Have you ever found a quote or saying that sums up what you have been thinking or pondering but that person said it better than you could? This is a simple quote I have lived by but couldn’t put in words –“A Home is a Portrait of a Person” by Alessandra Branch. If you walked into my house, what would you know about me and my husband? What do our furnishings and decor reflect about us? I can’t think of many items in our home that don’t tell you something about us–from the framed print of “Baseball at Night” hanging over our bed to the vintage dishes or the quilts adding color and a story.

My husband’s personality and his career is a “function over form” sort. Most things need to have a purpose. I am child of depression era parents; I really do hate to waste money! These two traits have combined to be our vibe. Almost everything in our home reflects this. We seldom just buy something because it is “in” or a fad but we do collect items that reflect our passions…..framed baseball quotes, large glass canisters to contain dozens of found used baseballs, a windmill weight from his grandparent’s farm. And what have I added? Books, lots of plants and of course quilts!

I use quilts to cover up tops of furniture, at the end of the bed during this transitional season and to fill a pie safe of my grandmother—everything needs a function!

All these uses are rather traditional, but quilts may be used in less conventional ways also. Quilts are often used for tables.

I pull this pastel Grandmothers Flower Garden out every spring to use as a spring table cloth. I found this beauty at a farm sale in western Kansas. The owner knew it wasn’t from his family; just one his wife found and bought. Every hexagon is hand quilted! The binding follows the shape of the hexagons (not easy to do!) The fabric is consistent with fabrics of the 1930’s—but this isn’t a scrap quilt. Fabric was carefully selected and purchased for the quilt. Was it a wedding gift or made for a hope chest?

I have a table quilt featuring holly leaves I made for a Christmas dinner. Give your quilts another look and decide which ones might be used as a table quilt.

And shower curtains–with a liner of course. This isn’t my style, but another use of quilts.

And of course quilts can be made into something else–

Jackets and coats made from quilts are very popular now.

If a quilt is beyond repair, it is often referred to as a “cutter” quilt. Using the parts of the quilt that are salvageable, all sorts of items are made.

Christmas stockings, tree ornaments, placemats, stuffed animals and many other items have been made from cutters–giving new life to much loved quilts.

Quilts are a major part of my life and home. Walk into my home and you will know I believe quilts should be shown off, used and used up.

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Quilters at First are busy on projects, but very few have been finished for me to share with you this week.

We had one set of placemats

The reversible placemats are the same print in two different colorways. They are machine quilted and hand bound in a rust print to match the tiny floral design. Measuring 12″ x 18″, the set of 4 is $40.

Heather contributed a spring table topper.

Easter eggs are the feature fabric and the frame fabrics are in colors pulled from the print. It also could be reversible. 18″ x 20″, it is $30.

A quilt is made from yards of fabric, hours of time and learned skills. All, much too valuable to waste. So look at those quilts again and think up new ways to incorporate them into your home.

Remember the commercial for LIFE cereal back in the 1970’s and early 1980’s with Mikey, the little brother that was the guinea pig for his two older brothers when they were served a new cereal? “Let’s get Mikey” and “he likes it!” became catch phrases. We quilters have adopted/adapted that phrase to “Give it to Diane-she will use it”.

We are gifted many boxes of fabric, sewing supplies and craft items from generous folks who are downsizing or dealing with a parent’s or grandparents’ home. We have received valuable fabric, tools and other supplies. Regular quilters do not have much use for yarn, lace, ribbons, beads and other bling that we also receive. But, we do have Diane in our group and she see potential in the odd piece of embroidery or the scraps of felt and the pretty ribbons! Invariably, come Wednesday, Diane has a new project to share. Look what she brought this week–

Book marks were made from old embroidered dresser scarves and patchwork pieces never quilted. They are sturdy with heavy interfacing sandwiched between the recycled fabric. $3 each

More stuffed hearts that have a front pocket for a Happy Mother’s Day gift or greeting. Know someone having a birthday soon–these would be perfect to make a birthday gift extra special. $10 each

Earlier creations include–

Peep mug rugs—or coasters if you like that term better. The bunnies are appliquéd on the patchwork mat. $8 each

Bunny treat bags–with floral ears and and fluffy tail—-The tail is probably from donated yard the other quilters passed on! $8 each

Diane saw the need for adult bibs–is there a better word? and created several different ones that can be for either male or female…all with donated fabric or fabric in her stash. $15 each

More “let’s see what I can do with this- Diane” items we have in our sale!

