Ramona's Handwork

Patriotic Medallion Quilt

rlbates — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 12:47:00 +0000

Though I haven’t in the past year, I have made several quilts for QOV (Quilts of Valor). This is one I made starting with an orphan block which I used as a center medallion, then used left over squares to add the border. To gain more length, I used two other orphan blocks and strip pieced the added portion. I added a simple white border to increase the overall size. I’m not sure of the overall size, but I think it is in the 50 in X 70 in range. The top was machine pieced, then hand quilted.

Sorry the photos are better. This quilt (& photos) are from around 2003 or 2004 (I think).

Hawaiian Quilt for a Friend

rlbates — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 12:45:00 +0000

Years ago a friend asked me to make a quilt for his wife for their anniversary. He wanted a queen size. She like frogs and tropical stuff. I took on the ambitious project of a Hawaiian appliqué quilt using fabric with frogs, parrots, lizards, etc for the center. The entire appliqué was done by hand and took me almost 6 months. I then had my friend Scottie Brooks to do the hand quilting. I regret that I didn’t get a photo of the finished quilt. This photo is of the finished top. The quit was finished in November 2001 (quilted and bound). It measures 104 in square.

I cropped the above photo to try to show more of the detail, but these photos do not do it justice. And while I am still friends with the husband, he and she are no longer together, so I can’t get new and better photos.

Sampler Quilt

rlbates — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 12:46:00 +0000

I made this quilt several years ago and gave it to a friend (a nurse anesthetist I worked with at a local surgery center) who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. I’m not sure how large it is. I do recall the blocks are 12 in squares and I think the sashing is 2 in wide. So I would estimate it as being 52 in X 66 in. It is machine pieced and quilted.

Beginning from the top left to right, the blocks are:

1. Hole in the Barn

2. Double Four Patch

3. Double X

4. Dutchmans Puzzle

5. Economy

6. Double Four Patch

7. Double Four Patch

8. Louisiana

9. Buzzard Roost

10. Anvil

11. Airplane

12. Evening Star

Baby Surprise Jacket

rlbates — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 12:45:00 +0000

Recently finished this baby jacket for my niece who’s first baby is due this month. Also made her a baby quilt.

The pattern is Elizabeth Zimmerman’s Baby Surprise Jacket. I used Baby Bee Sweet Delight Baby in Crayon Ombre.

I found these buttons in my old button jar which worked nicely.

I’ll be making more of these little jackets. I may even try one in the adult size.

re-su yukata Sweater

rlbates — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 12:45:00 +0000

I undertook this challenge back in October 2011. I recently finished it. I love/hate it.

The sweater is a shortened version of the re-su yukata pattern from the book Knit Kimona Too. The yarn is The Fibre Company Terra in black walnut.

I like how the sleeves fit. I like how the back looks.

I’m not happy with the tension of my band edge which always it to “wave.” The neck looks unsymmetrical to me.
I love the button and the I-cord closure.

I’ve put it aside for now. Trying to decide whether to keep it or give it to someone who wouldn’t see the flaws and would love it.

Heads Up

rlbates — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 12:31:00 +0000

Now that all my old posts from Sutured for a Living related to quilting/sewing/knitting have been reposted here, the volume on this blog will most likely decrease. Instead of three times a week, it may be only once or twice a week.

Thank you for visiting. I hope you will continue to do so.

WIP — African Whole Cloth Quilt

rlbates — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 12:45:00 +0000

A friend from high school gave me some gorgeous fabric from her travels. She was cleaning out her closets and I won the lottery. This gorgeous fabric is from the African continent (the stickers fell off so I don’t know for sure which country). It measures approximately 56 in X 76 in (photo only shows part of it). I couldn’t bring myself to cut it up into smaller pieces so have decided to make a whole cloth quilt.

I felt the animals and trees needed to be three dimensional, so have opted to use the trapunto method of sewing polyfil batting to the fabric and then trimming around each piece to remove the batting from areas that aren’t meant to “stand out.”

