My quilting thoughts and inspirations sprinkled with a glimpse of life down on the farm

Sunday, April 20, 2025

Scrub Stitching Special Project

Don't be too surprised to see another post today - I'm on a mission!! I hinted in my last post that there was another sewing project I worked on while at Scrub Stitching.
In recent months dear friend Chooky and family ran a big fundraising appeal for the Macquarie Homestay to expand the accommodation available for families of patients staying at Dubbo Hospital.
They had a wonderful response which surpassed their original goal. 

However we all know that quilts give that little bit of extra love so I offered to co-ordinate the making of a community quilt for the room.
A straightforward block was chosen and everyone was asked to make 2 versions of it, light surrounds and dark surrounds.
Here were my two blocks -
Before I'd even arrived, the wall was filling up with everyone's blocks - it was so cool to see how everyone was happy to jump on board with the idea.
The pattern I had chosen was called Fruit Punch out of  'Jelly Roll Quilts In A Weekend' by Pam & Nicky Lintott— 
I figured that if the authors could get one sewn in a weekend, then it might be a straight forward one to make!!
A sheet always makes a good design wall. I arranged blocks and let them sit for a while so that we could move them around as necessary — 
And then joining happened. I was pleased to get that long diagonal row joined! The odd block needed a bit of size fixing, but I found it a good one to use as a community block, where everyone's sewing is a bit different. I found a darkish neutral to use for the setting triangles - it was a bit hard to decide on a colour when the expected blocks were unknown, but I'm pleased with how this one worked.
Woohoo, 'tis together!
Photo without the goof!
Sandy of Shiralee Stitches very kindly offered to take it home to longarm quilt. A little team will bind it and then woohoo, it will be done.

What happened next was very exciting and heart warming. Sharmayne asked how many blocks we had left over; I said I was planning on taking them home and slowly making some more for a second quilt. She, however, wandered around the room collecting scraps and got a bit of a teamwork production line going. Here are Betty and Chooky making sets of blocks, which Christine and Sharmayne sewed together —
Before we knew it, we had enough blocks for a second, slightly smaller quilt. 
This one has the light blocks on the outside and will have coloured setting triangles.
Sharmayne and myself - mission accomplished —
I'll finish it here at home and get it back to Australia, either quilted or unquilted, somehow.
A great effort ♥
Thank you Scrub Stitchers for the generosity of your time and your scraps!!
See you next time,
Raewyn

19 comments:

  1. Great idea and two fabulous quilts…
    M

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  2. You did an amazing job coordinating and creating not one but two quilts.

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  3. Wow....2 love gifts...a great accomplishment...

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  4. That project really worked well, a lovely team effort. xx

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  5. Congratulations, that has come together so well. Great idea as a community quilt.

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  6. It's so nice when friends can work together for a good cause. The pattern was very simple, a good one for a group to make. Happy stitching!

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  7. It is always wonderful to see what happens when a little love of fabric and those around us is involved. Great team work. Happy Easter. In stitches

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  8. Great work Raewyn co-ordinating this effort. You certainly chose an excellent block and quilt idea. Thank you.

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  9. It was such a great idea Raewyn - Well done! Good that Sandy is quilting #1 I am sure the quilts will make the room that much more homely.

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  10. Great choice of block for this quilt and what a bonus having eneough left over to go with a second smaller one.

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  11. Thank you Raewyn, you had a great idea and coordinated it beautifully. Was great to see the production line happening.

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  12. Having a sheet as a design wall...inspired!!

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  13. It was a great effort and I was more than happy to help get us sorted to finish off the blocks needed for the second quilt. What a wonderful outcome

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  14. What a lively post...I could sense the enthusiasm with getting these blocks together. And what a great idea with the light and dark switched up like that. Thank you for sharing great photos too.

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  15. Thank you for coordinating this project. It was an ideal pattern and turned out so well.

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  16. Hi Raewyn, what a great story of collaboration. Quilters are really special that way. Congrats on getting 2 quilts done!

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  17. Way to go, gals! Love the teamwork and the resulting quilts. That is a great block for such a project. Trimming can be done as needed without cutting off points or ruining the design in some other way.
    And I really got a kick out of the photo WITH the goof. ;)

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  18. What a great idea Raewyn, well done to all

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