Craft Hope Project 5

I finished up my Craft Hope quilt this afternoon and got it mailed off, just in the nick of time to arrive Saturday (the deadline). The unanswered question as to why I am always such a procrastinator looms always over my head...




This quilt measures 36"x48". The top is made up of Heather Ross fabrics from her West Hill line (with a brown gingham thrown in for good measure). I had no plans for the fabric when I bought it, but I couldn't resist those horses and matroishkas and frogs and tadpoles and such. Plus, if you know anything about Heather Ross and her amazing fabrics, you'll know that not only does she draw the most enchanting designs, but her fabrics are the softest around. Think about the softest sheets you own, and that's what they feel like. This little quilt is oh-so-soft to the touch.

I knew I wouldn't have time to try my first ever free-motion quilting on this one, so I opted for the old-fashioned granny technique -- I hand-tied it. In my quilting group at church, all of our quilts that we give out are hand-tied, but I am always the "finisher" and not the one doing all of the tying, so I had no previous experience in this department. (As the "finisher", all this means is that because I am the whippersnapper of the group, cough, cough, the youngest, cough, cough, I am the person to hand sew the binding on. I am also the proud "needle threader" of the group since I'm the one with the keenest eyes, haha.) Thankfully though, I've paid attention a time or two to the hand-tying process, so I knew what to do. I picked a nice cotton yarn out in a sage/cream combo, and I really like how it turned out! So cozy!

Oh dear. Talk about getting my granny on. Can't you just picture the cutest, sweetest granny saying that phrase: "I picked a nice cotton yarn out..." -- ha!

I also used polyester batting this time. Polyester may elicit many a tsk-tsk from most experienced quilters, but since I was tying it, I decided that for the price (read: uber-cheap on sale) and the high loft that made it so much thicker than the traditional cotton batting I normally buy, it was the perfect choice for this quilt. I may have to incorporate more hand-tied quilts into my future. There is just something homey and cozy and familiar about the hand-tied quilts.

These quilts will be going to children in the Grand Rapids, Michigan area who are homeless at Christmastime. I prayed over my little quilt as I drew the needle up and down, praying that it will truly bring comfort and love to its little recipient. Sitting on my comfy sofa with my purring cat at my side, a roof over my head -- it really hit home to me that this quilt on my lap, this very same quilt I was holding, will be going to some child in America, for crying out loud, that doesn't have a home. May God help me to be ever mindful of the many blessings and luxuries I enjoy every minute of every single day, and I pray that He would continue to put opportunities in my path for ways I can help.

Won't you consider joining the next project with Craft Hope? This is my third project I've participated in, and seriously, even if you are not a crafter, sign up anyway and enlist the help of a friend or relative who is. You'll be so glad you did.