Again, I worked on some strip donation blocks in anticipation of a new donation quilt.
December 2024 Donation Blocks
Author: JayeL
Quiltmaker who enjoys writing and frozen chocolate covered bananas.
Christmas Gifts
DH and I did not exchange gifts this year because we went on a cruise. That meant that the gift giving was very light at home. Still I received a few things off my list.
I now have a Martelli sewing machine mat I can take to Sew Day and a foot pedal mat that I hope will keep my foot pedal at home in place while I sew. I have 3 different ‘mats’ for my foot pedal and I still have to chase it around the underneath of my sewing machine.
I also got a new Wing Clipper ruler. I have had one for a long time, but decided that it is off on one side and wanted a new one.
The photos in the middle are of my maternal grandparents. I have always liked those photos. My mom is clearing out and keeps giving us things from her house. I am pleased to have these.
My mom gave me a second round of gifts over New Year. The gifts hadn’t arrived in time, but they were worth the wait: lots of things I can use in 2025.
I am especially happy about the bobbins. I have plenty of bobbins, but suddenly they have all disappeared, so I needed some extras.
I also got a nice selection of gifts from Friend Julie.
I hadn’t heard The Quilting Experience** book before I opened the package. I am already enjoying it. I also received a Sew Tites ruler** to go with my rotating Sew Tites Cutting mat*.
Carrie and Sue were also super generous. Carrie is eminently practical, so I now have a mini vacuum to use to clean my sewing machine.
I have already worn the socks and really like them. They are soft and comfy.
The sewing machine ornament is on my tree, as is the little cardinal, which was a decoration on the outside of the package.
Sue presented me with a book I had been wanting since I saw the exhibit at PIQF. I really like it that I have another meaty book to get into.
The fabrics are lovely colors as well. I will be able to incorporate them into Old Town.
*N.B. : I am going to post a thorough review of the cutting mat soon. Stay tuned.
**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.
Various & Sundry 2024 #11
The last V&S of 2024! Can you believe it?
Admin
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Projects, Classes, Patterns, Techniques & Tutorials
Make sure you download the directions for Bonnie Hunter’s Old Town mystery quilt. Part 7 was posted yesterday and the directions will go away in late January or early February. I have made some progress and Friend Julie has as well. She has finished the first clue and is making progress on the other clues. I have finished the first clue and am also working on some of the other clues in a scattershot kind of way. I have to be able to focus and some of the easier parts are better for me at the moment.
One thing I saw right after I posted V&S 2024 #10 was Technique Sheets by Deb Tucker of Studio180 Designs. She is the designer of the Wing Clipper**, which I have mentioned a couple of times. The Technique Sheets show you how to make another design. Sometimes the Technique Sheets refer to one of the Studio180 rulers and sometimes they don’t. There are some examples of what the technique sheets look like on the Free downloads page. Check out the Corner Pop II Replacement Rectangles Technique Sheet.
I was really pleased to see Kristina of Center Street Quilts post some small bag and pouch type projects on her blog for the holidays. She also posted short videos on IG. I am interested in trying the small vinyl zipper pouch. This is a good use of leftover bits of zipper and vinyl. There is also a small round pouch that looks super fun and could be a great way to fussy cut a small motif you like. Kristina uses a handbag zipper for this pouch. I would use a smaller zipper, but it is good to know that a handbag zipper works. She also has a trinket basket in various sizes, which is great for organizing.
If you want to know how to use the Wing Clipper, check out a tutorial I found by accident. I found it on the Quilting Affection Designs blog.
I saw several new bag designers recently. One was Andrie Designs. The team there have a blog and post regularly. While we all have plenty of bag and pouch patterns, I thought some of these had great shapes.
It’s a little late now, but a good time to get started on a Holiday 2025 project. This Moravian Star tutorial was posted by AQS. Another option is the Scandinavian Folded Star ornament. I found a tutorial on the SandyStar blog. I wanted to make these for small gifts, but decided not to make myself crazy. Maybe next year.
Check out all the different tutorials available on the AQS site. Some I saw were about binding, pinning, designing your own quilt and many others. I didn’t know this resource existed and was pleased with the quality. A few of the tutorials direct readers straight to YouTube videos.
Want to declutter in 2025? Just Get It Done Quilts has a declutter challenge starting on January 1.
I didn’t see anything earth shattering in this new-to-me group of patterns from Linda Handmade, but some of them were interesting, such as the family travel wallet. The Lindsling is also an interesting shape. I couldn’t quite figure out where you put larger items.
