In Which Orphan Blocks Find a Home

 Welcome to Treadlestitches!

As I write this, it's a beautiful morning, warm and clear and sunny, the kind of weather that always makes me cheerful.  Also making me happy, I finally have a finished quilt!  Our guild had an "orphan block" challenge contest and I was happy to participate.

All of the blocks in this quilt were in my orphan block drawer.  The big stars in the corners plus a yellow one in the second row were a failed start for a larger quilt.  I thought I knew a better way to make them than the magazine pattern.  (Spoiler--I didn't.)  

Some blocks were leftovers from Rainbow Scrap Challenge quilts, and a couple were just random stars I made when trying out a pattern.  I added blocks together and framed a couple to bring each block up to 12 in. finished.

Four of the orphans were extra special to me.  They were made by a founding member of our quilt group, and I bought them at our silent auction last year.  These stars were hers.  I added the squares to make the block the right size.

These little wonky stars were also hers.

This one is my favorite.  Check out the tomato (?) in the center!  

I was honored to include Laverne's blocks in my quilt, and had the top finished before I learned she had passed away.  She will be long remembered for her many years of teaching quilting and gently encouraging all of us, as well as her kind, sharing, and fun personality.

You'll never guess what happened at the quilt group meeting.  My little orphan quilt won first prize!

There was even a ribbon!  Since it's the first blue ribbon ever for me, I had to take a closeup.  So exciting!

Life is still very busy around here.  Last week I had 2 quilt group meetings, Mothers Day with the family at my house, our wedding anniversary, and all the usual.  I did get a little pink sewing done for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.

Pink stretched stars are easy and fun.  I love that llama fabric!  (Thanks, Joey!)

Still trying to catch up!  These are the last of the yellow blocks for April's RSC.  It is hard to stop making these string blocks.

Here's something interesting that came in the mail.  It was a tote bag, and an announcement for this year's GSAFE auction, which will be held Nov. 26-Dec. 3, 2024. The deadline for submissions is Oct. 31, and the theme this year is "Together".  

GSAFE is an organization working to make more resources available to LGBTQ+ youth in Wisconsin schools.  They are looking for new, handmade, fiber-based donations in all price points.  I donated 3 quilts to them last year, but besides quilts there were knitted, crocheted, embroidered, woven etc. items.  For more information, click HERE.  I've already got an idea or two for a quilt to make!

These guys were "helping" me take pictures of the orphan quilt.  It's a joy to have them around.

I hope you can find time to do what gives you joy this week.  We're going to a birthday party today for our Buddy, and to the first big flea market of the year tomorrow.  Maybe there will even be sewing time.  Who could ask for anything more?

Have a great week, and thanks for reading!

Cheers,

Sylvia@Treadlestitches

Linking up with these amazing people:

Alycia at Finished or Not Finished Friday

Angela at So Scrappy, Home of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge

Cynthia at Oh Scrap

 

 

Passing on the Comfort

Welcome to Treadlestitches!

It's a hazy shade of winter outside this morning, so indoor photos will have to do.  Here's my latest Rainbow Scrap Quilt finish, the first of the Uneven Nine Patch baby-sized quilts. 

Snicklefritz the cat is really getting the hang of posing on a quilt.  I think he likes this one.  Maybe because another name for this pattern is Puss in the Corner?

Here's a closeup.  The blocks alternate between light centers (like the Sneetches) and dark centers (like the stars and comets).  Each block is made from two light charm squares and two dark charm squares.  (Click HERE for some quick instructions.)  Of course there had to be a Green Bay Packers block!

This red block is my favorite: hands, and hearts, and love.

I'm sure you can't see from this photo, but the white fabric has a subtle butterfly print.  I bought several yards of this print for a different quilt, but changed my mind.  A strip of the blue butterfly print from the border makes the back wide enough.
 

Sometimes I wonder what happens to the quilts I donate.  I always hope they'll be loved and used, but you never know.   Just as I was thinking this, my friend Debbie C. sent me this photo.

It's a detail of a quilt found in Germany.  The tag on the back identifies it as being made by the Canadian Red Cross.  Hundreds (thousands?) of quilts were made in North America and shipped to Europe as World War II was ending, to help refugees and people recovering from the war.

This is the back, and the hand stitched label.

Here's what it looks like close up.  Great pattern, right?  And hand quilted.

The quilt was published in the Suture and Selvedge blog, which focuses on textiles and women's lives.  (Click HERE for the article). 

