Finished: Orangeade

Orangeade donation top
Orangeade donation top

I finished Orangeade and turned it in at Sew Day. I was glad I had something to to turn in since I didn’t plan on working on the Community quilt project.

This was not a difficult quilt to make. I did play around a lot with the placement of the squares so that the eye roved around a little bit at least.

I am happy with the way it turned out and, as usual, am thinking of making more.

Orangeade back finished
Orangeade back finished

I always want to make the backs as it means more fabric used. The pieces I have available to use are not as big as I have used most of the large pieces that didn’t have a purpose. I ended up piecing this one. I think that will become more the norm. I do have some backing fabrics, but they are a lot of large flower prints and I mostly don’t want to use them for donation quilts. We’ll see. More fabric out means I can buy new fabric.

More Travel Pillowcases

I only had enough fabric from my trip for ~6 months’ worth of pillowcases for my nephew who isn’t going to college right now. Recently,  I ponied up and bought more fabric. After a week or so, I found cuff fabrics and started in on making the pillowcases.

I have 6 finished and two more in process. I might be able to finish them by the weekend. Mom helped by trimming some of the threads that sometimes stick out after sewing a French Seam, especially on fabric that frays easily.

Check out my guide to making pillowcases. They make a great gift.

Finished: Hindsight Superbloom!!

Hindsight Superbloom front
Hindsight Superbloom front

After years of whining about the Hindsight Superbloom, it is finally done. Apparently, thinking up someone to whom I could give this bag was the key.

I carefully fussy cut the panels, so those pink flowers were featured. I wasn’t sure how it would look, but it looks good to me.

Hindsight Superbloom - back
Hindsight Superbloom – back

I also remembered to machine sew on my label! Yay!

I like the way the handles look. That print is fun. The handles aren’t that comfortable, though. They seem to be made from some kind of polyester. I was trying to avoid sewing strips together to make the handles and that worked. I don’t think the recipient will be able to carry a lot of heavy items in the bag comfortably.

I used some dot fabric as the lining and it looks really fun. It also achieves my goal of being light colored, so easy to see the items in the bag.

The last photo (above, right) shows the bag closed. It has a recessed zipper. In that photo, the bag has all the small gifts I got for the family whoa re caring for my stepdad.

I think I might add a slip pocket or two to the next one I make.

Hindsight Superbloom - side pocket
Hindsight Superbloom – side pocket

One thing I love about this bag are the sides pockets. They are super cute. I don’t know if they are useful, but I think they would be.

I am really pleased with the way this came out. It went together really well.

 

Ends n.21 Started

Ends n.21 in process
Ends n.21 in process

I have started another donation top, this one part of the Ends series. Can you believe this is the 21st?

This is made from a random piece of background fabric and the edges of the Hugs & a Kiss quilt. The sparkles in the dots are fun.

I accidentally started this series in 2017 with the first one, made from what I called ‘dreg ends’. I have a box with the cut off edges of finished quilts. I still have it, though there are many fewer edges. I am trying to keep up with using the edges as they come back from being quilted, but that box still has old edges in it.

More Old Town Work

Old Town block in process
Old Town block in process

It is rainy and dark here, which wreaks havoc with a lot of my schedule and tasks. Still, I had a goal of spending some time on Old Town over the weekend. Despite nursing duties and regular household chores, I was able to make good progress.

Late in the afternoon, after working on the 8-at-a-time technique for the HSTs pieces, I cut a few up and was able to put one of the Old Town blocks almost together. The photo is a little dark, because of the weather.

I still have a bunch of pink Flying Geese to make (I substituted pink for the red Bonnie suggested), but I wanted to see a whole block, so I took some of the pieces I had been cutting and made a set of Flying Geese.

Old Town block in process
Old Town block in process

While I have to pay attention to the lights and darks, I like the way the changes to the colors work together. The pink I used for the Flying Geese is one of the fabrics that Free Spirit sent me.

If you haven’t done the center of the Sawtooth Star yet, you could do different things in the center – a different block, fussy cut fabulous fabrics, a piece of fabric to match the arms of the Sawtooth Star.

I am pleased with how the block looks. There are a few changes I want to make before I sew it together.

Hindsight Superbloom

Hindsight Superbloom main body - in process
Hindsight Superbloom main body – in process

I finally started the Hindsight Superbloom. This is a project that has been on my list for a long time. I was excited to make this version at the time I made the first Superbloom. Somehow I lost momentum,  but recently I was inspired to pull out the fabric and the pattern and get busy.

Yes, I remembered to put my label on the bag before I started to assemble it! I am happy about that.

Hindsight Superbloom in process with handles
Hindsight Superbloom in process with handles

I had a little trouble with the handles as I was using webbing instead of making them from fabric. I eventually got them on the bag. UGH! I know why the process had to go the way it did, but I found it difficult.

