Fall 2017 Orphan Adoption

We all have them squirreled away in our quilting spaces--UFO projects that will never be finished, fabrics that we wonder why we bought them, orphan blocks and leftover pieces from past quilts. These orphans and UFOs are taking up valuable space, and in some cases they lead to unnecessary guilt every time we unearth them from whatever box or bin they are hidden in.

Fortunately, it is time for the Fall 2017 Quilty Orphan Adoption Event! Twice a year, Cyndi at Quilting is more fun than Housework hosts this event to help quilters clear out some of the old projects that they will never finish. It's the perfect opportunity to pass your orphan blocks/projects along to someone else who will love and finish them!

The orphan that I am offering for adoption is a fairly recent project, but one that I just don't have enough interest in finishing. I started making these blocks in April as part of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge when our assignment was to work with multi-colored fabrics. I had three shoe boxes of leftover 2" strips from making watercolor quilts in the late 1990s, and I decided to use them in my own variation of the pattern "Tranquil Treasures" by Evelyn Sloppy. You can see the progression below as I added each round of blocks.

The final photo is partially cut off around the edges because I was shooting through a doorway. However, I think you can see enough to get a good idea of how this quilt will look. I had plenty of positive feedback from the RSC quilters, but I'm just not interested in completing this quilt. I hope someone out there likes it enough to finish it, preferably to donate it to a good cause.

This photo will give you a closer look at the variety of fabrics in the blocks. I will warn the purists who only use fabrics from quilt shops--most of the fabrics in these blocks date back to the late 1990's, and the majority of them came from Joann Fabrics. I don't want anyone to be disappointed with what they receive.

The winner of this adoption will get 83 blocks that measure 8" square (7.5" finished) plus enough half and quarter blocks to finish the outside edges. I will also include a diagram of how these blocks are meant to go together. When all the blocks are joined together, they will make a quilt top that should measure about 63.5" x 84.75".

If you prefer to have the original pattern, you will need to find a copy of Evelyn Sloppy's book Strips and Strings - 16 Sparkling Quilts. I believe it is still available from Martingale as an e-book. However, you should know that my blocks are a different size than the original pattern.

I will ship to the winner anywhere in the U.S. Leave me a comment to let me know if you would like to adopt this orphan project. Please be sure to include your email address so I can contact the winner. I will choose a random winner next Wednesday, Sept. 20th. Get your comment in by noon EDT that day. Be sure to check out the rest of the quilty orphans over at Quilting is more fun than Housework. 


Julie in GA