Of course, all our quilters are very talented—but it is Diane’s desk that we unload the “bits and pieces”, knowing something good will show up.

We have a few new items by other members–

This set of 4 placemats is perfect for a summer luncheon or Sunday brunch. The coordinating print on the back allows them to be reversible. They are machine quilted and hand bound and of course, washable. The colors will work with many different types and sets of dinnerware. They measure 12″ x 19.5″ and are $40

Do you see yourself spending hours in the kitchen preparing for Easter lunch or a Memorial Day picnic? You will need this twill apron to keep your outfit spotless. It has an adjustable neckband and long waist ties- allowing it to be tied in front. $15

Do you decorate for every holiday–I have people in my life that do! This St. Pat’s table runner will turn your table Irish!

It could be reversible. Machine quilted and hand bound–$40

Thanks for reading and here is to seeing the potential in bits and pieces!

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See something you like and you don’t live in Wichita? We will mail it UPS to you.

March is such an interesting month. One day dog walkers are passing each other on the side walks with greetings about the lovely spring weather and the next day, snow is blowing across your windshield. Daffodils are blooming, trees are budding, but there is ice on the sidewalks from over eager homeowners watering their lawns.

National Quilting Day is in March-always the third Saturday. Also, March is baseball’s Spring Training in Arizona and Florida. So most often I “celebrate” the day in a ball park. In addition, March is Spring Break for many schools and universities. March has a lot going on for itself! And we managed to incorporate all of these March happenings.

We flew to Arizona -to see our grandson on spring break and to catch a couple of games, with our bags packed with “early spring” outfits. At the last moment I threw in a heavy jacket. We couldn’t land in Prescott due to visibility issues because of snow! Opps! Might not be the warm weather I was used to in AZ in March. After spending a night in Denver, we returned to Prescott and was picked up by our grandson who is a tour guide extraordinaire. We visited Jerome-an old mining town, rode an excursion train, toured Sedona (and fell in love with it), and went to a Royals game in Phoenix and Organ Pizza before he flew home for the rest of his spring break. We attended another Royals game–they won both games, had lunch with a college friends and visited a quilt shop

Arizona Quilt Shop in Surprise AZ is close to the Royals’ ball park –easy to find. I could spend much more time than I ever do in this shop (close to a ball park–are you reading between the lines?). Due to my “fabric diet”, I only purchased one yard of clearance fabric for a border of an almost finished top and a placemat pattern. But if you are ever in Phoenix, I highly recommend this shop. The quilt shop in Sedona was more of a gallery of quilts in an upscale shopping center, with prices that matched.

While I was celebrating March, members of Quilters at First have been super busy creating –and finishing some great projects, every thing from pins cushions to queen size quilts.

I like pennants–they just make me happy. This bright primary colors are good for any special occasion. The longer one is $15 and the shorter one is $10/

We don’t have many tied quilts but yesterday some ultra soft and cuddly ones showed up.

Backed with pink fleece, this princess “blankie” is just right for nap time. 41″ x 47″ . $30

It was difficult to photo the “softness” of these two quilts. The first photo is a larger pink tied quilt with a center panel. The center panel is a print that reads “baby”. The second quilt is a simple black and white polka dot tied with yellow pearl cotton and bound in yellow.

Need a blanket for an adult or teen that has a bit more class than the tied fleece blankets? Paulette added coordinating crochet edges to give a finished look.

