COMMUNITY QUILTS

 I am a member of the Limestone Quilters Guild in Kingston Ontario.  We have a very active "Community Quilts" program, making quilts to donate to various groups and places.  Some members make quilts to donate, and others donate quilt tops, fabric, batting, backing to help our program.

Pre-Covid 19, we met once per month at our convenor's home, to work as a group.  Some were sewing, others pressing, cutting fabric, pin-basting, preparing bindings etc.  We enjoyed a pot luck lunch, and enjoyed getting together to produce fun quilts.

Since Covid 19, our guild has been holding Zoom meetings, with interesting presenters from Canada, USA, and even Australia!  We have a Zoom sew-day, where those who wish, can chat, sew, cut fabric, pin-baste etc.  We miss being together in person, but many love working in their own sewing space, with all their items are at hand!

We are hoping to hold our quilt show in 2022, and since we need items for the boutique, we are adding a Zoom workshop monthly, with each participant making the chosen item.  This month required each person to purchase the PDF pattern, and we even received a guild discount!

I recently picked up two pin-basted Community quilts, to complete the machine quilting and add the binding.  When each one is completed, it is photographed, and all the names of the various stitchers is recorded for our records, before the quilt is delivered to various nursing homes, hospitals, individuals etc. 

This quilt was our guild block-of-the-month September to December 2020.  The pattern was queen size, but some participants made it with half-size blocks.  

I quilted the centre with Baptist fans, using a stencil to mark the lines with a chalk pounce.  I marked 2 rows at a time, to make sure that the markings didn't get rubbed off.  The three borders are stitched with a wavy line, a reversing swirl, and then finally with leaves.  

 This quilt top was donated by another member, and borders were added before it was basted.  I looked at it often, trying to decide how to quilt it, and then I could see a butterfly in each of the dark purple areas.  I rarely mark my quilt designs, although I may use a pin to designate the area for each in the borders,so that the spacing is more uniform.

 Once the butterflies were fluttering in various directions, I stitched a flower in each square, and the pointed triangle-like areas received a leaf.  I added my favourite hooked feathers in the wide border and found the perfect stripe fabric in my stash for the binding.

I machine quilt using a Bernina B710, which has a deeper throat.  It has a lovely stitch, and I am able to use an assortment of different thread easily, with very little adjustment for tension etc.

Now back to the quilt that I am making for my granddaughter!