M-g R-gs

Have you seen these itty-bitty little quilts that are all the rage on Flickr? Most call them m-g r-gs, but I can't bring myself to say that after one Happy Zombie planted an inappropriate thought in my head about the name over dinner in Houston. So I'll just call them "itty-bitty little quilts that some people use as coasters" and move on!

I know many people don't see the point of making something so small. Yes, they're kind of silly. No, they're not very functional. But you know what? Sometimes the itch to create something from start to finish just needs to be scratched, and these itty-bitties can be knocked out in one sitting. It's a fun way to try something new, or use a favorite fabric, and get instant gratification. For me, I took the opportunity to practice my machine binding. And y'all know I'm a sucker for swapping anything handmade.

I haven't joined the official Flickr swap group for these quilts, but I did participate in a mini side swap with some Twitter friends. I whipped up this one for Erin, who blogs at two more seconds. I love this fabric line ("Wee Woodlands" by Keiki for Moda), and had a lot of fun playing with some of the decorative stitches on my machine.

This next one was created for Sue, who blogs at eileensideways. I used another favorite line, Patty Young's Flora & Fauna, to create this little bumblebee-themed piece of patchwork. I stippled the quilt with little loop-de-loops to connote the flight paths of the bees!

Finally, I made this last one for Ryan (I'm Just a Guy Who Quilts) with some scraps from Basic Gray's Origins line.

Kind of fun, don't you think?

Edited to add:

I just got the following comment from Natalie of Beyond the Reef:

"I make these size 'quilts' for Priority Quilts and send them to Ami Simms - they are auctioned off to raise money for Alzheimer Research. If you like this size, enjoy your scraps, quilt as you like, and pass them on to benefit others. It is, after Alzheimer Awareness Month, isn't it"

What a great idea!! So, I Googled it for more info, and here's what I found:

The Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative
Making a quilt to donate
The rules
Quilts for sale