Each is one is $25.

For the toddler learning their “ABC’s”–an “I Spy” ABC quilt. This non-gender quilt is machine pieced and machine quilted.

Each block of this quilt is a different block pattern with the same theme–floral. Maple leaves, grandma’s flower basket, Baltimore rose are all here. Pieced and appliquéd blocks are included along with some embellishments to add variety.

Patchwork tulips could not be more perfect for March!

These tulips have a bunny setting in the middle! Ms.Bunny is appliquéd flannel. The blue background is machine quilted in a simple cross hatch. The pastel plaid binding adds spring colors.

12.5″ x 18.5″ –sized to fit almost anywhere. $50. (SOLD)

Jumping ahead to fall, we have two new items, both for your table and an holiday flannel.

Nothing beats flannel for the winter months! This pre-printed flannel lap quilt is 39″ x 53″ and $125. It is machine quilted and has coordinating fabric on back.

My husband has an app on his phone that allows him to identify bird calls. But I think he and his phone would be very confused with these birds!

This piece of art was made by Janis R -of course, it was! I have fallen in love with all these birds and insects. Machine appliquéd with some embroidery and embellishments, perfect for all year!

Remember all those “not quite finished” quilt tops from my daughter. Here is another one finished!

Actually the colors are a little softer than represented in this photo.

As we were putting Spring/Easter items in the showcase at Church, a church member ask if we sell our items year around in addition to the Quilt Etc. Sale in October. We all responded with a loud YES. We love to make sure you can begin enjoying these items immediately–or start your gift shopping early. Contact any Quilters at First member and we will help you get what you want. Leave a comment below and it goes to my email.

The Quilt Etc Sale is on the calendar for October 16 – 18.

Enjoy March–there can be lots of surprises.

I promise I will show some great quilt projects in the second half of this post but first I wanted to share with you another interest/commitment by several members of Quilters at First.

If you look out of either of the tall windows in our quilt room any time of the day, you will see unhoused persons milling around on the sidewalks and street next to the Open Door Homeless Resource Center located across from the Church’s parking lot.

The daily lunch is where we quilters connect to Open Door. A group of five or six women and one QH (quilter husband) prepare and serve a lunch the first Friday of every month. For years we have fixed tater tot casserole, so of course, we call it “Tator Tot Friday”.

I realize lunch once a month will not solve the huge and seemly unsolvable problem of homelessness. Affordable housing, addiction, mental health, consumer education all contribute to this growing situation but “people got to eat”. And probably the quilters/ Tator Tot crew gain more from this experience than do the clients–greater sense of gratitude and a bit more understanding of the values, issues and reality of our neighbors who live on the streets.

And to my friend, who said to me years ago when I retired, “You can’t just quilt all the time”, I don’t! Quilters are comforters and what is more comforting than a hot meal when you don’t have a home.

And now to the fun part–What “quilt” goodies do I have to show you?

A “block of the month” quilt–a variety of blocks using several quilting techniques was used to complete this queen size quilt.

Are you a puzzle person–you know I am!

The fabric print, the quilt pattern and the machine quilting all are puzzle pieces. A fun quilt to throw over a sofa in the family room or on a child’s bed, it is 50″ x 65″. $125 (The photo is taken in a stairwell at Church–held up by quilters!)

I really like this quilt and will go to a different banister to take a better photo–but Elaine used some of my favorite prints–cherries– to make this approximately 55″ x 65″ size quilt. Elaine used fabrics from our stash –so this qualifies to be in the “look what we made from your donated fabric” gallery at the quilt sale! $150. Perfect for summer!

