Wyoming Breezes

adopting Julie's orphan project July 2022 Julie ( JulieKQuilts ) offered a few orphan projects to her blog readers, and I opted to adopt a set of blue stars that needed to a be completed. Julie did a lion's share of the work on this project by cutting all the pieces. They were even divided into individual groups.  In addition to the stars, Julie sent a bundle of star-studded fabric.  I'll add some additional blocks (possibly red stars) to Julie's twenty, blue stars (eight inches finished) to make a Quilt of Valor. Thanks, Julie for sharing these orphan star project with me. 

orphan blocks and pattern leaflet from Karen M.  April 2022 Karen M. contacted me a couple of weeks ago to ask if I would accept some orphan blocks she rescued from a sale in her community, and a few days later, these two blocks arrived in the mail. I've been looking for a block project, and this design will be perfect.  You might remember that Karen sent a beautiful orphan star several months ago that became  QOV #207  which was recently awarded to a veteran. 

America the Beautiful  58 x 75 inches Quilt of Valor #208 America the Beautiful was made with the Sidelights pattern (Mountainpeek Creations) and a few adaptations to accommodate the orphan hourglass blocks. The panel was donated by Sue and Bert O. 

orphan pinwheels July 2021 I spent Saturday adding labels and binding to two Quilts of Valor that arrived from Kathy B. in CO on Thursday. They are now washed and ready to send to Idaho for awarding.  As I tidied the sewing room, I decided to work with some orphans that have been hanging around in bins too long. I found a pile of pinwheels and hourglass blocks and made plans to sew them together into a more useful size. These larger blocks may eventually become pillows, table toppers, or doll quilts.  Before I start any new projects or cut into any new fabric, I need to use the bits and pieces remaining from previous projects. 

Orphan Nine-Patch quilt 51 x 66 inches for Prayers & Squares  A couple of weeks ago, I received a package from Mary R in CO. She sent 21 orphan nine-patches, some scrap fabric, 10 presentation cases for QOV, and some QOV labels.  I used some of my 2.5 inch scraps to make a few more nine-patch blocks. I added sashing and borders and a nice-sized top was created for the local Prayers and Squares group.  Thank you Mary for your donations.

Fireworks 58 x 70 inches Quilt of Valor #198 Fireworks ' center medallion was an orphan project sent by Jo K. in Iowa, and I turned it into a Quilt of Valor.  I altered the   Stars N Stripes  pattern by Villa Rosa Designs to  accommodate the orphan medallion, and I'm very pleased with the result. 

an orphan medallion  39 x 39 inches In December I adopted orphan quilt projects from Jo K. in Iowa. She sent thirty, double churndash blocks that I assembled into a Quilt of Valor  and the orphan medallion pictured above. The medallion was made using the Fireworks pattern by Susan Fuquay. I've had the pattern for years, but it never progressed further than the "someday" list.  Whoever made this medallion used a fabulous assortment to fabrics. I think they add depth to the piece.  Tomorrow, I'll reveal how I turned this orphan into a Quilt of Valor.

a little repair needed Only one of the double churndash blocks required some TLC before it could be used in the quilt. Since the blocks were made from a variety of fabrics, I was not concerned about finding something that would match. A quick glance in my string bin revealed a piece of white on white fabric that would work well for the repair.  The seam ripper was put into action, and in no time the piece that was too short was replaced and pressed.  repair completed

Churndash  66 x 78 inches Quilt of Valor #193 I received a package recently from Jo K. in Iowa  and inside were two orphaned projects she received from another quilter (Kim). People send a lot of unwanted projects (finished and unfinished), fabric, and patterns to Jo to distribute to quilters or groups who will finish them or use them.  Churndash was made from thirty, double churndash blocks. I squared all the blocks to one consistent size, added sashing and borders. This is the first time I've ever used striped fabric for sashing, and I like how it looks.  I found address labels on the back of a couple of the blocks, so I am fairly certain the blocks were made by several people for a block swap.  Jo, thank you for sending the orphan blocks and for making this QOV possible.  Update — November 2021 presented in Idaho November 2021

Eileen's Stars 62 x 72 inches Quilt of Valor #170 Eileen's Stars was finished over the weekend, and I love how it looks. I used all of Marty's mother's stars . Parts of the stars were hand-stitched, and after checking each of them, I can attest that Eileen's stitches were exact and are very secure. It was my pleasure to turn these donated, star blocks into a beautiful Quilt of Valor.  Marty, thank you for trusting me to work with your mother's blocks.

sample blocks donated by Marty S. October 2019 Marty S. from TN contacted me a couple of weeks ago and asked if I could use some star blocks that her mother had made. She had fifteen of the large blocks and 24 of the smaller stars. I gladly accepted Marty's offer and look forward to turning them into a Quilt of Valor. When the blocks arrived, I gently hand washed them, gave them a good press, and then squared the big blocks to 12.5 inches and the small stars to 6.5 inches. While squaring the blocks, I came up with an idea and look forward to creating a QOV with Marty's mother's blocks.

quarter log cabin blocks May 2019 I've been working with more orphan blocks from the Prayers & Squares group. The P&S orphan bin contained ten quarter log cabin blocks, and I raided my 2.5 inch scrap bin to make enough blocks for a quilt. They worked up quickly because I sewed strip sets rather than work with individual pieces. Bull's Eye 56 x 64 inches Prayers & Squares quilt I tried a few layouts for the blocks, but I liked this one the best. Brenda and Marilyn helped me arrange the blocks.

orphan star block May 2019 The baggie of orphan star blocks and fabric that I brought home from Prayers & Squares contained five star blocks sewn together with sashing. It almost looked like the quilter wanted to make a table runner. Another completed star (shown above) was also in the bag, but it had a mitered frame. Do you see a problem with that block? Look at the middle section of the bottom row - do you see that it is upside down? A seam ripper and a bit of stitching quickly transformed the block. Pieces of another star were also in the baggie, but the star was smaller than the other six. Thankfully, the baggie contained some extra strips of the pink paisley fabric, so I framed the smaller star to make it the same size as the other blocks. I sashed the two loose stars and used the extra fabric to create some four-patches and an outside border. Orphan Star Quilt #2 52 x 76 inches The local Prayers & Squares group makes baby - lap size quilts. Since the group u...

orphan block May 2019 Nearly a month ago, I joined a woman in my apartment complex for lunch, and as we visited, she told me about a local group ( Prayers and Squares ) where she volunteers. The group meets weekly to make quilts for those who are going through difficult times - sickness, grief, personal or natural tragedy, etc. Volunteers begin each session with a devotion and prayer and frequently a local minister will stop by and pray with the group. The ministry is housed in two basement rooms of a local church. Six or seven sewing machines are available as well as a cutting table, pressing station, and a large table for tying. The drawers of the tables are full of fabric squares of all sizes; bins on the shelves contain speciality/themed fabrics, bolts of fabric, spools of thread, orphan blocks and fabric strings. Nearly everything has been donated or was purchased with donated money. Women, who do not feel comfortable sewing, prepare backings for the tops and then tie...