Our quilt guild has an active charity quilt program. We make lots of quilts for children as well as some for veterans, seniors and even dog shelters. We are blessed to get lots of donated fabric from a variety of sources.

This year our Charity Coordinator has decided to try something new. We have been assembling kits using 10 inch squares, 5 inch squares, 5 inch strips x width of fabric or whatever is available width-wise, and 2.5 inch strips. Several different small groups of members have spent some pleasant summer mornings hanging out and cutting up fabric using these guidelines and assembling kits to be distributed in the Guild this Fall.

Last time I went, my friend passed me a stack of 9 pre-printed cut and sew jumper patterns. JUST the bodice piece and printed sewing instructions, not the skirt! "See what you can do with these," she said. Hmmm.

Bodice of Cranston's VIP "Candy Cane Girl's Jumper"

I found I was able to cut a 9 x 5 inch block from the front bodice, 5 inch squares from the back bodice and a few 2.5 inch squares which will get used for something else. I still had 2 panels left to cut when it was time to head home. So I took the set home to make sure it all stayed together.

I really enjoyed working with this navy blue, red and green pattern. I've seen lots of light blue holiday quilts (think snowmen) but navy blue is unusual. I liked this fabric so much that I decided to go ahead and make a quilt.

The 9 x 5 inch blocks didn't meet our criteria so I needed to create a design. I thought about adding a strip of fabric to make the blocks 10 inches but life is short! I decided to put them in horizontal strips with an assortment of 5 inch squares I already had. I supplemented those by cutting some squares more from my own scrap stash.

There is one 9 x 5 inch block in each wide strip and then assorted 5 inch squares to make the strip the desired width. In between the wide strips there is a solid color bright red 2.5 inch strip. Those bright red strips are eye catching and as a bonus, they also eliminate the need for perfect piecing!

I really like the quilt top. Despite it's dark color, it's going to be a bright and happy quilt!

Yes, with a bit of imagination and ingenuity you can make a beautiful quilt from even unlikely fabric donations! If you have fabric you aren't sure how to use, give this a try! It's a lot of fun!