This quilt pattern is Rail Fence, named for the zig-zag fences early settlers made from split logs that did not require wire or nails. Flannel in rich burgundy, purple and green insures the quilt is extra cozy. Measuring 39″ x 40″–a lap quilt–it is perfect for throwing over the back of a chair or over your legs when reading or watching TV. $100

The Easter Bunny is just around the corner! Here he/she is hiding among Easter Eggs. Janis R, the appliqué genius, made this fun springtime wall hanging or table topper. It is approximately 25″ x 26″ and $40. Who needs an Easter basket filled with candy when you could have this? SOLD

Another piece from Janis–with hints of all the things we look forward to in Spring. The table runner -or it could be a wall hanging in the right spot, is 14″ x 36″. Machine appliquéd and machine quilted. The backing is the same fabric as the fabric used in the border of the Easter Bunny piece. $50

My tulips are beginning to peak out of the ground. But we don’t have to wait for these tulips.

The table runner is approximately 15″ x 40″. These tulips will last much longer than those much anticipated garden flowers. $40.

Different placemats “spice” up the most ordinary meal-anyway that is my excuse for having lots and lots of placemats. Plus placemats do protect your good wooden table top.

This set of six placemats measure 11.5″ x 17.5″. Machine quilted, hand bound and machine washable–$55 for the set.

Difficult to think about Christmas and the holidays–but this red and green table runner suggests that time of the year! Ric rac adds to gingerbread feel. Machine quilted and hand bound–washable. 13.5″ x 40″ $40

Our TV weather people have been suggesting we are not finished with snow–ugh. But who can be upset with a snow person.

Snow people are the feature fabric in this table runner. $40

Designed to hold a couple of credit cards or your ID, they can be attached to your lanyard or tucked into a pocket. Vintage fabric and 30’s reproduction fabric adds to their charm. $10 each

The highlight of each Wednesday is getting to see first hand all the creative and awesome pieces brought to share by my Quilters at First friends. Thanks for sharing this experience.

Good bye February, hello March! Are you going to be as extreme weather-wise as February was? One of the clients where I volunteer told me with confidence that we had seen the last of our cold weather..and the very next one predicted that there would have one more big snow storm before spring! Guess we will just have to wait and see.

I have a very long list of books I want to read–but something inside me says don’t use your time reading when you could be sewing. My compromise is audio books, of course. But something good happens to your body when you set down with a book in your hands.

February brought changes in our sewing world. Quilters at First moved locations. We had our first regular “Quilting Wednesday” in the new room. We spent a lot of time asking ourselves “Now where did we put—” and bumping into each other. The room is smaller but we are going to try a a small change in the arrangements. We do enjoy the visitors, the natural light and the tile floor.

February allowed more time in our individual sewing rooms. In March, quilting will be competing with yard work and travel for some of us. Many great projects were brought to quilting on Wednesday–some finished and ready for you to see and some almost finished and will be featured later. I have two quilts at the long arm quilter’s ready to be picked up and bound, two to take to her and two “almost finished”. I see miles of hand binding in my future.

Quilters at First have some of the best friends! Shirley’s friend pieced the top and gave it to be quilted and bound for our sale-wow.

The pattern and fabrics are from Laundry Basket Quilts-www.laundrybasketquilts.com. The designer Edyta Sitar is famous for her two color quilts and her complex patterns. This quilt is a lovely example of complex pattern looking simple by using only blues and creams/neutrals.

Looking for a longer table runner? This 15.5″ x 60″ table runner would right at home in a traditional styled dinning room. I have seen similar designs in east coast colonial homes. Machine quilted and washable. $40

This table runner makes me think of Greece. But right here in Wichita, the bright print is the essence of summer.

Lemon meringue pie? lemon aide? Ice tea with a slice of lemon? It measures 15″ x 35″ and is $40.

Are you Irish –or do you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day? But really, who isn’t a bit Irish on the 17th? The table runner approximately 20″ x 40″ and is $40.

Easter is a bit later this year. But we already have some cute gifts and accessories.

Filled with candies, trinkets or gift cards, they would be the perfect “I am thinking of you” present.

Or do you want a huge carrot on your table?

It is difficult to even think about autumn but we quilters do! This set of 6 reversible placemats are machine quilted and washable.

