From the scrap basket to the beds at the animal center

When my husband forwarded me an e-newsletter from McKamey Animal Center with an urgent request for blankets, towels, and pillowcases, I knew my fabric scrap collection could become something useful.

Scrappy quilts for the animals: 23.5” x 35” (left), and 25.25” x 35” (right).

After reading the email, I contacted the Center and the associate said they were looking for items that could be used for bedding for crates and cages for the animals they house—both dogs and cats. She told me that their crates are all different sizes and dimensions, so any and all sizes of bedding is needed. 

Smaller scrap quilts: 25” x 28.25” (left) and 24.5” x 26.5” (right).

Gathering leftover patchwork pieces and myriad colorful fabric bits, I turned the fabrics into four scrappy lap-size quilts to donate to McKamey. 

Four new quilts for the cats and dogs at the animal center.

From tote bag to an animal bed quilt

One quilt was made from patchwork that originally was going to be a tote bag. I think this new use—bedding for a dog or cat crate—will be much more beneficial!

Patchwork for a tote bag.

The tote bag was cut into two pieces and other fabrics were added to convert it into a larger quilt top.

Patchwork for a tote bag cut in half and reassembled into a quilt top.

Quilted and finished by machine

The quilts were free-motion quilted and finished with scrappy machine-sewn bindings, making them sturdy, washable, and ready for lots of use. 

Scrappy quilt bindings attached by machine.

Quilt Stats

Quilting 

• 3.5 total hours of free-motion quilting
• 50 wt solid and variegated cotton threads (top threads) for quilting 

Binding 

• 4.5 hours making and attaching bindings for the four quilts
• various 40 wt and 50 wt threads for the zigzag stitching on the bindings

Interesting… it takes me longer to bind the quilts than to quilt them.

Continuous line Stream of Consciousness quilting

After doing FMQ [free-motion quilting] exercises with students in my recent Intro to Free-motion Quilting class, I’ve used a spontaneous, continuous line, reactive quilting design concept to quilt one of the quilts, which made quilting surprisingly quick! 30 minutes vs. 60 minutes.

With the busy fabric prints on these quilts, the design is difficult to distinguish…

Continuous line free-motion quilting.

Continuous line free-motion quilting.

… so below is a warm-up sandwich of the concept: a continuous line, filling the space, reacting to the previous stitching. Maybe it should be called, “Stream of Consciousness quilting.” The kitty and doggie quilts are perfect for practicing this kind of quilting pattern.

Practice sandwich of “stream of consciousness quilting.”

I love the thought that these bright, cozy quilts will bring a little comfort and warmth (and color!) to animals at the McKamey Animal Center while they wait for their forever homes. Sometimes the best projects come from using what we already have—turning scraps into something practical, cheerful, and snuggly.

Progress made in threes on charity projects

There’s been a lot of progress both on and under my needles lately. Under the needle—or more accurately, under the presser foot—I’ve finished the three cuddle quilts that were sandwiched at the guild workshop a few weeks ago. 

Three completed charity quilts.

The first quilt (above left) uses a fabric panel. Using fabric panels is a great shortcut when you want a quick, but polished result. The panel—a scene of colorful dinosaurs, trees, mountains and a volcano—needed no extra patchwork. The quilting design was a modified concentric circle motif and the quilt came together in no time.

Circle quilting motif on the dinosaur panel quilt.

The second [triangles] quilt is from a pre-cut quilt kit. The patchwork runs from edge to edge and there are no borders for more contemporary style. The triangles showcase the various colors and patterns of the fabrics. The large, free-motion spirals contrast with the geometric design of the patchwork.  

Swirls quilting motif on triangle quilt.

The third quilt was made from discontinued fabric samples and scraps. Being that the prints were mostly florals, the free-motion quilting has flower, leaf, and vine motifs. 

Free-motion quilting flower, leaf, and vine motifs.

Binding by machine

The bindings for these quilts were attached by machine for a clean, durable edge… and a fast finish.

Bindings attached by machine.

At the workshop, the quilt tops were measured and lengths of pre-made binding were cut. The lengths were right on the money! The remaining pieces will find their way into future scrappy bindings. 

Very little binding remained after the quilts were bound.

Quilt stats:

• Dinosaur quilt: 34.5” x 41.5” (finished size); 1.5 hrs free-motion quilting.
• Triangles quilt: 34.5” x 41” (finished size); 1.5 hrs free-motion quilting.
• Floral patchwork quilt: 41.25” x 45.5” (finished size); 2.25 hrs free-motion quilting.
• Binding for all three quilts: 3.75 hrs.

