QAYG tile block drive - one quilt finished!

I wrote on Monday that I had received five quilt as you go blocks from some lovely generous quilters.

Since then I have received even more!

Enough to finish one quilt already.

It didn't really take me long to add the sashing and stitch the whole thing together - in fact it took me less than one day !

Here are the blocks all trimmed and ready to be sashed.

And here they are sashed and bound - job done!  I love how these blocks came from a group of people but all blend together so well - bit like a community of quilters don't you think!  

Thanks to Joanne, Jennifer, Biff, and Linda for all the blocks - I hope I got that right !  

The good news is I have two more from Linda to start the next quilt.  I just need seven more blocks to join them - I used the blue one .....

If you want to make a block or two the tutorial can be found here.  I've linked it up on our Quilt Link Up Page here as no 50!  We are half way to our target of 100 quilts and I feel we should be celebrating!

Block Drive! Update

I have now received five blocks towards a quilt for Siblings Together and I know there are more on the way!  

If you have a moment please join in and make a block for us - details are here in case you missed the announcement!  

I am looking forward to sashing these QAYG blocks together to make a quilt like this...

I hope I will have lots to sash together as we still need more quilts to reach our target!  



Please have a look here to see some of the fabulous quilts that are being donated this year.  This is a linky page we have created on this blog but also on my own blog, where you can link your finished quilt.  We have 48 linked already so we are halfway there.

Linking up is also a great way to find out if your quilt has arrived safely as the Charity are leaving comments on the linky party page.  

Siblings Together Bee quilt story.

My Siblings Together Bee quilt for 2016 is finished (apart from the label which I really must do). The block I chose this year used the Patchwork Wheel tutorial by Don't Call Me Betsy. I decided on a scrappy style in colours appropriate for a girl. As usual by bee mates sent some gorgeous blocks. There's a huge variety of different fabrics in the quilt and apart from individuals using the same fabric more than once there were no duplicates. It goes to show what a large variety of fabrics are available for us quilters to be tempted by.

Big thanks go to my generous bee mate Joanne Jones for sending me the binding as she knows I'm not a great fan of binding making. I hope a young lady who is given the quilt at one of the Siblings Together camps in the summer will love it.

If you would like to be involved with making a quilt for Siblings Together but can't comit to a whole quilt then have a look at Nicky's previous post about donating quilt as you go blocks.

Maria.

Block Drive for Siblings Together

You might want to support the campaign to make 100 quilts for Siblings Together but you don't have the time or the resources to make a whole quilt.  Well now is your chance to join in the campaign by making Quilt As You Go blocks!

Never made a Quilt As You Go Block?  Never fear you will find instructions below and the block is a very simple one.  It is just squares!  

When nine blocks are all joined together they will make a quilt like this

Step One

The block is made from 4.5" squares, and finishes at 20" or 20.5" unfinished.

Any colour combination is fine but the central block should be dark and can be fussy cut (not obligatory). The rest of the layout can be seen in the above diagram.   

Alternately you can make this from 4.5" X 18" strips and cross cut the strips.  An even quicker way to make the block.  

Cut 4.5" X 18" strips of each:

1 of cornerstone fabric A

2 of outer LV fabric B

2 of contrast fabric C

1 of inner LV fabric D

Plus one dark centre 4.5" square E

Stitch together :

One strip B and A

One strip B and C

One strip C and D

Press strips and crosscut at 4.5" intervals - you should have four units of each strip set.

Arrange as follows:

Stitch centre single row and then both double rows on either side.

Then stitch the central row to each side.

The block is complete and should measure 20.5" unfinished.

Step 2 

Layer with a 22" piece of wadding and backing fabric (something Low Volume please) and baste.   Both wadding and backing fabric can be pieced.  To join pieces of wadding, butt them together and use a wide zigzag stitch.  Please do not use thick polyester wadding for these blocks.  

Stitch in the ditch (the seamline) in a grid pattern or any other pattern you prefer.  You may want to practice some Free Motion Quilting - please do!  

No need to trim your blocks just let me know with a comment here or email me at:  nickyeglinton@aol.com and I will send you my address.

Alternatively you may wish to put a quilt together with friends or on your own.  

I will be following up with a tutorial showing how to join these blocks with sashing.

Any quilts you have made for Siblings Together can be linked to our tally here.  It also gives Siblings Together one place to look for quilts they receive and let you know they have arrived safely.   

I love seeing those quilts you have made too and other people will be inspired by what you have been making for this great cause.   

Quilt Story: Charity doesn't always begin at home

 Today Jen of Glinda Quilts tells us the story of a wonderful quilt she has finished for Siblings Together:

 Charity doesn't always begin at home..........
Because in this case, charity began in the USA with Joan (IG account here) asking if someone would take her beautiful 42 quilt blocks and turn them into a quilt for Siblings Together ... and I said YES.

I started supporting this wonderful charity last year - there are dozens of quilters in the UK (and further) who make quilts for the children who come together at camps ... my contribution is tiny compared to others but this year, I am part of a monthly group, who exchange blocks of the Queen Bee's choice - I will post again about that and I will also be making a second quilt. 

When Joan came on the IG feed a few months ago asking for a volunteer to finish her quilt, I was happy to do so. Sending stuff across the Atlantic can be a bit risky (and we had a little battle with Customs but they refunded me, Joan!) but her gorgeous blocks arrived safely at the end of February:

I started putting them together - aren't they delightful?

And the rows just grew and grew:

This was asking for a border, which, thankfully I had just the right fabric in my stash for:

Dearest darling hubby helped me baste again in the decorating tables we put up in the hall:

I still cannot manage decent straight-line quilting on a quilt this size so stuck to my tried and tested stippling / meandering in a variegated yellow:

DH also chose the binding:

This really is my favourite part of the process:

And the all important label (donated by Spoonflower) attached yesterday (so it was a Friday finish, honest!):

And here she is in all her glory:

Joan, thank you again for trusting me with your blocks ... I hope I did them justice and that the child / young person our quilt will eventually go to loves it as much as we do.