I haven’t worked on any of the Arabesque Scissors patterns I bought. Maybe in 2025. I was perusing her blog and saw the Creator’s Companion pattern. If you are getting a planner for Christmas or Hannukah, then you might want this cover pattern to enhance your new organizational goals. You might want to use a little vinyl in place of some of the fabrics so you can see your stuff.
Also, if you want a printable planning sheet for preparing to create your quilts, Arabesque Scissors has that also.
Have you seen the Pantone Color of the Year for 2025? UGH! They call it Mocha Mousse, which sounds delicious. In reality, the color is a depressing beige. The IG video makes it look fabulous, but it is just beige. I guess those fancy color people were just depressed.
I found a really good tutorial on pinning of all things!
The Kona Color of the Year for 2025 is better than ‘Mocha Mousse’. It is Nocturne and it is a deep purple. Lovely.
I was really interested to be introduced to Sewfisticated. Jassie is a bag designer and her bags are different from some of the designers with whom I am familiar. The FoldnZip Pixie looks like it could be useful for a quilt tools bag. She is one of the designers in the Bag of the Month Club for 2025.
Tools, Books, Fabric, Notions & Supplies
I have talked about LP Sharp, the company to which I send my rotary blades for credit and recycling. I was talking with Mary the other day and couldn’t find the name. It was clear out of my brain. I wanted to share it with her as they do give a discount when you send them old blades. I am pretty sure they recycle rotary blades they can’t resharpen and re-sell. Try them out. I have been using them for years.
I have only about half a yard left of the Paris fabric I have been using for my sister’s bags. On a whim, I went looking for it. It is old, so I figured it was long out of print and not available. Amazingly enough I found 3 yards of it on a site called US Fabric Shop. When I had a moment, I went to look at the site. They have a LOT of different fabrics. Need a team fabric (except Cal)? Need some peacocks? Travel fabrics? This is your store. I was able to find some new Stonehenge with Celtic knots that was very appealing. They have that chocolate fabric I have used to make pillowcases! I am pretty excited about that. I don’t have anyone for whom to make pillowcases at the moment, but I am keeping that tab open. I will need to buy some more travel fabric for the nephew’s pillowcases, so maybe I’ll add a couple of yards of chocolate as well.
This is listed on Amazon as “MagnoGrip Magnetic Wristband for Holding Screws, Nails, Drill Bits for Men”. I think this could certainly be used for quiltmaking. What do you think?
If you want to know everything there is to know about sizes in yardage, check Brown Bird Designs Ultimate Cheat Sheet On The Yard + Make Your Own Pre-cuts. This is a woman after my own heart.
I received an email from Hawthorne Threads about Anna Maria’s new line, Loves Hue. It is all about stripes and I really like the Marathon in Vintage and Marathon in Circus. I could really use those for bindings. I need to see them in person and look forward to them coming to a shop near me.
Media, Books and Articles
My DH does Artle every day, or nearly every day. One day he showed me a piece by June Paik, which I think looks like a quilt. It does until you look closer. I like the outlines as well.
I thought this short video on the archeology of knitting was really interesting. The narrator speaks really quickly, so pay attention!
Frances Dowell’s annual holiday story, “Winter Stars”, is available for your holiday listening pleasure! Head over to Quiltfiction.com, and while you’re there, download a free block pattern designed by Patty Dudek!
Other
Are you a Bay Area reader? Join our guild, Bay Area Modern Quilting! We want people who want to socialize, sew, learn and share. We want YOU! Click on the link to see about our activities and join.
**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.
Gift Post: Gerre’s Enigma Bag
While I was making my sister’s Enigma bag back in July, I also made one for Gerre for Christmas. This is Enigma #6.
I didn’t use my ‘regular’ sugar skull fabric for this one. I used a fabric I bought on my trip to and around Portland and I can’t decide if I like it. The key is whether Gerre likes it. I thought the seahorses and some of the ocean life were cool, but the skeletons started to creep me out after awhile. If she feels the same, I will make another one of these for her. I’ll have to see what she says.
I am pleased with the fussy cutting on the bottom. I didn’t have a lot of the fabric and was glad I had enough to highlight the main motif.
I am also pleased with the way the inside came out. The stripes I bought at the Granary are perfect for the inside.
The pattern calls for a 2.5 inch wide binding. I made the binding 2.25 inches wide, which is my norm for quilting binding. I had to stretch the binding a bit in certain places and trim seams, but mostly the 2.25 inch binding worked well.
I figured out a great place to put my label on these Enigma bags. The label fits well in the middle of the inside pocket. The label isn’t tucked away unobtrusively and I am not sure how I feel about that. I am not sure why I didn’t think of it before as it was also easy to install.