The backs of the cuddle quilts are colorful, too.

Backing fabrics for these cuddle quilts.

Mitten Knitting

On the knitting front, three more pairs of mittens came off the needles. I continue to try new patterns to use up orphan balls of yarn and fill small pockets of time. 

Three more pair of knitted mittens off the needles.

It’s good to see these charity projects move to the finish line. Each one feels like a small, cozy accomplishment.

New mittens in progress. This is the “Elf Fit Mitten” pattern.

Quarter Circle Improv quilt: a Make Nine finish

We’ve all got projects in various stages of “completeness.” Truth be told, I have too many to count. In fact, this project has been in the “just needs to be quilted” stage for years, but has finally moved to the “completed” list. And it’s fulfilling my Make Nine 2024 “UFO” prompt.

Quarter circle improv quilt.
23.5” x 23.5”

This quilt was a result of a class with art quilter, Carol Taylor, at a Zonta Quilts for a Change exhibit. The year was either 2005 or 2006. (Yep, a UFO from about 18 or 19 years ago!) The top resurfaced while planning for my upcoming Intro to Improvisational Quilts workshop at the JC Campbell Folk School at the end of the month. The quilt top and the workshop provided a synergy to get it finished.

Quilting and finishing an improv quilt

I pondered how to quilt this quilt for a while. My favorite quilting method is free-motion, but I needed to make sure the quilting highlighted the improv patchwork. The solution was a mix of free-motion and ruler work. 

Free-motion quilting and ruler work.

Reflecting on a conversation with improv quilter, Maria Shell—who says she likes to quilt each patchwork unit separately and changes thread colors to match the fabric—I decided to pull threads with colors that blended with each of the fabrics in my quilt and give her method a go. 

Beginning with the center, I began with free-motion quilted pebbles (my FMQ choice). Moving to the outer rings, zigzags and echo quilting in each fabric of the quarter circles reinforced and highlighted the improv curves. With all the fabric colors, there were many changes in the top thread. The bobbin thread remained the same throughout.

Free-motion pebbles, zig-zags and echo quilting highlights the curve piecing.

The black/white inner border was stitched in the ditch on both sides. Each quarter circle patch on the outside border was quilted individually with a different pattern—some with the ruler, some were free-motion. The thread color was matched to the background fabric. The texture of the quilting shows without a distraction of a contrasting thread.

Here is view of the quilting from the back.

Back view: Free-motion quilting.

Rather than a binding, a facing was used to finish the edges.

Quilt stats

• top thread: 50 wt. 2-ply cotton in a matching color to the fabric.
• bobbin: 80 wt. poly DecoBob in a pre-wound bobbin.
• quilting: 8.5 hrs. free-motion and ruler work; approximately 2 bobbins.

A Make Nine finish

My improv quarter circle quilt has been documented on my 2024 Make Nine Challenge tracking sheet! And, I have an improvisationally pieced quilt sample for the workshop.

UFO prompt for Make Nine 2024.

Quilting the Lonely Hearts Club quilt: free-motion and rulerwork

This is the second post chronicling the process of my 2021 Guild Challenge quilt. See Part 1 here.

November 6, 2021: With a week before the Challenge deadline, and a quilt top approximately 70" square... A LOT of quilting needed to be done!

Pin basted quilt top.

Although I had done a digital mock-up of potential quilting designs, the plan for the quilting was not solidified.

Quilting sketch to audition the quilting design.

Free-motion quilting and rulerwork

November 7, 2021: I started in the center with rulerwork frames surrounding the characters in my highrise heart-building. I wanted the characters to seem as if they were seen through windows in a highrise building. Alone in their individual apartments but together in the same building.

Framing the fussy cut images with quilting.

Rulerwork around the fussy cut patches.

Overlapping squares and angles were quilted in the dark values.

Free-motion and ruler quilting in the center section.

Curvilinear motifs were used in the lighter values—to contrast with the geometric angles and accentuate the heart shape. The swirls and bubbles were quicker and easier to quilt than the straight lines around the "windows."

Contrasting quilting motifs in the center section.

November 12, 2021: The scrappy heart blocks were lots of fun to quilt! These were free-motion quilted in an improv style. Each heart had a different doodle design.

Quilted heart block.

Quilted heart block.

November 13, 2021: Various strips between the blocks [sashing] were filled with free-motion zigzags. This is a favorite geometric motif for me. I can pretty much eyeball the zigzags, so I don't mark any of these.

