I am sure that you have come to realize, I tend to do several charity quilts every year. Sometimes the fundraising for these is quite successful. Why do charity quilts? Honestly, it just makes me feel good. Plus, some of the patterns I find fit the bill purrfectly; thus, I decide to use them as fundraising, whether for fundraisers or just for raising awareness about something that means a lot to our family.
I started working on a new quilt called “The Quilt Bee” when the pandemic started. It was a year-long block of the month kit that I found on Keepsake Quilting. Initially, I chose this block of the month simply because I loved the cool, fall colors for this quilt top. This BOM (block of the month) consists of Marcus Fabric-New Aged Muslins. An assortment of yellow, orange, white/cream, red, green, etc. A kind of muted colors of the rainbow. All lovely!
Each month I received a bag with the fabric that I then cut and pieced according to the directions for each block. I relish the final product of each month’s blocks. The first was a star, and the next few months were a little more abstract. Some are more realistic, like the apple, forest, and barn blocks. So far, I think that the block called “Pink Sky” is my favorite. This quilt top is the first time I have used the paper piecing technique. This technique is different than the English paper piecing I learned on the “Dear Daughter” quilt. After watching a few online tutorials, I felt more confident to give it a try. It was not as hard as I thought it would be. It was relatively easy.
I only have a few blocks left to cut and piece together; the braid border, bees, and sashing units are all that are left. Once I have those finished, the top should go together at lightning speed! This quilt top has a country vibe going on. I will more than likely do a raffle for a rescue that we hold near and dear to our hearts, Little Longears Miniature Donkey Rescue. Our kids volunteered here to earn service hours, and it was the last place Brianna volunteered before she passed. They are in the process of relocating to a much larger home, and I’m sure a quilt raffle will help raise some money for their new home!
I have shared pictures of some of the blocks thus far. As soon as I get the last few pieced and the quilt top completed, I will share the finished quilt. Guess I better get on the ball, find and order the backing fabric, so when the top is complete, I can drop it off with the longarm quilter!
Cutting 1 1/2″ squares for the braids (128 pieces in total) 
First time using my strip ruler 
Choose the size strips you want and slip your rotary blade in the groove, and you have strips cut quickly. 
Strips cut for the braids. (256 pieces!) 
Purrfectly Imperfect 