Sierra

A very simple quilt, that can be really beautiful, and even have a theme if you have fabrics that are of one theme, or one color family, or simply go together in a pleasant way (I have done several musical ones) is panals.

Using a double sided bonding batting as a base you can cut out 12" panals or strips of fabric clear across the width of the fabric (or larger or smaller "depths", or a combination of different depths), decide on the best layout and sew the top of the first panal down and iron it, put the second on the first (print side to print side) and sew it down, add the third, etc., until you have them all sewn to the length you want the quilt to be. To be done really quickly you can use double fold bias tape, or make your own. I'm not a fast quilter, but I can turn out a 42"x72" in a half day easily. Don't cut them all out before you begin because you don't know exactly how big to make the last one, unless you measure (and that takes too much time!).

The same can be done by sewing 3 or more squares together (all of the same depth, but can be different widths) into a strip and then treating them the same as the strip quilt above. For bigger quilts I do make sure I have enough pieces of fabric before I begin (and that involves some measuring).

I realize these are not "great works of art" but children love them, and I suspect adults in need will appreciate them. After all, they are made with love and caring, and many have told me they are beautiful. I like bold colors, but I have made them in soft tones also. It is a wonderful way to use up some of the smaller pieces of fabric in your stash (well, not tiny, but fabrics that are still 42" across, or if doing the larger quilts, even less than that).

Hope this helps. This is a lot like the quilts that are put together at random in small squares or strips. You have to stop fussing and worrying and just DO it, and the result seems to always be delightful.