Festival of Trees

Since our extended family is no longer doing a large tree for Festival of Trees to benefit Primary Children’s Medical Center, we are experimenting with different ways to honor Scott’s brother, Paul, who was an Air Force pilot. Last year we did 3 small trees, and a centerpiece of a quilt with books. This year I coordinated two separate projects with two different partners. Both sold during the opening auction night so we seem to be doing something right. [Read more…] about 2017 Festival of Trees quilt & tablerunner

I have two quilts finished for donation to the annual Festival of Trees which benefits Primary Children’s Medical Center. Our family has been decorating trees since 2000 in honor of my husband’s brother Paul, who was killed in the line of duty in the Air Force in 1995. I have been on a volunteer committee for the Festival for almost that long which requires donations of sale items for the Gift Boutique, committee projects for Elf Emporium, as well as volunteering during the Festival week. As we are getting older and our various life circumstances have changed, we have decided to alter the way our family does Festival so we are decorating three small trees to use up all the leftover items from past years and then plan to be done. My sister-in-law Michelle, who is Paul’s widow, and I are pursuing some other ways to donate and have tried something different this year. [Read more…] about A Tale of Two Quilts

Monday I finished whip-stitching the binding to the back of Paul’s quilt.  I made it for our tree space at Festival of Trees 2013 that we will decorate on December 2.  Paul is Scott’s brother and every year our extended family decorates a tree in his memory at Festival of Trees.  (You can see past years in that category on this website.)  All proceeds from the Festival go to charity care at Primary Children’s Medical Center in Salt Lake City and several of our children have received medical care there, so we feel strongly about the cause.  Besides decorating a tree, my mother-in-law and I serve on a Gift Boutique committee that provides boutique items and works there during the week of the Festival.

I have been saying for a couple years that one year I would like to make a quilt to go with the tree and this year the sisters said it was time.  Our theme is “Boys Like to Read” and the quilt will drape over a chair by a side table with lamp and books that all sit by the tree.  Sort of like a man’s study where he remembers the books he enjoyed as a boy.
Thanks to my good friend, ShaRee, who set up quilting dates with me throughout October, I did the entire quilt from start to finish in a month.  That’s a record for me as I take my time piecing and then hand-quilt all my quilts, which takes a long time.  Since this was being donated and not an “heirloom” quilt, I had it machine-quilted so that cut off weeks.  The quilter had it done in a few days, so I can see the allure of having them machine-quilted.  More finished quilts, faster!

The color scheme was dictated by the choice of colors for the tree and the pattern is Framed Rectangles “A Taste of Honey” from Quilt magazine, Dec/Jan 2011 #118.  The quilt is 62″ x 87″.  ShaRee told me about the best method for binding EVER and I got it done lickety-split.  I think I’ve even gotten over my hatred for binding.

All in all, I’m pleased with how this quilt turned out and I feel it’s a fitting tribute to Paul.