Star Struck: Round 4

Assembled and quilted by Tammy

Just in time (nearly) to start making more star blocks last year's July/August block drive red white and blue quilts are done. All 20 of them!

quilting close up

Tammy helped finish off some of the last of these. She always picks thematically matched quilting.

Blocks by Gail, assembled and quilted by Tammy

One of the big contributors to last summer's drive was a local quilter named Gail who sent in enough blocks for 6 quilts.

I'm including lots of closeups of this quilt because it's one of my favorites, I love all the blocks with the small, precise piecing!

(Photo bombing courtesy of black dog and fluffy cat).

Isn't that precision piecing to die for?  It's harder to see the quilting on this one but it's a sort of spiky flower or flame pattern.

These final five quilts were all assembled and quilted by me from Gail's blocks.

I think I mentioned before how many people sent in patriotic or R/W/B backings and bindings as well as blocks.  Thank you all!

We put together a beautiful and cohesive set of quilts this year, perfect for veterans and their families.

This one is made from 2" square units (and smaller)!

I don't know where she finds the patience.

Of course I saved my favorite for last, I get the impression these blocks were made from all the itsy bitsy leftovers of all the others.

Even the white parts are pieced from little scraps.  Accordingly, I quilted it with a pretty tight stipple.

Hopefully you can see the white background below it pieced from scraps, some not much bigger than a quarter inch.

There are HSTs and flying geese hidden in here that measure less than half an inch.

Thank you Gail C, Tammy, Kathy, Nicki, Gail H, Cyndy, Linda, Karen, and many others who contributed in various ways to the Stars block drive. You can see the past three rounds of finishes here, here, and here.

Stars Drive By The Numbers:

Covered in Love is a 501(c)(3) charity that donates quilts to patients dying in the hospital, over 500 so far! The March/April drive is going on now.  Check out the main post HERE if you want to get involved. 

Linking to  Confessions of a Fabric Addict and Finished or Not Friday

New Directions

Tops by Priscilla

Before all the Covid stuff started CiL was working on a small new project that I'm excited to tell you about! As some of you may know, when CiL started years ago I was working at one hospital. Then, after getting my NP license I moved to the other large area hospital (literally next door).  Together, these medical systems serve a large rural area covering much of North East Texas.

CiL has continued, all this time, to distribute quilts only at the first hospital. The program is very well establish and flourishing there and we have just about the right amount of quilts to meet demand. In my new setting at the other hospital a copy cat of the original CiL program wouldn't work, but there are needs that could be filled. Fortunately, a former co-worker and friend now leads the patient and experience program and was very open to me dropping by her office and offering unsolicited ideas!

Top by Deb

 They are now working on something based on the "Comfort Cart" program used in some hospitals. (For those of you familiar with healthcare, the idea of a comfort cart is to be complementary to a Crash Cart, for when a death is expected.)  To be clear, this isn't a CiL program, it's the hospital's program, but CiL is going to try contributing some quilts to be on the carts as it rolls out.

The hospital team has decided to trial their new program (which hasn't rolled out yet, as you can imagine amid the chaos) on the NICU first. The hospital NICU is prepared to care for babies born as premature as 24 weeks and unfortunately not all of them make it home.

Vintage top by Theresa, sent in by her daughter

Athough CiL doesn't officially accept child quilts we did have 4 small UFO tops on hand and then Erin sent in a smallish finished quilt. So, sometime soon these first five quilts will go up to the hospital for the trial of this new program.

PLEASE don't inundate me with baby quilts! I know everyone loves to make baby quilts, but hospital beurocracy is slowing down the roll out of this program and our quilts will only be one of many things on the carts so I do not anticipate demand will be very high at all, at least for a while. I will let you know if and when there's a need for more! 
 In the meantime I don't have any place to store them and I don't want to have to figure out what to do with them if my supply significantly exceeds demand. If you want to scratch that baby quilt itch I always recommend Jack's basket. You can see one of the quilts Christine and I made with its new precious little owner here.

Quilt by Erin

 So, that is the new news here. No idea if the new outreach will fly or flop, but it's exciting to grow! Stay tuned for updates, but probably don't expect one soon. Hospital committees move at the speed of molasses. ( This is why the CiL was originally launched under the "better to ask forgiveness than permission" philosophy.)

Adventure cat explores a tree downed by storms

Covered in Love is a 501(c)(3) charity that donates quilts to patients dying in the hospital, over 500 so far! The March/April drive is going on now.  Check out the main post HERE if you want to get involved. 

Linking to  Confessions of a Fabric Addict and Finished or Not Friday

Bold and Bright {Split 9 Patch Round 1}

Back in Sept-Oct last year Covered in Love made these split nine patch blocks for our block drive.  The quilts are nearly all done and I can't wait to show them to you!

The first quilt was assembled by volunteer Nancy K. and quilted by Jenn S.  Those two ladies make a great team!

This one had a few backward blocks, which I didn't notice at first but it actually adds a lot of interest.

Cynthia, a professional long-armer, also donated her time and skills toassemble and finish seven quilts for CiL! Thanks to generous donations from supporters we were able to compensate her for her supplies and shipping costs.  I'm not putting all the pictures here because I want you to go look at them on her blog!

Sundae is taking sheltering in place seriously.

Covered in Love is a 501(c)(3) charity that donates quilts to patients dying in the hospital, over 500 so far! The March/April drive is going on now.  Check out the main post HERE if you want to get involved. 

Linking to  Confessions of a Fabric Addict and Finished or Not Friday

Good Stitchers

 FYI
During the COVID 19 pandemic Covered in Love continues to make quilts to support grieving families when relatives pass away in the hospital. This is something that will, unfortunately, probably become even more necessary in the coming weeks and months. When loved ones pass with limited or no visitation and there can be no funeral or viewing of the body something tangible to hold onto to mark the transition becomes even more important.

We are not, as an organization, sewing masks, gowns, or other personal protective equipment at this time.  Many other organizations are filling that role and so CiL will continue with the mission we have had from the beginning.
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Greetings stitchers! Another week gone by of sheltering and sewing.  I hope you are all still well.  My current job at the hospital is on hold (elective procedures) so I'm at home too.

I've got two beauties to show off this week made by my do. Good Stitches NURTURE circle and finished by Jenny S (isn't her quilting stunning?) The split nine, above, you may recognize as the block that inspired our Sept/Oct block drive. 

This one was a disappearing hourglass that the group did last year.  Again, Jenny's lovely quilting makes it shine.

With all of my new found free time I have put together tops from 3 sets of blocks that I had from previous NURTURE circle sew months.

These hourglass blocks were leftover from the making of this quilt quite a while back. I had the perfect border fabric in my donations that complimented the colors!

This top is bigger than just the blocks shown, in fact it finished at 64"x80"! The third top I didn't get a picture of, but it is the same design as this one in a red, grey, blue color scheme.

What do you mean you were basting here?

I hope you're sheltering in place with someone cute!

Covered in Love is a 501(c)(3) charity that donates quilts to patients dying in the hospital, over 500 so far! The March/April drive is going on now.  Check out the main post HERE if you want to get involved. 

Linking to  Confessions of a Fabric Addict and Finished or Not Friday