As with my sister’s Enigma bag, this one went together pretty easily. I like making the same bags over and over as they get better each time I do it.
Gift Post: Tarot Robe
You might remember the pajama pants that the YM made when he was visiting in the spring. Right after he left I was given a robe pattern. Carrie suggested the YM might want to use the pattern to make a matching robe. I decided that I would make him a robe for Christmas. I went out and bought more of the fabric (Tarot flannel from Joann) and started it in October while I was in Portland. I got stuck and put it all away. I needed more fabric, though I thought I had originally bought enough. This is what happens to me when I try to sew garments! Also, I used the pattern Carrie gave me rather than the pattern I used a long time ago to make a robe for my SIL#4. I must have given it away.
Anyway, I got help from MaryC. She basically finished the robe for me in about 2 hours while I entertained her. She is a master garment maker and I always appreciate her help.
Merry Christmas OR Happy Wednesday
I am taking the day off, but wishing everyone peace in their lives. Have a great day!
I also thought I would show you a gallery of the gifts I made for Christmas. I will talk more about them later. This is just a visual taste.
Gift Post: Atlas Zipper Case
I finished the Atlas Zipper Case right before Thanksgiving. Of course, I couldn’t talk about it before now because I wanted to be a surprise. Even this is a little early!
I am super pleased with the way it came out. I hope my Lil Sissy likes it, too. She shared the original IG video about the pouch (portfolio) with me.
I didn’t find the project to be very difficult even though I struggled to get started. Cutting is always a hassle. I always want to get straight to sewing.
For this piece, I used a piece of the Paris fabric I have been using to make gifts for my sister. The fussy cutting, after I quilted it, came out really well. I used my 20.5 inch x 20.5 inch Creative Grids ruler**. That ruler is really big and a bit unwieldy on my small cutting table, but I wanted to be able to see the whole piece and trim exactly. It worked really well except for pushing my entire scrap bin onto the floor in the process! LOL! The Eiffel Tower is perfectly placed on the front.
The bicycle on the back looks good, too. I haven’t ever asked my sister if she likes this fabric. I hope so as I just bought more of that yardage. I feel like I was lucky to find some as is isn’t new.
I forgot to sew the label on before I added the inside pockets, so I hand stitched it later.
The portfolio has a zipper that goes all the way around, so the bag is completely closed when it is zipped.
It has smallish, but useful pockets to keep some of your tools, or, possibly, project pieces organized.
There is also space for flat items, like a 6.5 x 6.5 ruler** under the pockets.
I am on the fence about the fabric pocket on the lower right. All of the other pockets are vinyl. I like seeing what I have available, but I guess you could use that pocket for things you didn’t want everyone to see. Credit cards or your driver’s license? I don’t know. I keep those things in one place so I always know where they are. If I make this again, I might make it into another vinyl pocket.
The left side has a larger pocket completely made from vinyl. This is a really useful pocket.
I really like this project and am looking for ways to make more.
**N. B. : Obviously, you should shop at local quilt shops and support 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.
Gift Card Holder Tutorial
This started out after I searched my various small project books and the web for an easy gift card Holder. I found one on the web, but there were so many ads that I couldn’t use it. I also saw some YouTube tutorials, but just wanted a paper template and maybe some instructions.
DH and I talked about it at dinner and came up with a viable pattern. We talk a lot about the mechanics of quiltmaking at dinner. Usually, I am trying to work out a problem. He doesn’t want to make quilts, but has a mind that can help me work out a pattern and mad math skills. It’s a good thing we had a lot of holiday and New Years cards on the table. Their backs made for great drawings.
N.B. while it is Christmas now, it will also be Hannukah in a few days. You can use this pattern for any holiday or gift giving event. Just choose the right fabric.
Supplies (If you have taken my quilt class, you should have all of the supplies, except maybe felt)
- Felt
- Pilot Ultrafine SCA-UF pen**
- Paper scissors
- Fabric scissors**
- Graph paper
- Pencil
- Ruler
- Sewing machine
- BSK
- Optional: template plastic**
- Optional: glue stick**
- Optional: pinking shears**
- Optional: interfacing, such as Decor Bond 809**
I have not tested this ‘pattern’ extensively, so YMMV. Adapt the sizes as you see fit.
These sizes are slightly larger than my test version to make it easier for you to sew.
Take your graph paper and measure out the lines as shown. It helps to have a gift card or credit card handy.
There is no size or angle for the diagonal line. Create the rest of your pattern first, then connect the two lines to make the diagonal.
Trace your pattern on the felt.
