2020 Oh My Stars! Wrapup

Thank you to those who have responded to my appeal for backing fabrics! I did get one mystery box this week, someone ordered 108" width fabric from Marshall Dry Goods and shipped it to me.  Thank you, whoever you are.  Several of you have ordered from or recommended Marshall Dry Goods to me, I had never heard of them before and I love their designs and prices!

 

Happy weekend quilters! We're wrapping up last year's red white and blue block drive just in time for the 2021 drive to start. Starting off with a few bonus quilts, Erin made this sweet patchwork top and I finished it. 

This top with the abstract wonky stars was made by Tracy and quilted by me.

And this quilt was paper pieced by the members of the Nurture circle of do. Good Stitches. It was assembled and quilted by Louise from Washington (different from Louise on the boat).  Lovely minimalist design. 

Getting into the block drive quilts, Gail made this top and Linda quilted it.

Linda got a long arm and has been extremely dedicated in helping with Covered in Love quilts.

This one (above) was also made by Gail and quilted by Linda.   

Linda deserves major kudos, a medal, and probably a vacation for finishing the majority of the 2020 red, white and blue quilts over this past year.

There were a total of 28 quilts from the drive last year, doubling our total from all the previous years! 

Aside from quilts, the largest excitement in my life has been getting a new washer/dryer to replace by very-used one.  Even though it's far quieter than my old one the kitties are suspicious of it.

The rain has started to dry up and with it the cucumbers, although we still have more than one family can eat.  We had planted some sprouted potatoes, just for the heck of it, and those produced the tiniest little mini potatoes ever.  Must have missed a step, or harvested too soon. Never grown potatoes before.

Our Japanese Eggplants are going nuts and I made a really yummy eggplant in garlic sauce from this recipe, I added green beans too, since we have those in the garden.  Somewhere at a Chinese restaurant I had an amazing eggplant dish that I've been chasing ever since. 

Another block drive in the books! Tammy has been working at the May/June blocks and has 3 new quilts posted on her blog here and here.

Covered in Love is a 501(c)(3) charity that donates quilts to patients dying in the hospital, over 800 so far! The July/August drive is running 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

Star Quilts and the May-June Block Drive

Details about the May-June block drive at the bottom of the post.

It's getting a little closer to summer time everyday and I have more red, white, and blue stars quilts to share.  These always remind me of July and summer BBQs.  

These first four quilts were tops made by Gail and quilt by Linda on her longarm.  I visited Chaplain Perry at the hospital today and he again mentioned that the red, white, and blue or patriotic quilts are usually the ones that first grab people when they look at available quilts. 

These past 2 months, while I directed you all toward the H2H drive and helpers like Cynthia , Pam, and Linda have been working on past block drives, I have been focused on getting donated tops finished.  

The best I can tell I have quilted 35 tops into finished quilts in the past 2 months! I still have a few more tops to go, but I'm way more than halfway to clearing out my shelves.  

Since I'm on a roll finishing tops and I'd like to get the January string quilts done, too, I asked a volunteer who has helped to finish block drive quilts before if she'd like to be a block drive angel for May-June.

(These last 3 star quilts were pieced and quilted by Cynthia from Quilting is More Fun Than Housework using blocks from the block drive. You can read her posts about them and see more pictures here and here.)

Tammy from Travelin' Sew I was gracious enough to take on the challenge of guest-hosting the May-June block drive for Covered in Love! You can see some of the quilts Tammy has previously quilted for us at this link.  

Tammy has chosen a large eye-spy block in calming sand and sea colors, which you can see on her blog.  

In case anyone is new here, we run block drives every couple months where anyone can participate and sew as many or as few blocks as you like! Finished blocks are combined into quilts which are given to patients with terminal illness and their families.  All the quilts in the post came from the 2020 July-August drive.

Please leave a comment on Tammy's blog or email me at CoveredinLoveTx@gmail.com to get the address to mail blocks for this block drive.  It's a different place than usual since we are sending them to Tammy's house. You should be sending to a Kansas address, not a Texas one (although if any stray blocks find their way here I'll pop them in a box and redirect them, no problem!)

My quilt Quality Controllers have been working overtime.

Covered in Love is a 501(c)(3) charity that donates quilts to patients dying in the hospital, over 700 so far! During May/June Tammy is hosting our block drive on her blog.  Check out the main post HERE if you want to get involved. 

