100+ Quilts for Covered in Love

Yes, that's right, Covered in Love just surpassed the 100 quilt mark!  Even more have been donated, but I base my official count off the ones I've taken up to the hospital to be passed out and with today's drop off we reached 104!!!  When I launched this charity in January of 2015 this was beyond my wildest dreams.  I delivered the first quilts on April 1st, 2015 and thanks to a lot of help things have grown and grown and grown.

This is a little late, but I'm showing off the second Covered in Love March quilt.  If you remember way back in March we made eye-spy novelty fabric blocks.  Everyone was so generous to send in such cool blocks, I was able to made two great quilts (you can see the first one here).  This second quilt is a tad bigger at 60"x70".  Great fun, interesting fabrics in this quilt, 168 of them!

Covered in Love gives comfort quilts to the patients of families who pass away in the hospital.  They way things usually work is that I make and gather quilts at home, then take them up to the hospital chaplains who pass them out.  Used to be I'd take 5 or 6 quilts at a time, now its closer to 20.  They used to pass out quilts as fast as I could bring them, now thanks to the H2H quilt drive we have a bit of a stash built up.

The Hands to Help quilts have been pouring in.  Thank you to Sara, Louise, Heidi, Selina, Myra, Julie and Irene, Paulette, Sandi, Marie, Amanda, Sherry, Judy, Teri, and of course Sarah who organized all this. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to CiL, this is your victory as much as mine :)

Our June block drive is going on now if you would like to contribute.  This month we're making a fairly traditionally designed, sunny quilt block in yellow and blue.  These block drives are a great way to sew at your pace, try different blocks, and help us out! Make as many or as few as you, every block helps.  Comment or email me at CoveredinLoveTx@gmail.com for a mailing address.

Linking to Crazy Mom Quilts Finish it Friday.

Eye Spy a Quilt

The first finish from the March block drive for Covered in Love is in and it rocks! I asked for blocks featuring novelty prints that would make adults smile and you guys delivered in spades.

This first quilt measures 50"x70" and got a simple all-over stipple from me.  It features 140 individual "eye-spy" patches made by 20 quilters.

Here are close ups of some of my favorite patches. First off, treasure secretary Alexander Hamilton! I am obsessed with the musical Hamilton so I got a big kick out of this.

Here we have a road runner, a scotty dog, an artichoke, and bicycle, along with some bonus small kitchen appliances in the background fabric.

Thank you to all the volunteers who contributed to this quilt.  It will be gifted through Covered in Love to a family who has lost someone dear to them and I'm certain it will bring smiles and comfort in a dark time.

There will be a second quilt still to come from these blocks, but in the meanwhile the May block drive has been posted!  If you would like to support Covered in Love please check out the block drive by clicking below.

Linking to Crazy Mom Quilt Finish it Friday.

Giant Eye Spy Design Wall

Finally a change on my design wall! I got the Nurture circle Forest QAL top sewn up so I covered the design wall in March's eye spy blocks.  At least 2 tops to come here.

This week I also got my April Nurture circle blocks done.  Can't wait to see what Louise does with these.

I thought you might get a kick out of these pictures of Rory.  She does this whenever we bring home groceries.  She purposely weaves into the handles of the bags and wears them around like a dress :)

Silly cat.  She'll wear her pretty dress for a few hours, until she has to make a bathroom stop.  The bag doesn't go into the litter box so well.

Linking to Patchwork Times Design Wall Monday.

Makes it all worthwhile

Yesterday a brother and sister were left behind while their mother passed on without them.  In a quiet, dim hospital room on a cool Spring afternoon.  With an underwhelming view of a gravel roof out the window and nurses on the other side of the closed door talking, laughing, anticipating their pot-luck lunch.  It wasn't and ending with it a bang, it was quiet and subdued. Witnessed by only a brother and a sister, and a nurse who knowingly watched the heart monitor from another room.  For the rest of us the day continued, life goes on, there are casseroles and Sundaes in the break room and tomorrow we get to sleep in.  But for a brother and a sister, at least for this week, the world stopped turning, that much darker for the loss of one person who mattered so much.

I got the honor of placing a quilt on the bed of that sweet mother yesterday. So that when the brother and sister walked out of our hospital without their mom they carried something else. One of our October block drive Falling Leaves quilts went to its forever home with the brother and the sister.  Thanks sooo much to everyone who contributes to our monthly block drives for Covered in Love! You guys don't ever get to meet the family and put the quilt on the bed, but without your support I would never get to either.  Each block you send in matters.

This month we're making string lattice blocks, you can find the tutorial here.  Meanwhile, I started playing with March's blocks on the design wall last night.  These are going to be so cool! Each quilt will have at least 144 different novelty squares to look at.

This week I'm also continuing to work on my "to-be-quilted" backlog, four more tops to go.  Rory is being her usual helpful self.  If you want to get involved with Covered in Love comment or drop me an email, and thanks to all of you who already have helped. You're my heroes.

Happy Monday!

Linking to Patchwork Times.

March Block Drive - Grownup Eye Spy

February is almost behind us -- how did it go by so fast?? Even on a leap year it's still such a short month.  The Split 9s block drive for Covered in Love is wrapping up, thank you to everyone who sent in blocks! I think we are going to make 3 quilts from the February blocks.  That means it's time to announce March's block drive.

This month we are making grown-up eye spy blocks with fussy cut centers.

For each 10.5" (unfinished) block you will need (4) 2.5" fussy cut centers.  Remember these are for adults, so nothing too baby-ish, but I think whimsical is fine.  Things that would make adults smile :)  Try to choose mostly images with not-light backgrounds since most of them will be bordered with light colors.

Next you'll need a 2" strip to border each center with. The bare minimum length for these strips is 16" but I cut mine a bit long to give myself room.  For each set of four, choose (3) cream/off white/tone-on-tone light fabrics that are solids or will read as solids and a fourth fabric (solid or read-as solid) in maroon, navy, or gold.

Sub cut the strips into (2) 2.5" pieces and (2) 5.5" pieces.

Sew the short sides to your centers and press.

Then sew the longer sides and press. Finally, sew all four little blocks together into one 10.5" blocks. Each large block should have (3) sub blocks with light borders and (1) sub blocks with a colored border.  You can place the colored block anywhere, it doesn't have to fall in the lower left like mine did.

(Edited to Add: View some finished quilts here)

Covered in Love makes comfort quilts for patients who pass away in the hospital.  Family members are able to take these quilts home as a keepsake.  In 2015 our block of the month drives made 18 quilts!  If you would like to participate by making just a few blocks or a whole lot, jump right in! Comment (make sure I can get in touch with you) or email me for the address to send blocks.

October's block drive quilts

I can't wait to see what you guys create!

Linking to Oh Scrap! and Design Wall Monday.