We all have our favorite patterns to use when making charity quilts – I certainly do. A fellow quilter, who is a prolific maker of things for different charity groups, highly recommended the pattern pictured above as one I should try. She mentioned that it’s fast to make, stash-friendly and the pattern’s free. So, I did.

All fabrics came from my stash. The charm squares are a mix of packs from Fig Tree and Sheri & Chelsi, plus some random 10″ squares I cut to size. The colors just went together.

Now that the top is completed, I’m not as crazy about the white border, but I think it will be fine with the scrappy binding I made. The goal for this quilt is to use what I have on hand. This means the backing will be made by creatively refashioning a 2-1/2 yard piece of green polka dot fabric into the size I need.

My friend was spot-on about the suitability of this pattern for making charity quilts. It’s easy to make and lends itself to any number of color ways and themes. Bonus? The components fit into a quart size zipper bag, making it a great candidate to take for a retreat or sew with friends project.

Now that I’ve made one, I thought I’d share some tips:

1. Select a light to medium tone-on-tone or small print for the border that contrasts well with the star fabric.
2. Utilize the “float the star points” option by cutting the border fabric 1″ wider that called for in the original pattern. Pat Sloan offers a separate free download with instructions for this modification. The 1″ of extra fabric helps avoid cutting off the star points when applying back-to-front binding.
3. If using pre-cut 5″ squares, confirm they are indeed the correct size and trim as necessary.
4. Arrange all 80 charm squares in the order you’d like them in the quilt. Take a photo with your phone. Stack the squares in order and label each row.
5. Pay close attention to how borders are pieced and the order in which they are sewn to the top.

And yes, I added this pattern to my core collection of charity quilt and gift quilt patterns!

I’ve been in kind of a “meh” mood the past week. Nothing seems to be going as it should from quilting projects cut wrong to therapy dog events still in limbo to estimates to repair a leaking master bath shower that are coming in a lot higher than anticipated. I won’t even go into recent events in the news. Makes me want to hole up in my house and not go anywhere. However, I made commitments to certain folks. Sadie & I must appear for those events, but I can opt out of the rest.

At this week’s R.E.A.D. visit with the public library, the librarian’s expression matched mine. I remarked she must not be feeling it either. She agreed. By the time our last reader left 90 minutes later, I was in much better spirits. So were several patrons and library staffers. All due to the simple act of sharing my dog with others.

Thursday morning, we presented a program on therapy dogs as community helpers to a local kindergarten class. Several upper elementary students were waiting in the lobby as Sadie & I stepped off the elevator. Their faces lit up when when they saw us. Everyone had to come say hi. Big Girl was definitely in her element. After the kindergarten class, we found the 2nd grade classroom where many my former Monday enrichment regulars are now learning. It was wonderful to see them again.

Still showing up even when I wasn’t feeling it pulled me out of the funk that was starting to settle in.

I finally figured out where I screwed up on the Aloha Mystery Quilt – and am extremely grateful I had another jelly roll of the same fabric line in my stash. I spent most of Sunday fixing my mistake and getting the different bits color coordinated to make a controlled scrappy version of the Aloha Spirit design. There’s a celebration at the sponsoring quilt shop on October 11th. I plan to be there to share my completed quilt.

Now on to making pillowcase for my guild’s community service program.

You only have one life. Live it to the fullest. Stop trying to meet other people’s expectations at the expense of your own peace. It’s not sustainable. Quit worrying what other people think. The only person you need to answer to is yourself. Did you do your best? Are you happy/satisfied? Did you leave things a little better than you found them today? For me, this is what truly matters.

We’re encouraged to “do our thing” while various well-meaning folks proceed to tell us what they think we should be doing instead. It’s a no-win situation with these people. The best way I’ve found to deal with it is to limit any information shared, maintain a healthy distance and keep on doing my thing.

My retirement “thing” is constantly evolving. Therapy dog work and quilting are still the main activities, but they, too, have changed over the past 3 years. I truly enjoy the read to a dog program that finally got established at Park Street School earlier this year. Sadie definitely thrives on having 1-2 visits per week. Should the school-based READ program suddenly go away (not expecting it to, but things can change on a dime), there are plenty of other visit opportunities available. As next summer’s big quilt show gets closer, my involvement as a committee chair will certainly increase. I’m in the midst of planning those activities now. Rest assured, I’m engaged, learning new things and doing what I love to do.

Mid-August brings a return to therapy dog activities, new private sewing students and classes at the SQTM. I’ve had two referrals about memory quilts in recent weeks. Spent some time today running the numbers to see what services I could offer that make cents for me. 3 sizes: baby, lap or throw. 3 pattern choices: grid, mosaic or stacked columns. 3 FMQ designs: puzzle meander, loopy meander or boxy meander. Binding sewn by machine. Lots of infant items = extra charge. Personalization w/applique or embroidery = extra charge. By concentrating on smaller size quilts that work with my studio space and equipment, I can be competitive and profitable – at least on paper anyway. We’ll see what happens.