I then made a quilt sandwich of the quilt front, cotton batting (Hobbs), and the quilt back (which is a lovely green though the below photo has washed it out). I am now in the process of machine quilting the piece. I’m using outline or echo quilting.

Nice reference videos

ABC’s of Quilting, Trapunto 101, Part 1

ABC’s of Quilting, Trapunto 101, Part 2

Girl in Basket Quilt

rlbates — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 16:25:00 +0000

This was originally posted over at Sutured for a Living on July 9, 2010. I gave it to a friend.

I made this quilt last month using fabric scraps for the crazy-pieced basket. It is machine pieced and quilted. It measures 16 inches square. ~~It is available for sale on~~ ~~Etsy~~.

I marked the quilt with a chalk marker which appears to not have completely washed out. All the quilting was done with white thread.

Here you can see the quilting of the triangle corners.

Here is the back before I sewed on the label and sleeve for hanging.

Alzheimer’s Study Quilt Program

rlbates — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 16:21:00 +0000

This was originally posted over at Sutured for a Living on July 2, 2010. They continue to need quilts if you are looking for a charity to donate to.

A few days ago I received an e-mail from Jeffree Itrich who works with patients in the Alzheimer’s Disease Cooperative Study at the University of California in San Diego.

I am involved in a very special quilt project that is gathering lap-sized quilts for Alzheimer’s research participants. Might you be able to put something on your blog about our project? We are looking for newly made lap-sized quilts. Thank you for whatever you can do.

The Alzheimer’s Disease Cooperative Study (ADCS) and the University of California San Diego are able to collect and distribute quilts which brightening the lives of Alzheimer’s patients around the nation thanks to a unique donation program.

The Alzheimer’s Study Quilt Program began in late January 2010, jumpstarted by an employee who quilts. The request for needed quilts is then spread via quilting newsletters and blogs.

Communication with Jeffree further defined their definition of lap size. I tend to think of lap size as 40 in X 50 in, but wanted to be sure. Here is the reply I received:

Yes, 40 x 50 or even 35 x 45. Some of our study participants are small women and others are larger men. We’re looking for quilts in all colors so we will have something for everyone. I’ve received a lot of very feminine quilts which I can’t give to men. One woman gave me a very cute quilt made of a fabric featuring old cars. Very cute and very manly.

If you would like to donate a lap-sized quilt to the Alzheimer’s Quilt Study Project, please contact Jeffree Itrich at jitrich@ucsd.edu.

Having just finished this quilt (39 in X 41 in) with no one in particular in mind, I asked if it would be acceptable. The reply was yes, so it is now on it’s way to Ms Itrich to be given to an Alzheimer’s patient.

It is a scrappy serviceable quilt. Both the top and batting layer are pieced to use up scraps. It is machine pieced and quilted.

The next three show some of the fabrics and quilting.

More Surgeon’s Caps

rlbates — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 12:45:00 +0000

These are caps I made between just before Christmas and the first part of January.

The first ones went to @doctorwes after he made his request for photos of Christmas themed clothing seen at work. Here’s a photo (credit) of him and a co-worker wearing the Christmas themed caps I made and sent to him.

I then decided I needed to use some of this lovely fabric from Africa given to me by an old high school friend to make @Bongi1 and @globalsurgeon surgeon’s caps. I gave bongi his choice and he chose the colorful ones. No photo of him wearing his, but received this nice tweet.

@globalsurgeon did share a photo of @ReinouGroen via twitter wearing one of his (theirs): yfrog.com/kk54exnj

These two went to @bramzo after he made an innocent comment in regards to @Bongi1 receiving his.

I have shared my pattern via google docs (pdf file).

Surgeon’s Caps (April 18, 2009)

Razorback Surgeon’s Caps for a Colleague (Oct 17, 2010)