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

Red, White, and Blue Quilts Delivered

Linda and I (but let's be honest, mostly Linda) are still chugging away on last year's RWB blocks.  We've just got a few quilts left to go from these, which as many of you know are perennial favorites at the hospital. 

These went up with a delivery last Friday while I there with my first level students.  In order to make the drop off work Chaplain Perry actually had to take my keys and go load the quilts from my car into his since I'm not allowed to leave the building while my students are there. So kudos to him. This brings our total to 781!

I love teaching nursing school. I love first level especially because of the rapid changes. The students come in as regular college kids and end the semester as baby nurses.  It's like watching a baby go from rolling over to crawling to walking.  

One of my biggest goals for them is to learn to Talk. To. Patients. And get comfortable interacting with people. You wouldn't believe how many 19 and 20 year olds don't have much experience talking to adults outside their own age range. We've actually had to drop students before and send them to work in some kind of customer service job for a year (ie McDonalds cashier) before trying again.

Of course some of them take to this better than others.  I was proud of one student this week, our first week out of the lab, who spotted a military tattoo and immediately engaged with the patient, asking what branch he was in and talking about her own family's military service.  

There are so many veterans and family members of veterans in the hospital, and although they don't universally want to talk about their service it can be a great way to connect. As is, of course, these patriotic quilts.  The chaplains always describe these as some of the most cherished and well received quilts CiL gives out.   

Same quilt as above, just flipped over

My students all survived their first hospital day, and most of them even enjoyed it! I hope your own week went well and Spring is springing wherever you are!

Future nurses of America

 Covered in Love is a 501(c)(3) charity that donates quilts to patients dying in the hospital, over 700 so far! During March/April we are supporting the Hands2Help Challenge instead of our normal block drive.  Check out the main post HERE if you want to get involved. 

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

Merry Christmas, Have Some Quilts!

Merry Christmas quilters! This is my faaaaavorite holdiday; I love the whole Christmas season.  I am now working on a Covid unit and volunteered to work the holiday so my family celebrated on Wednesday.

These first two quilts were assembled and quilted by Linda D. from blocks sent in by Mina during the July/August block drive.

There's another star quilt that Mina sent in in this post, so that's a total of three from her for the summer stars drive! 

As many of you know, these patriotic star quilts are some of the most popular ones that Covered in Love makes. There are many veterans and their families in the hospital and quilts like these mean a great deal to them.

These next two were assembled and quilted by Linda as well, from assorted block drive blocks.

I grouped this batch together as "modern" stars and I LOVE how Linda arranged them.

If you see your blocks in any of these quilts please jump in the comments and claim them!

Finally, this quilt was just returned to me by Louise.  Jacomina donated these churndash blocks as a UFO and Louise completed them into a quilt.

I hope you all enjoy your holiday and stay safe and well.  As the number of Covid cases increase the hospital converted my old unit into a isolation unit so I decided to go back to work with my friends.  It's very different than normal nursing.  I did get my vaccination last week, hooray!

Covered in Love is a 501(c)(3) charity that donates quilts to patients dying in the hospital, over 700 so far! The Nov/Dec 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

Mina from Texas

This week's post is a celebration of one of Covered in Love's most dedicated volunteers, Mina from Texas! Since way way back Mina has been sending in block as well as some beautiful tops and this post features 4 finished quilts she recently sent in.

Of course Mina's signature quilts are these friendly scrappy villages.  I just did a rough count and I think CiL has received about  17 of them from her (plus the 3 un-quilted tops I have right now makes 20!)

The pattern for these village quilts is a free one from Quiltville. You can find it here along with a tutorial.

Always lots to spy, like this Mermaid waving from her door. I love the sentiment of these quilts, the idea of the support of a loving "village", as well as the busy eye-spy element.

Gold star for getting the first Red, White, and Blue Star Quilt done of the year! Mina sent in a whole bunch of blocks as well as this finished quilt.  Thank you Mina, you're a STAR!

Cooler weather has arrived here and we are all enjoying it.  The kitties don't mind at all snuggling up for a nap and some Quilt Inspection on the couch.

Covered in Love is a 501(c)(3) charity that donates quilts to patients dying in the hospital, over 600 so far! The Sept/Oct 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