11.5″ x 17.5″. $55 for 6

Quilters sew one or two or even three seasons ahead of the current calendar. Halloween is a fun holiday for decorating.

A winter village table runner works during the holidays and through snowy January and February.

4″4″ x 51″. $40

Several items for everyday use were completed. We have scrub pads, pot holders, microwave bowls and mug rugs. Something new was a plate cozy for the microwave.

They have small darts on the sides to give a slight concave center. Phyllis made several in different prints. All cotton so they are safe for the microwave. $8 each.

And if you really want to plan ahead or think Valentines Day should be every day, the table topper is approximately 25 ” diameter and is $30. The mug rugs are $5 each.

Please excuse my wonky photos–I am going to blame it on the space around the design wall–there isn’t much and it creates a challenge.

According to our TV weather persons, March 1 is the first day of meteorology spring, a promising marker. March 9 is the time change-ugh. My granddaughter has her 13th birthday. Daffodils will bloom on the sunny side of the house. Professional baseball starts it new season, exciting for some in my household. So welcome March, be kind.

“THE MOVE” is behind us! Although we had 2 inches of fresh snow on the road yesterday morning, I counted twenty six people ready to help! By 2 o’clock we were putting the finishing touches on the machine quilters’ room and the hand quilters had their quilt frames re-assembled and all the boxes in their new room. All this was made possible by many non-quilters helping out!

Do you call the husbands of quilters volunteers? Did they have a choice? Not sure, but Tom, Dave, Larry, Dan, and John were great! My husband took these photos–so of course I don’t have him or several of the others.

Several Church friends joined us out of the goodness of their friendship hearts. And again, I do not have photos of all those wonderful non-quilters who helped.

And of course, hot coffee, cookies and zucchini bread was available for breaks. Heavy lifting and walking up and down stairs with shelving, long tables, metal cabinets, quilt frames, tubs of fabric and sewing machines required pizza at noon to renew our strength. Remember these photos from the last post? This is just a portion of the fabric, notions, books and equipment we had to move.

One huge task we were dreading was moving the 78″ x 78″ design wall that had been fastened to sheetrock, to fastening it securely on plaster. But thanks to QHs (that’s quilter husband) and Church maintenance staff, it is up ready to be used. The plaster walls were also a bit challenging for the white board (necessary for planning parties), quilt hangers, etc.

Another QH, a retired engineer, solved the puzzle of four double outlets for a dozen machines, three irons, seven lamps and a coffee pot.

We hung two bright quilts on our walls as an antidote to the dreary February weather Kansas is experiencing. The coffee cups are up next to the “treat” cabinet and coffee pot. A few command hooks for our wall hangings and it will be home!

This was my third quilt room move at Church! But because I am lucky enough to be a part of this community of women that quilt together on Wednesday, I would do it again just to a part of the Quilters at First.

So ready or not, FUMC, we will be quilting and sewing as well as laughing, comforting, planning, sharing treats, admiring finished projects, giving advice and “visiting” on the third floor of B Building every Wednesday.

It is February….shortest month in the year that occasionally feels like the longest month. Silly to expect spring yet, but most of us are “over” winter, especially after our record breaking temperatures in January. But, traditionally, Kansas gets the most snow in February. We need the moisture so guess we will be happy to take it in any form-just so it doesn’t interfere with the Quilters at First moving day this Wednesday!

As a consequence of the anticipated move, we only had one project brought in to be shared.

Heather made a valentine theme table topper perfect for a small round table or an end table and is reversible. It measures 25″ across. Add some color to your February and protect your table top from water splashes from the bouquet of flowers you received or purchased for yourself! $30

We do have a few hearts left. They are designed with a pocket in front in which you can slip a gift card, a candy bar or a note. These valentine have no calories and they are guaranteed not to wilt after a couple of days. Vintage inspired, they are $10 each.

On a personal note, I finished two more tops that are ready for the long arm quilter.

