Quick Quilts for Charity

I’ve only been quilting for about 10 years now, but in those ten years, I would guess that half of those quilts have been made for charity – newborns in the NICU at Landstuhl Military hospital in Germany, raffle quilts, World Trade Center Quilts – and everyone always asks for patterns that can be made quickly and easily. 

The following quilts are quick, easy, and even better – they use us fabrics from your stash. For best results, be sure that there is contrast between the lights and darks you use in your quilts, no matter what the colors you use. 

I am sorry for the poor quality of the drawings; I am just using a basic drawing program, not a quilt designing program. It works well enough for me, even though they are not very artistic. 

1.  Streak of lightening. This quilt will be 60″ x 72″ if made with 6″ blocks (finished) 6.5 inches before being sewn together.

To make an anvil block, you cut a background block 6.5″, then on opposing corners, you stitch a 3.5″ square diagonally right sides together, cut off triangular fabric closest to edge, flip the remaining corner over and voila! an anvil block!

This is a great block for making use of small scraps for the corners.  You will need 120 blocks. 

  

2.  Stitch and Flip Quilt with Friendship Star Center 

This is a variation of the fabulous stash-busting stitch/flip quilt that our Q8Quilter member showed us.

The center star is 36″ finished, using 9 12″ blocks to form the star.

Cut 4 light and 4 dark squares, 13″, match up one light and one dark square, right sides together.

Draw a diagonal line on the light side. Stitch 1/4″ on each side of the line, and then cut down the diagonal – each set will make two half-square triangles. Trim to 12.5″. 

Cut 0ne dark square 12.5″ for center, and assemble star center so that all the star points are going in the same direction, as in the photo. (You think I am being funny, but it is easy to get one point going the wrong way, so watch! I have made this mistake more than once!)

Assemble remainder by cutting sections, and stitching through all layers.

  

3.  Diagonal One quilt and Diagonal 2 Quilt are both made using half square triangles. 

For Diagonal 1, you will need 130 6″ (finished) half square triangles (they will be 6.5″ before you sew them together).

To get 6″ finished half square triangles, cut the light and dark blocks 7″.

Put one light with one dark, right sides together, and mark diagonal. Sew 1/4″ from each side of marked line. Cut on diagonal line, giving you two half square triangles. Trim to 6.5″. 

For Diagonal 2, you will need 72 half square triangles, and 50 6″ (cut 6.5″) blocks. Again, a good way to use up left-overs. Be sure to get as much contrast as you can between the light and dark halves   

4.  Center Star Stitch and Flip 
This center star is the Ohio Star, and is made with 4 inch blocks (4.5 before finishing). For the center star, you will need 8 half square triangles (cut 4 lights and 4 darks 5″, then make half squares using above technique and trim to 4.5″)

 

5.  Hugs and Kisses is one of my favorite quick quilts because it uses up so much scrap! 

You will need to cut 120 background pieces 6.5″.  

You will need to cut 240 3.5 inch squares (scrap!) for the corners.

Assemble by putting the anvil blocks together as a “o” or an “x”, then sew alternately, forming the x and o pattern.

6. Pinwheel quilt: 

First, cut one strip 5.5″ by 60″ for top, to make quilt long enough.

Second, cut 15 blocks background, 12.5 inches. 

Third, cut 7″ squares, 30 light and 30 dark. Take one light and one dark, put right sides together, draw diagonal, stitch 1/4″ from each side of diagonal, cut diagonal – make 60 half square triangles.

Assemble 4 blocks into one pinwheel, carefully making sure your triangles are going in the right direction. (It’s easy to get going to fast and make a mistake with these) 

Assemble pinwheel blocks with alternate blocks, then sew 5.5 x 60 inch strip across the top.

(This is for the charity quilts for Kurdistan, which are supposed to be 55″ x 77″.)

 

7. Friendship Star
This quilt uses 4″ squares (finished). 

You will need to make 120 half square triangles.

You will need to cut 120 background squares, cut 4.5″ (will be 4″ finished) 

You will need to cut 30 squares, 4.5 inches (4 ” finished)

Assemble squares to make 30 Friendship stars.

Make sure the star points are going in the right direction! 😉

(Optional: Add strip 5.5″ x 60.5″ to top to make quilt long enough – 77″)