Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Class of 2015 Auction {Quilt}

Graduation time is coming up soon!


Every year the 8th graders that want to participate are asked to turn in t-shirts that have meaning to them so that they can be made into a t-shirt quilt for the school auction.
Sometimes they are shirts from their past.  
Some give you a glimpse into their possible future.


 Some tout their favorite sports team. 
 Some are their jerseys they wore for their sports teams.  


Some can just be shirts that they happened to wear to every single "free dress" day.
And best of all? Some say "THIS IS ME".


After careful thought, a layout is chosen.  This year it was happenstance that were put in a "rainbow" sort of order.  Normally there is a plethora of school t-shirts that seem to be blue and red like the school colors, but this year the students seemed to have a fantastic range of color that just couldn't be ignored.  


The center features the front and back of their 8th grade shirt.  This year's theme "Captains of the School"


Each t-shirt is backed by a stabilizer, then pieced together.  Quilted with Rainbow Superior Thread with an organically moving rectangle/square free motion quilting on my longarm.


A variegated thread color called Tapestry.  Much like its name, it weaves throughout very well making the colors of the t-shirts sing and tell their individual stories.


Backing is gray dotted minky.  Very soft and snuggly!


Binding is a stripe that picks up so many of the colors in the quilt itself.


It was a pleasure to work on the quilt this year as our second son graduates and prepares for a new chapter in his life.  It is the 10th Auction quilt (sometimes two in one year like this year) and the 2nd T-shirt quilt I have lovingly dedicated my time on for the school in the past 11 years along with countless other sewing projects like prayer table cloths, tote bags, rosary bags, and Christmas program costumes. 


 It was bittersweet because we are moving from the area this summer and leaving behind a very beloved school.  A place that has nurtured and supported our sons through such an important time of their lives. 

Happy Graduation Class of 2015!


Friday, April 10, 2015

Rainbow Interrupted {Quilt}

My first donation quilt for the year.


This quilt is for my son's elementary/middle school program. It is a fundraiser luncheon to raise money and awareness for the kids that have special needs. I have been wanting to do the Strip and Flip Pattern by Allison Harris at Cluck Cluck Sew for quite some time. 


This quilt is utterly and completely made of scraps and stash.  Even the batting was pieced batting scraps. 


I made adjustments from the original tutorial because I wanted mine to be more lap quilt rather than a baby size. Lap quilts seem to fair better at auctions than any other size. 


I can't recall exact changes, but I do know I adjusted my strip widths to be 3" instead of two.  I also made my "flip" section wider so the overall width would be proportional to the length. I basically made two quilt tops WOF to get the larger cut. 



I promise I didn't waste, I 
cut a significant strip width so that I could finally use my butterfly fabric I bought from my friend Bree at Distant Pickles


Side note:  I still have a bit leftover and plan to use it on another backing someday. I tend avoid pieces backings as of late and the only piecing I seem to do is a vertical or horizontal strip to add width or length.


The luncheon was very beautiful and successful. As I was leaving? The person that won it, pulled me aside to ask me how she should take care of it. My response to everyone who asks me that when they recieve one of my quilts?

 "Love it. Love it. Love it.  And throw it in the wash on occasion."


  I was soooo happy that it went to someone who knew me and was going to a family who will love it.

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