The other finished top waiting for the long arm quilter is a “MaggiePearl” lap size. I think I choose that pattern because of the name. If I acquired a kitten, I would name it MaggiePearl!

Another win in my sewing room is an ironing board made specifically for pressing quilts!

February might be easier if I could just spend my days sewing, but alas, real life with its appointments, obligations and responsibilities happen. And actually, I guess I am grateful for these interruptions…they make the days I get to sew all the more sweet!

I am so grateful I live in a world with color and that my eyesight allows me to distinguish between all the of shades and tones of each color. Color is an important part of quilting, especially at the beginning–selecting fabrics that “play together well” insures a winner. Color is a very broad far-reaching facet of all parts of our lives. Most of us have a favorite color that we select over and over or a color we never would wear. How important is color?

In the past few years in the United States, color identifies your political party allegiance. We are “red” states and “blue” states. (And some states call themselves “purple”, a mixture of red and blue.) Before the last presidential election, many women selected the color of their outfits to reflect their political beliefs.

We associate color with holidays.

Colors have been added to the traditional ones–Christmas prints have added light blues and grays. Purple is now a Halloween favorite. But most have remained the same.

Color can be gender identifying; blue for baby boys and pink for baby girls. But according to the some sources, this practice only became popular in the late 1940’s. Before that, if you did not dress your baby in white—the more practical because it could be bleached, little boys wore pink, the stronger color and little girls wore blue, a color associated with the Virgin Mary. Colors for babies in the 21st Century include nature inspired greens, grays and muted colors.

Colors come in and out of favor. According to Pantone–“a color matching system that standardizes and identifies colors of graphic design and printing”, 2025’s color is —-

Those of us of a “certain age” have colors that we associate with a particular decade in our lives. I still have an avocado and harvest gold crock pots! Then there were the homes with grey painted walls and grey counter tops and grey sofa in the 2000’s.

Color is one way we date quilt tops. Each decade had colors and print styles that were favored.

The 1920’s to the 1940’s are easy to identify–solid basic colors and tiny prints in all the colors were used. This was the period of the feed sack prints. Not many shades and tones were used in a design, just a stand alone color.

Who can forget the “flower power” and “hippie” influence of the 1960’s? And the popularity of polyester–that miracle fabric? Colors were bright–neon.

In 2025 we have soooooo many choices. Moda, on of the popular fabric manufacturers available in most quilt shops, has seventy five plus designers that contribute. Moda divided their fabric lines into six categories—classic, basic, metro, style, Ruby Star and Christmas. Moda has 1,884 different future prints! And Moda is just one manufacturer…

Quilt patterns or blocks have remained more constant. For example an old but favorite block is Churn Dash–the name tells you it is from another time. Here is two churn dash quilts but in different colors. The first is from the Civil War era and the second photo is a current photo. Colors make a difference.

Rules do exist concerning colors usage—but most quilters are guided by their intuition. Not to say that knowing about color basics–primary, secondary and tertiary; to recognize warm and cool colors and the color groupings–monochromatic, complementary etc doesn’t help.

But for those starting out here all a couple of rules I use.

1. The more shades and tones and prints of a color used, the less important it is that the colors match.

Elaine made this winner for the Quilters at First Sale. See all the blues and neutrals she used…bright clear blues, dark almost black blues, greenish blue and grey blue. They all play together well. This quilt is 68″ x 86″ and for sale for $225.

2. You can’t go wrong with a quilt of one color and a neutral background. They are classics.

3. A balance between lights, mediums and darks adds interest.

4. And one last color tidbit I often use is to add a bit of black–it is like seasoning in a dish–it enhances the other colors. Moderation is the key here.

Because Quilters at First is made up of 20+ women who have different color biases, there is variety of quilts in a wide range of colors. You can choose your favorite!

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We did have a few new items show up this week.

Spatter guards for your micro wave–$5 each

The end of January in Kansas is rather monochromatic, so I hope you make your own world full of color this week.