I am always surprised at the size of this bag. It is quite roomy, but I always think it is bigger than it actually is.

So far, I am l loving the process. Those side pockets are awesome.

Another Sew Day

Scrap cutting result - February
Scrap cutting result – February

Another month, another Sew Day. I spent another Sew Day cutting up scraps, just like last time. I cut a big pile and made a dent, but I didn’t finish cutting up all of my scraps. I spent about 5 hours. My scraps are still not limited to the Desktop Cube I made for the purpose, which is disappointing. They need to be contained since my cutting table is small enough without it being overrun by scraps.

Mom and Jaye
Mom and Jaye

My mom came with me. Yay! She was well enough to spend the whole day out! I kept her supplied with pain medications and food. She said it went well. I kept her quiet and at home the next two days and she is doing ok. I was so relieved that she didn’t have a complete relapse. It sound ridiculous, but I can’t help but worry about her.

Tim's Jittery Wings quilt
Tim’s Jittery Wings quilt

Tim just got back from a retreat with Mitzi of Jittery Wings. He came over the other day to use my design wall and continued that work at Sew Day. His quilt is a whole bunch of HSTs and Flying Geese. Sounds like Old Town, right? LOL!

One thing I love about HSTs is how many different designs quiltmakers can sew using only HSTs. Of course, as I said, Tim’s quilt has whole bunch of HSTs and Flying Geese.

Mary's Crisp Blue quilt
Mary’s Crisp Blue quilt

Mary was working on a quilt for a friend going into the hospital and it looks so crisp.

This is a simple Rail Fence design. She used a couple of jelly rolls she had and it looks so great! I also like how complex it looks. I just love block quilts. 😉

The guild was having a Community Sew Day. People worked on a variety of different designs. I cut up my scraps, as noted above, and didn’t participate there. I couldn’t bring Mom and my machine. I just wasn’t up for it. I did, however, bring Orangeade and several donation blocks. I definitely want to contribute but I don’t need to do it at Sew Day.

One of the quilt tops they worked on was similar to the Infinity Quilt I made for one of my nephews.

Community 9 Patch quilt
Community 9 Patch quilt

Claire is a great one for rescuing usable fabric. She had a group of men’s shirts and people were working on 9 patches out of that beautiful fabric. The fabric was very soft and had a nice weave. I don’t know what the ultimate design will be, but it will work very well for a boy or man once it is finished.

Mom was sitting across from Lynette who was working on these blocks. I wanted her to sit at the other table so she had some new people with whom to talk. I am sure it is boring just talking to me all day.

Community quilt design
Community quilt design

The other design was similar to Mary’s Rail Fence. I couldn’t figure out why this was a such a weird shape. I think the rectangles were actually made in two parts, but I really don’t know.

Anyway the Community quilt team did a great job prepping for the event. There were a lot of people at Sew Day, which was nice. Mostly, I was pleased that Mom had a good time and was able to get out and see the world.

Finished: Walker Bag

Mom's Walker Bag- finished
Mom’s Walker Bag- finished

I didn’t think I would have to make another walker bag after I made the one for Friend Julie back in 2017.

Well, I did. Mom said she wouldn’t be using the walker long enough to warrant me making a bag for it. I waited about 2 weeks before making it, but finally made one the other night. She loves it and finds it very useful. I have to keep reminding her not to fill it up too much. She is limited to carrying 5lbs per hand.

I remember thinking the directions were confusing at the time. I made the same mistake this time that I made before: I sewed the Velcro inside the pocket. DUH! I hope the photos I added will help with that.

This time, I took the time to make some edits and add in some photos for next time. I hope I won’t have to use those directions again, but I am planning for the worst and hoping for the best.

Old Town Clue 5: Finished

Old Town: Clue 5
Old Town: Clue 5

I finished Clue 5, the block centers of Old Town. I think I only have some HSTs to make before I can start assembling blocks. Yay!

I spent almost the whole weekend working on it, but finished and worked on some bags I need to finish once these were done.

Scrappy Old Town Square-in-a-Square
Scrappy Old Town Square-in-a-Square

I read the clue wrong and started out making the outside triangles scrappy, but pivoted and made them all match, which is what it looked like others were doing.

Some of the lavenders are leaning towards purple. I hope that they are not too dark. I really tried to keep them light.

Old Town Clue 5 detail
Old Town Clue 5 detail

I know I could have done my own thing, but I thought a little control would be better. I am already substituting lavender for the coral called for in the design. I think the lavender looks good so far. We’ll see when I put the blocks together.

All the Cotton Candy

The other day I was thinking about a hand sewing pouch for my mom. In the course of that thought process, I looked up all the Cotton Candy pouches I have made.

WOW!

I have made a lot.

