I Started on my Charity quilts for 2025

I did start on the charity quilts - that is, quilting them - on August 1. I wanted to finish at least 4 a day, but the first day I was a bit lazy. Well, maybe lazy isn’t the right word, but I had to do various things - and finally got two quilts finished (quilting).

Two.

What a slow start.

But it was a start.

I got them both trimmed, but not bound or washed. I tend to work in batches.

But the important thing is that I got started.

When I walked down to the long-arm room, I had thought I had 120 quilt tops down there. I must have been remembering LAST year because that’s NOT what I found. The big green bin I thought was loaded with matched up tops and backings was empty!

I found about 30 charity single size quilt tops - plus some doubles. I wanted to make up 120 singles now and then later this year try for another 10-20 double size - but after I finish all 120 singles.

I took some time on the first of August to go ahead and match up those 30 tops with backings that went with them in color/style. I also ended up running to our local findings store and buying another bolt of batting. I had enough poly batting to make those two quilts, but then I was out.

I called the store to make sure they had a bolt in stock, which they did. I then went and got it very quickly and came back to my longarm room to make some order. I did things to my machine like gave it some oil, changed the needle, cleaned out the bobbin area, etc.—that kind of stuff. Actually I did that before I started quilting the first one.

Changing a needle on a long arm (at least on mine) always feels like a pig in a poke. It is a round needle so it doesn’t click in - you have to put it in where you think and then if it doesn’t sew, change it slightly one direction or the other. I had to play with it a bit to get things working again.

I then was able to start quilting again. I do tend to through several of those bolts here very quickly as I work through 10 charity tops at a time. :) A bolt, which is 50 meters (approximately 50 yards) will be enough for about 20 quilts - maybe up to 22 or so. I try to use up any leftover pieces in my long arm as well - even if it doesn’t work out evenly - by piecing it. I had some pieces of batting in my room which I was able to use up in the second day’s batch of tops.

Remember those Spiderman panels I made into tops a bit ago?

I am working on quilting up all of those.

Why not? I found that I may have another 10 or so Spiderman panels to finish up and I am enjoying quilting them. Most of my tops I’m quilting these days aren’t actually sewn up by me (as tops). Often I’m doing ‘something’ to the charity tops I’m quilting, but I have so much help anymore that it is just that - maybe adding a border or bringing a top to the right size. Sometimes I do have to do more than that, but at times I do get the perfect size, ready-to-go tops.

I will be heading to the church storage room and bringing back out 50 or 60 tops to get going on right away. I certainly don’t want to run out here at the house since I have so many bags of them there at the church building!

So while I won’t be writing about charity quilting every day, I may mention it a lot and share pictures of the tops I’m working on.

My goal - 120 charity quilts finished in 2025.

So far I’ve finished quilting 11.

So, at this point - 11/120 are finished quilting.



Thanks so much for coming along with me on this journey.

Have a great day wherever you are reading this!




Becky Petersen3 Comments