A Quilt for a Cause

So, a few months back (late November maybe?) I was asked to be my daughter's class auction project parent. Of course, I said Yes, but then I had to figure out what this class of 5-7yr olds would be up for. I thumbed through albums of projects past and saw all kinds of neat things, but it was the quilt idea that got me. I do enjoy quilting, but it is definitely one of those things I don't take much time to do...except stocking up on beautiful fabrics of course! I've got a few completed quilts (and a few more in progress) under my belt, and am surrounded by talented sewers/quilters in my family for support, so I sketched out a design/plan, and set to work. I cut out 6.5" squares of muslin and had the kids draw an assortment of sea creatures on them with fabric markers -the auction theme was "Under the Sea". The kids did great! As you can see they had freedom to create an individual environment for their creature...I didn't want them to have to work from a template, kids need to use their imaginations and creativity and it totally worked on this, every block has a story. :) Once those were done, I assembled the quilt with help from my friend KC, who also helped me find the fabulous background fabric (I just love this!). Then (this was the new and exciting part for me), I learned to use a long-arm quilting machine, and freehanded the quilting. It was awesome!! Thanks Liz!


Here is a close-up of my daughter's square. Her creature was a dolphin (the school mascot). I thought she did an amazing job, and look forward to seeing her illustrations progress in the future. The girl is an artist and crafter for sure, and has just about finished her first quilt!

So, when all was said and done, I did my very best to win the quilt back at the auction, none of us wanted to see it leave the house. However, I did not, but three wonderful things happened: the quilt went to a great home, raised a nice sum of money for the school, and made me realize how much I really enjoy quilting -a true treasure! I'm now working on a quilt for my son...Train themed. He's super excited and so am I. I'll attach pics of that as it progresses...