I think I have only made more Hackneys (14) than Cotton Candy pouches, but not many more. Clearly, I play favorites.

New Month New Pillowcase

Camping Pillowcase
Camping Pillowcase

This is the last pillowcase before I have to buy more fabric. I have found some great fabrics and will have to go and buy them.

I don’t really consider camping mind expanding, but I guess it is. I like nature; I just don’t like the dirt and how hard everything is (washing dishes, showering, etc) when you go camping.

Still, the goal is to encourage this nephew to explore the world and get some non-school experience.

26 Projects 2025 #1

I am changing up the 26 Projects post in 2025. Instead of posting all the projects every month, I am going to post new projects finished in that month. Then the year end roundup will be a true round up. This will also make the posts shorter.

Finished January 2025 Quilt Projects

Finished (for me!) January Donation Quilts

As you know, I don’t quilt much. I really enjoy the collaborative effort of making a top and allowing someone else to quilt it. Thus, the quilts below are mostly tops, but I will include a finished quilt once someone else finishes it for the group.

Finished January Bags and Small Projects

This category covers bags, toys, aprons and knitting as well as other non-quilt projects.

January Projects Ready for Quilting / In the Quilting Process

  • Nothing at the moment

January Projects In the Finishing Process

  • Nothing now

All the WIPs from all Time

WIPs are projects on which I am working. This means that I am past the cutting out of pieces stage,  some sewing has taken place.

  • La Passacaglia – I am working on the border, but need to work more and harder
  • Old Town – several clues finished
  • Superbloom tote using Hindsight fabric –started!

Cut Out & Stopped

  • EPPic
  • Oxbow
  • Rose Petrillo bag – I found the pieces for this bag cut out, but not sewn.

Still UFOs

I still have UFOs. Who doesn’t, after all? A project in the ‘UFO’ category means I am stalled, it hasn’t been worked on in awhile or it is waiting its turn to be worked on. The list is a lot shorter and the projects are newer, for the most part.

I am annoyed that some of these are still UFOs. I have to give myself credit for completing some of them last year.

  1. Handbag Sampler – I found the blocks! I found them in a bin I thought I had thoroughly searched! I also found the fabrics carefully stored together. Hooray!!
  2. Self Portrait: started in 2006 at a class at Quilting Adventures in Richmond, Virginia. After a brief burst of inspiration, I am stalled on this again. As one of my oldest (I am pretty sure) UFOs, I put it on my blog and out into the Twitterverse and Diane suggested that I not consider this as a self portrait. I think that strategy is a great idea. I am now trying to think of a new persona for her.
  3. Serendipity Lady – I am still planning to take this piece to be framed. It might need a bit of quilting first.
  4. Fabric of the Year 2020
  5. Fabric of the Year 2021 – I may combine 2020 and 2021 into a COVID edition.
  6. Fabric of the Year 2022 – yes, I added this one to the list, but this is the last one I plan to do.
  7. Chain Link – have the pattern, have some squares, but haven’t started sewing yet.

Various & Sundry 2025 #1

Admin

A few days ago I tagged a post as OBE. If you don’t know what that means, you can always look at the glossary.

I joined BlueSky. Find me at: @artquiltmaker.bsky.social I don’t post a lot so far, but am hoping to rekindle some of the quilty goodness that used to be Twitter before all the stuff that shall not be named happened.

The Quilts in Print page has been updated

Projects, Classes, Patterns, Techniques & Tutorials

I saw a couple of ideas for small gifts towards the end of last year. It was too late to make them, but it isn’t too late to make them for next Christmas, if I get started now. First is the Scandinavian Star ornament. I saw quite a few video tutorials:

I like Erica’s tutorial best. She is clear, cheerful and her voice isn’t annoying. YMMV!

Check out Friend Julie’s December Cornucopia, because she has a link to a tutorial for a tree topper. It is large and takes a yard of fabric, but is a great way to relax, make gifts and use fabric.

I have been stalking bags on IG. I saw the Irene Crossbody, which looks like a great and very useful bag. It also looks very much like the Daytrip Wallet (yes, the pattern is part of a bundle) from Sew Sweetness, so I have banned myself from buying the pattern until I make the Daytrip. the Daytrip has been on my list for a long time and I think 2025 is the year.

Coastside Quilt Studio will now be offering rental time on a long arm. You must take a certification class prior to being able to rent the machine. If you have previous long arm experience, please contact Dana so she can determine whether you can skip the class. Registration Opens February 1st! Certification classes begin in March. Check her hours before heading over as they can change during the week.

Want to put a modern spin on your bag straps with little effort? Ribbon Straps are all the rage right now. Check out Sew Sweetness’ free video showing you how to make one!

Quarter Inch Mark shop is open again and I bought the Travel Outbound Bag pattern. I haven’t made it yet, but will soon.

