend Dianne. I've layered it with a piece of fleece for the back to make it extra cozy. I'm going to quilt it myself with just a simple stitch in the ditch.

My friend Dianne's Mom passed away this summer. Dianne is an avid crafter and her Mom was too. Dianne asked if I would finish a couple of sewing projects for her. The quilt you see above was still in a bag with the extra fabric, the book and some unsewn pieces. She had completed the center of the quilt. The pattern is Eleanor Burns' Triple Irish Chain from Quilt in a Day. This weekend I added the two borders. I managed to find something at Fabric Place that coordinated with the fabrics that Dianne's Mom had purchased back in 1996 (yes, receipt was still in the bag...) for the outer border to make the quilt a little bigger.

Here are the two birthday blocks I made for Marion. She asked for jewel tone batiks so I chose sapphire and emerald.

Marion nicknamed it my Mitzvah Weekend. In case you don't have any Jewish friends, a mitzvah is a good deed or act of charity. While I feel that I didn't accomplish much, Marion thoughtfully pointed out that most of my efforts were for charity and that I should be proud of what I had done. (The back story: last week while I was away on a business trip, my Mom fell and broke her arm in two places as well as cutting her knee so badly that they casted it and put it in an immobilizer. Most of my quilting time was spent talking on the phone to my two brothers, my two sister-in-laws and my Mom... We are all spread out geographically and trying to figure out how to best help my parents. Thankfully, my youngest sister-in-law was able to hop on a plane at a moment's notice to help out my Dad.) We are heading to Florida tomorrow.

I assembled fleeece "office blankies" at our January Sunday meeting and I top-stitched them on Monday evening so I could bring them to work. They are belated holiday gifts for my three coworkers, Dianne, Julie, and Lauren (not pictured) who are always complaining that they are cold! All fabric came from my Stash. Dianne has hearts (this fabric has been with me for so long, I forgot what I was making with it; Julie has leopard print, which I bought specifically last fall to make her a blankie; and Lauren (not pictured) has llamas on a lavender background that I bought at the end of 2016 to make for someone's 6-year old (I made them something else).

My dog walker sent me this adorable photo of Elvis today. She bundled him up warmly to take him for a walk. He has two coats on and three blankets. The fringe from the blanket looks like a fright wig!

Thanks for visiting!

Pugs and kisses,
Nancy