Rulers were used for the radiating lines in the corner triangles and to stitch in the ditch around the heart blocks. 

Free-motion zigzag in the sashing strips.

Rulerwork was also done in-the-ditch surrounding the lettering. I am particularly pleased with the lettering—the improv patchwork, the letter spacing, the whimsical appearance and the rulerwork outline quilting.

A ruler was used to free-motion stitch in the ditch around the improv block letters.

Binding, backing and label

November 14, 2021: I decided a scrappy flat piped binding would be a good complement to this quilt. Leftover strips from the patchwork were used and the binding could be attached by machine (a good thing!).

Strips for the flat piping in the binding.

Flat piped binding, zigzag quilting in the sashing and other quilting motifs.

November 15, 2021: The binding and label were attached the day of the Challenge Reveal... and I know mine was not the only entry that went down to the wire. 

The backing is a 108" wide back from Northcott. The print reminded me of brickwork on a highrise apartment building.

"Alone Together" backing and label.

"Alone Together" label

My First Place Winner

Our guild does a member vote for the Challenge entries. My quilt, "Alone Together," won the 1st Place Award this year! There were 11 entries in the Challenge.

"Alone Together" 65" x 67.5"

Award Ribbons

As a member of the Challenge team that coordinated this program, I also made the award ribbons. We had 4 top awards and all participants received a goodie bag of fabrics, thread, sewing supplies and coupons.

2020-2021 Challenge award ribbons. 

2020-2021 Challenge award ribbons (backs).

Quilt Stats

Threads used for free-motion quilting.

I changed the thread colors quite frequently on this piece. It added to the scrappiness of the patchwork and additional whimsey to the composition. Here are the quilt stats:

• 40.25 hours of free-motion and rulerwork quilting
• top threads: 80 wt poly DecoBob [WonderFil Specialty Threads], 50 wt. cotton [Aurifil]
• bobbin threads: 80 wt. DecoBob, 60 wt. poly The Bottom Line [Superior Threads]
• the backing fabric is a 108" wide backing from Northcott Fabrics. 
• 100 % washable wool batting [Hobbs Tuscany]

Detail of letter blocks. Improv patchwork.

In a final blog post about my Challenge piece, I'll summarize my experiments, lessons learned and the feedback from viewers.

Stay tuned...

Make Nine 2020 finish: charity quilts for cats

I’m feeling good about checking off this item on my Make Nine 2020 list. It's because it's my Charity project goal. I finished this stack of 12 kitty quilts for the Cat Clinic of Chattanooga during shelter in place.

Make Nine 2020 Charity project: 12 kitty quilts. One for each month of the year.

Early in March, when the Coronavirus quarantine went into effect, I needed a purposeful project to counteract all the upheaval and uncertainty in the world. Improv patchwork and running fabric scraps and orphan quilt blocks through the sewing machine was good medicine.

Improv patchwork kitty quilt with scraps and fabric samples.

There is little precision required for improv patchwork and the 25” x 29” size of these quilts made this project achievable. I felt productive and useful with each little pieced top.

Flannel samples were strip pieced for this quilt.

Scraps, a leftover border print and a Christmas panel were all transformed into useful objects.

Charity quilt from a holiday fabric panel.

Charity quilt using a border print remnant.

It was satisfying to use up orphan and test blocks such as the star block in this quilt...

A single star test block and strip set cut-offs assembled into a quilt top.
(I rather like how this quilt turned out.)

... and several technique test samples—curved piecing, random string inserts, a paper pieced star and leftover strip stratas—that were languishing in the fabric stash.

Several technique samples are combined.

These four quilt blocks were from a block swap. They seemed to shelter in place for 11 years... until now.

Four 9" blocks from a block swap.

Making these quilts also gave me the opportunity to practice free-motion quilting and test new quilting designs. Hooray for a learning opportunity!

Detail of back side showing the free-motion quilting of radiating petals.

Free-motion feathers.

Free-motion leaves.

Several of the kitty quilts have cat fabric prints on the back.

Cat prints for the quilt backs.

Some backs are pieced.

Patchwork backs.

Bindings were done by machine and a good use for leftover 2.5" precut strips.

Bindings by machine. 

When our city reopens and the Cat Clinic is open to visitors, these little quilts will get delivered to the cats and kitties.

12 kitty quilts going to the Cat Clinic soon!

Four other items from my Make Nine list are in progress so I feel I'm on track this year.

Make Nine Challenge goals for 2020.