The Bama Bound Quilts

My most recent project, finished this morning, are two quilts for the Bama Bound Quilt project, which aims to provide a quilt, tote & small stuffed animal to children who were victims of the Alabama tornadoes.

One of the many benefits of not being able to resist cute, colorful or otherwise eye-catching fabrics is that you have lots on hand for "emergency" projects such as this.

I can't remember where this pattern came from, but it is a very easy one and would work up quickly. Essentially, one cuts 4 inch and 2 inch strips from various "fat quarters" and then sew one of each together. After pressing, you cut from the assembled piece, 4 inch and 2 inch pieces. Mix & match and sew one of each together. Assemble 4 in a block and alternate with 10 inch squares.

The quilts were layered with a light cotton batting, and backed with the same extra wide, blue/purple/teal batik that I backed my previous quilt in. I machine quilted it with wavy diagonal lines, roughly 5 inches apart.

Pictured is a "girl quilt" and a "boy quilt" with their totes and beanies. Also, two extra totes & animals I volunteered to donate to go with quilts they received without them. The tote bags are made out of denim and lined with whatever half yard piece I could find. I purchased the strapping. Again, an easy-peasy pattern.

Both the block pattern and the tote pattern can be scaled easily to any size.

As someone said elsewhere recently, "I can't build a house in Alabama, but I can make a quilt!" I hope someone will come forward to do the same for the victims of the Joplin, Missouri tornado.