QBB Quilts

I finished up a couple quilts for Quilts Beyond Borders.  I debuted this top a few weeks ago, and was able to get another top together too.  These quilts were made using up random blocks and leftover units I had laying around- mostly from other people, a few of my own.  I had them as PIGS.  You probably have a few PIGS of your own lurking around.  (Projects In Grocery Sacks)  I don't know what I was saving them all for...just waiting for the perfect little project to use each one in I guess.  Well, I finally came to my senses and thought I will NEVER. EVER use these all up separately.  I should just put them all together in one wild quilt.  So that's what I did!!

I did NOT make the compass block.  My super talented Mom did.  Although I did put the curved corners on- which resulted in a super wavy block.  Oof.  But I was able to quilt it out.  

And then I went wild with the quilting as well- doing each section differently.

And here is the other one- a bit more vibrant this time.

I quilted everything but the kitchen sink in this one!  feathers, pebbles, swirls, leaves...  No flowers though.  This is supposed to be a boy quilt. :)

I even used up leftover blocks from this quilt for the labels.  One of the requirements is to machine stitch the bindings.  I'm a bind-by-hand kind of girl, so this was a challenge for me.  The peach binding I stitched in the ditch from the top.  Which resulted in a lot of skipped places on the back.  So while I'm repairing those-from the top side, and having to go back a third time in the same spot... and in several other spots,  I decided to just stitch from the backside from then on.  That worked out a lot better!  Oh, and the back is flannel btw.  

So the binding isn't pretty, but it is very secure!  So, off they went in the mail to Karen in WA to be whisked away to an orphanage in the mountains of Haiti.  Until that is I checked my email today.  Karen says:

We pick the best of the wonderful quilts we receive and sell them, with the quilter's permission at the Houston Quilt Festival.  Yours are particularly striking and interesting.  Would it be okay with you if we put them up for sale.  (Houston is our only attempt at getting operating funds - we sell quilts, items from Ethiopia and some etc. like table runners)  let me know.  Thanks

Well, gosh.  OK I guess that's ok with me!  I was really wanting it to go to a poor little kiddo, but I said if it would benefit the organization more to sell it, then go ahead.  So if you are at the Houston Quilt Festival, you could actually see it OR BUY IT!!  

I guess if I make another quilt for QBB, I'll try extra hard to make it less striking and wonderful so that it will actually go to a kid in need!  ha ha!  So  in the end I de-cluttered my sewing space a little bit and was able to help out a very deserving charity in the process.  Win-win!  Karen's tag-line in her email I think sums it up pretty well...

"Great opportunities to help others seldom come, but small ones surround us every day."  S. Koch

Finish it up Friday