Calgary Flood Quilts by Cheryl Arkison

I am over a year behind with my blog posts, so today’s quilts are from August 2013.

 

Cheryl Arkison of Dining Room Empire had a wonderful idea - quilters who wanted to help with the Calgary Flood Relief but perhaps couldn’t make a whole quilt could make Just One Slab – from The Missing U quilt in her book Sunday Morning Quilts.  Cheryl got such an overwhelming response that she put a call out to longarm quilters to help finish these colourful tops.

I love the way Cheryl puts colour together and you can check out more of these beauties on her blog post First Round of Just One Slab Quilts.

The first top I picked was this lovely green one, it reminded me of looking out of an airplane window in the early summer at the patchwork fields of farm crops.

Just One Slab Flood quilt

For the back Cheryl gave me fabric which had seaweed on one side, so I decided that the Seaside pantograph by Kathie James would be a good match, and I just love how it turned out.

Quilt back with seaweed

I kept thinking of Calgary and surrounding area being under water.

Scallop shell on Seaside pantograph

Sand Dollar on Seaside pantograph

Conch shell on Seaside pantograph

Quilt back with Seaside pantograph

I fell in love with this quilt and might just have to make one for myself.

The second top which I brought home to quilt was this Rainbow beauty.

Rainbow coloured Just One Slab quilt

Quilted with the Blowin’ Wind pantograph by by Jodi Beamish.

Blowin' Wind pantograph

Look at the exquisite back Cheryl put together for this quilt.

Colourful quilt back

A close-up of quilting and backing fabrics.

I finished up these quilts by machine sewing the binding to the top, and my friend Carolyn hand stitched the binding to the back.

What an amazing generous adventure Cheryl embarked on, I was glad to have a little part in it.

We’re heading into tough times. As people get into their homes and their home is in trouble, people will feel despair… we have to lift them up with our love and support. ~ Mayor Naheed Nenshi on community spirit.