Tornado Relief

Have you seen the news lately?  The Southern United States has been ravaged by tornadoes.  Mississippi, Alabama, Virginia, Arkansas, and now Missouri.

Last month, when tornadoes devastated Arkansas, I was sure I would find a deluge of craft auctions, giveaways, and events dedicated to raising funds for tornado victims.  As the destruction continued across the Southern United States, I knew that the craft community would band together to provide relief for the families and communities affected.  Then, when FEMA denied funds for VA tornado victims I started to wonder when people were going to help.

I'm not innocent here. I haven't donated funds for relief; I can't, but I'll spare you the excuses.  Where dozens of bloggers offered support to raise earthquake-relief funds in March, I've only seen one fundraiser for tornado relief.

I don't want to sound like a bleeding-heart patriot, but come on people!  This is America; the land of the free and the home of the brave!  We killed Osama bin Laden (Joking!  Sort of...)  I read about so many people shelling out their hard earned money to help others in another country-- what about helping those suffering within your own country and communities?  Where is all the buzz about that?

I don't mean to be on a high horse, I just want to shed light on an area that seems to be badly neglected within our crafting community.  Perhaps all of these tragedies have been overshadowed by the buzz about quilt market.  Perhaps we are just disastered out.

It's time to get off my soapbox and get to the point:  I want you to donate to the American Red Cross.  You can donate money, you can donate time, you can donate effort, or you can donate blood.  The Red Cross badly needs disaster relief workers and blood donations; can you do either one?  If not, can you spare a few bucks to help fund shelters for those in need?

Go here to donate money.
Go here to find volunteer opportunities.
Go here to find where to donate blood.

In exchange for your donations of time, money, and bodily fluids, I will offer you a giveaway.  Anyone who donates in any of the aforementioned manners should leave a comment, including valid email address, here.  You will be entered into a giveaway to win this quilt.  I will use random.org to select a winner on May 31, 2011. 
If you aren't interested in my giveaway, I still urge you to donate.  Having experienced the terror of tornado disaster, huddling in a dark hole, hoping that your house is still standing when you come out, is a feeling I know all too well.  As a child growing up in Texas, I would stay up all night listening to the weather radio during severe storm and tornado warnings out of fear of being crushed in my sleep.  The sound of the tornado siren instills fear into my heart to this day, and I will never forget the sight of a tornado bearing down on our family vehicle or tearing through pastures adjacent to our house.

Please, I beg you, donate.

Sea Glass

Today I hand-stitched 252 inches of binding.  My hands are feeling a bit gnarled.  But, I finished the Sea Glass quilt, just in time for the heat wave coming next week.  I slaved myself over the binding for hours today just so that Lesly could see it before she hops a plane to Berlin.

The finished quilt measures 60"x66" and is made entirely of half-square triangles.  I used my tried and true method to get gorgeous half-square triangles.  All you have to do is cut squares 7/8" larger than your finished size, draw a diagonal line from corner to corner, stack, and sew 1/4" from either side of the line.  When you cut it in half, you'll have two perfect half-square triangles!

My inspiration for this project comes from this quilt.  I loved the purple-brown solid she used and the collection of vibrant blues and turquoise prints.  When I saw it I knew immediately that I had to work with that color palette!  I must admit-- I pretty much copied her quilt but I don't feel terribly bad about it.

This quilt is stuffed with bamboo batting, which is soft and silky and easy to sew.  Of course, bamboo fibers also attach to everything, so this quilt is covered in fuzz.  I didn't have any single pieces large enough for this quilt, so I stitched to large scraps together.  You can't even notice in the quilting!

I quilted this in a grid pattern following the seam lines.  The quilting lines are 1/4" from the vertical and horizontal seams, but there is only one line for each seam.  After I quilted the vertical grid, I started having problems with fabric pushing and puckering, so I decided to stop after one set each of horizontal and vertical lines.

I used a green variegated thread (King Tut #923) on top and a yellow 50 wt thread in the bobbin (Wonderfil KT403).  The top thread looks gorgeous and the bobbin thread blends beautifully with the background.  The only problem is that I can see the knots from the top thread on the back.  Anyone know how to solve this problem?

Fabrics used include a bunch of random prints I found at my LQS, some Alexander Henry, some Kaffe Fassett, and two Lantern Bloom prints (Tile Mosaic in turquoise and citron), as well as a beautiful brown Kona cotton.  The quilt is backed with citron Tile Mosaic from the Lantern Bloom collection and bound with the same Kona brown from the front.

Overall, I'd say it's gorgeous.  It definitely has some flaws-- my quilting hasn't reached the quality level that I desire, but that can only change with practice.  As the ladies at the LQS say, "better finished than perfect."  Except my binding is perfect.  For the record.

Humility Blocks

Remember this quilt?  And the messed up blocks?  Well...

Thankfully I noticed this when piecing rows together and was able to fix it, unlike last time.   The quilt top is now pieced and error free!

Sunday Stack

Half-square triangles-- 108 to be exact.  I love stacking up cut fabrics and seeing the color patterns that emerge.  These look a bit like stained glass, don't you think?