That started me thinking about a book I had read about similar quilts found in Europe, so I hunted it down on my quilt bookshelves.  It's called Passing on the Comfort:  The War, The Quilts, and the Women Who Made a Difference.  The authors are An Keuning-Tichelaar and Lynn Kaplanian-Buller.

Once I found it, I realized I had only skimmed it before, looked at the quilts, and moved on.  I am very disappointed in myself for doing that!  This week, I actually read it, and was very moved by An's narrative of living through the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands.  As a nurse and a Mennonite pastor's wife, she took in people fleeing and/or hiding, including Jewish children and adults, and did very dangerous jobs for the Resistance.

The quilts in the book were made mostly in the U.S. and Canada, and shipped out through the Mennonite Central Committee.  Lynn Kaplanian came along in the 1980s, saw the remaining quilts in a house she stayed in, and arranged for them to be exhibited.  She encouraged An to write down her memories.  

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in World War II history.

In other news, the GSAFE Quilt and Fiber Art Auction to benefit LGBT youth finishes on this Monday, Dec. 4.  I donated three of my quilts, including the crayon quilt above (but not my dog!).  Originally I had planned to give these quilts to other places, but I am finding that they are doing okay in the auction, even though they are miles away from perfect.  It makes me wonder.  Will I do more good by auctioning/selling quilts than by donating them directly?  Maybe I should set aside a few "special" quilts for these occasions? Something to think about.

Have a wonderful week, and happy quilting!

Thanks for reading,

Sylvia@Treadlestitches

Linking up with:

Alycia at Finished or Not Finished Friday

Sarah at Can I Get A Whoop Whoop

Angela at So Scrappy

Cynthia at Oh Scrap

 

Rainbow Quilt in the Snow

 Welcome to Treadlestitches!

It's gently snowing this morning, and for the first time this season it's sticking.  We're not expected to get more than a couple of inches, but the weather is letting us know what is ahead.  It looked like a good place to put my latest donation quilt finish, a 16 patch baby-size quilt.

The back is a warm flannel print, and the batting is the new poly batt Joey brought me.  It was easy to quilt, and will be nice and warm for a child to snuggle under.  It hasn't been washed yet, but it's in line next, after the Thanksgiving tablecloths.

I used the same border fabric as the Crossroads quilt I finished at the end of October.  The colors are set as a sort of rainbow.

There are so many little "pictures" in the 2 in. finished squares.  I spy a monkey, a ladybug, a football, letters, a frog, a hedgehog, and even a chicken.

The 16 patch above is the 4th Rainbow Scrap Challenge quilt I've made this year.  There is a fifth one not quite finished yet, and then there is this big pile of blocks, waiting to be assembled.  Yikes!  I am probably not going to get done by the end of the year.  Maybe I should make fewer blocks next year.  Or bigger quilts!

Remember this RSC quilt from last year?  I finished it in January, and later donated it to the GSAFE Quilt and Fiber Art Auction, which starts this Tuesday, Nov. 28.  GSAFE is an organization that works to help LGBT youth in schools.  Click HERE to learn more about GSAFE.

I have three quilts in the auction, and there are hundreds more items.  The theme is In Rainbowland, which really fits with the RSC quilts, I think!  If you're interested, you can click HERE to preview the auction items.  Bidding starts on Tuesday.  The goal is to raise $30,000.  By the way, my quilts are numbers 231, 236, and 237.
 

I hope everyone who celebrates had a happy Thanksgiving.  I know we did!  My little grandsons and I made the pies on Wednesday.  They stirred up the pumpkin filling and rolled out their pie crust (with help of course!)  Each of them made a small pie, and got to eat it after lunch as an early Thanksgiving treat.

What is this Guy doing?  Is he a robot, or an astronaut?  Believe it or not, there is a practical reason for Little Guy wearing this on his head.

The boys' school was closed for the holiday all week, so on Monday we took them to one of Hubby and Buddy's favorite stores, The Gem Shop, Inc. in Cedarburg.  We bought some small geodes, and everybody had to wear eye protection when Hubby cracked them open.  We had safety glasses for Buddy, but none for Little Guy, so Hubby put that plastic dome on his head.  He liked it so much he wore it off and on the rest of the day.

With Thanksgiving behind us, we're getting ready for the busy Christmas season.  I hope the boys will help us decorate this week, and we'll be getting out all the Christmas quilts.

Have a lovely week!

Cheers for reading this,

Sylvia@Treadlestitches

Linking up with:

Alycia at Finished or Not Finished Friday

Angela at So Scrappy

Cynthia at Oh Scrap