Tools, Books, Fabric, Notions & Supplies

RockBabyScissors, the bag maker, pointed me to Georgia Girl Stitches as another supplier of zippers and bag hardware. She has a lot of webbing, too. The shop has a few bag patterns as well as some free tutorials and patterns. The free patterns and tutorials include a lot of leather and smaller items. It amazes me how different the bag hardware from different suppliers can be.

I received a Clip ‘n Glide Bodkin for Christmas from Friend Julie.

Do you remember a long time ago when I visited the Fabric Depot in Portland? The shop has since closed, but Gerre turned me on to an online version, The Fabric Depot. It is the same idea, but you don’t have to go to Portland and walk into a grocery store sized store. The prices are really low and not many of the quiltmaking fabrics are marked with the designer’s name, though I did see some Tula and some Violet Craft fabrics. The Tula yardage was $7.92/yard!

Media, Books and Articles

Want some well written quilt stories? Check out QuiltFiction and the Story Guild.

I saw an announcement of the MyQuilts app. The app advertises the ability to keep track of all your quilts as well as tracking the progress on your current or a future project. Adding projects can include as much info, including photos, as you want for each quilt project. Users of the app can experience a social aspect by participating in daily challenges as well. I haven’t tried it, but let me know your thoughts.

Exhibits and Organizations

Join our guild. We’d love to share sewing projects with you.

Jane Sassaman has quilts at the Harvard Diggins Library, Harvard, IL through February. I couldn’t find anything about it on their website, but they do have a lot of craft activities. If you visit, please give a report.

I am pleased to announce that my piece Who Am I? will be in the Women’s View show put on by the San Mateo County Arts Council. I am thrilled that it got in. I read the guidelines and saw that they had instituted a size limit and Who Am I? was over the limit. I was so disappointed, because I finished this piece specifically for this exhibit. It really, truly speaks to the view of women.  I entered anyway and said on the application that I hoped for an exception to the size limitation and why. They granted the exception!! I heard at the end of last week. I am really happy and excited for people to see this piece.

NQR

Philip Jacobs is one of my favorite fabric designers. I love his large flower prints and the inspiration he derives from vintage fabrics and wallpapers. In his spare time, he is fossil hunter. A few years ago, he discovered a pliosaur. He is in the Guiness Book of World Records as the finder and mentioned and shown on the show about the excavation. It was very interesting to watch. Watch on PBS. You may need an account. You can help excavate the rest of the fossil by contributing.

Need art supplies to supplement your quiltmaking? I am giving you a referral link so you can start earning points for free stuff at California Art Supply, 3600 El Camino Real , Suite B – Phone: 650-350-1990. Click the link and register. I know its a pain, but you get points that translate into discounts. I am saving up my points to buy a large set of Emott markers. No, I don’t need them, but the colors are soooo cool!

 

 

**N. B. : Obviously, you should shop at local quilt shops and small businesses. However, if you are too busy or can’t find what you need there, I use Amazon affiliate links and may be paid for your purchase of an item when you click on an item’s link in my post. There is no additional cost to you for clicking or purchasing items I recommend. I appreciate your clicks and purchases as it helps support this blog.

January 2025 Donation Blocks

I almost didn’t make any donation blocks this month. As mentioned my mom is sick and it is taking up time (time I am glad to have the opportunity to use). I worked on a donation quilt for most of my leaders and enders time. I finished that and did get to a few blocks. Not the 31 I had hoped for, but some is better than none.

Evaluating Gifts

BAM 2020 Retreat Mega Pinnie - finished
BAM 2020 Retreat Mega Pinnie – finished

Periodically, I revisit the gifts I make for people. I know you have seen the posts about gifts I have made for my sister, my mom, Gerre and Julie. I really do like to give gifts that people will use, though I do give gifts, like the Mega Pinnie that are just fun and unique.

My Mom is staying with me while she recovers from major surgery.

She has brought along several bags and pouches I have made for her, such as the Take a Stand, the Poolside Tote, and the Percheron.

The Take a Stand has art supplies in it. She is using the Poolside Tote like a suitcase for random stuff and the Percheron is where she keeps the complicated crochet project I gave her as a kit gift.

Mom's Persimmon Pouch
Mom’s Persimmon Pouch

Still, it is not enough. I will need to make her a pouch for her hand quilting supplies. Right now they are in a plastic zipper bag. I know I made her a Persimmon Dumpling and an Inside Outside Pouch, but she didn’t bring either with her.

A Sew Together Bag is the obvious choice. She has one and I don’t want to make another right now. I am thinking about another Cotton Candy pouch. I am also thinking about a Brumby pouch. I haven’t made one of those yet, but recently received the templates as a gift. We will see. I want to look through my various patterns and see what sticks out.

What pouch or bag do you use for hand sewing supplies and tools?