If you plan to make a lot of these, I would recommend pasting the pattern onto template plastic as it makes it a lot easier to trace. That is why I added template plastic and a glue stick to the supply list as optional.
Cut out your felt along the lines of the outline.
If you have time, you can embellish your felt. Some embroidery along the diagonal line would look nice as would an applique’ around the area of the diagonal line. If you do an applique’, remember that that part of the piece will be folded to the left, so you need to put the applique’ on the back of the piece as shown above. See below.
Of course, you can also embellish the edges using various decorative stitches on your machine or bits of leftover ribbon and rickrack.
Test your pattern piecing using a gift card or credit card.
On my first try at this ‘pattern’, my piece was very tight. I only had a little space for sewing. That’s why I made the sizes a little larger for you. Depending on your machine, you may be able to use a decorative stitch.
You only need to sew from the bottom of the diagonal line on the left vertical to the corner and then along the bottom. If you want to sew all the way around, check your size to make sure you have enough space for the stitching and that the card will still fit.
I also cut the top corners so they were curved. I did it freehand and you can, too.
This is a super basic gift card holder, but it is free and fast, especially once you have made the pattern.
Since I am not making you plow through ads or watch a 30 minute video to make this, I appreciate you clicking on the Amazon links and buying things from my Associate account. As it says below, it helps support the costs of this blog.
If you send me a photo of a gift card holder you make, I will post it, with due credit, here in the new year.
**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.
More Gift Bags
I am finally making some gift bags this year. Some of the fabric was laying around half finished from last year. I needed to wrap some gifts and we haven’t gotten the Christmas decorations out. Also, I want to use up fabric. Of course, you probably saw the tutorial I posted a week or so ago, so go make some bags.
Chips Scrap Quilt
I was over at Tim’s the other day for an impromptu Sew Day. Yes, I have a million holiday related things on my to do list, but who cares? It’s sewing! How could I say no?
He was tidying up after finishing a couple of quilts while I cut out more bags that will be gifts. In the process, he found a lot of scraps.
He described creating “chips” to me. This is a method to use up scraps. It is based on strips and called Stashbuster #7 on the Just Get It Done Patterns page. He created some ‘chips’ while I was there. (photo, left) . The process went pretty fast, because he found pieces with straight edges and sewed them together. Like everyone, Tim has a palette, so with a little juggling of fabrics, his strip sets went together well.
He sent me a photo the next day with a few more chips. I think he is close to having enough for a baby quilt. I don’t have a good sense of the sizes, so it is hard to tell.
I think this process can be done as leaders and enders while you are working on something else.
What I noticed about the Just Get It Done Patterns page is that there is a pattern as well as a video AND a coloring page. Perhaps you just want to color and relax that way? Great idea.
Tim commented “I sew the pieces together and trim them to 1.75 x 4. [To do that,] … I measure 1.5 from the seam and trim before I open and iron. More accurate.” This is interesting. I never thought of measuring before I opened and pressed the strip sets. Interesting. I’ll definitely try it when I made one of these quilts.
This might be the perfect project when you are busy or can’t concentrate on something complicated. It looks complicated, however, so it satisfying.
Tim showed me the finished version he made back in 2019 or so for friends.
I like the addition of the squares. It breaks up the rectangles.
This is the great thing about being a member of a guild. As much as I try, I can’t watch every video or see every pattern. Having quilt friends do some of the work is a boon.
Birch Fabrics Again
I visited Birch Fabrics back in October and forgot to post about it. The last time I visited was over 10 years ago. I thought I had been there since then and it is possible. I may not have written a review on those in between visits. It is also possible I have just purchased from their online store. I don’t know.
They have moved to a new space away from downtown and nearer to their warehouse.
The space is MUCH smaller than their previous space, just two small rooms. DH was with me and we also found it a little hard to find. The sign is pretty small.
Still, the space is super clean and well organized. It was very quiet. There was one person working and she was cutting for online orders.
Mostly they had Birch Fabrics, including Charley Harper fabrics, but I saw some Tula fabrics also. There was a small number of notions.
One thing I found was a couple of different Sun Hat patterns. One was the Sew Hungry Hippie Bardot Bucket Hat pattern. You know that my first Sun Hat didn’t work out very well. I had been thinking about this pattern and was glad to be able to see it in person. You can buy it at Birch, but also on the SHH website. On the website, they also have a video course and SVG files for separate purchase.
Anyway, the second room had all of the Charley Harper prints. I have to admit I went a little crazy with those fabrics. I bought quite a few pieces and they are not my normal purchases. I really liked the Charley Harper fabrics, but I tried not to buy them all.
I might make myself an Atlas Zipper Pouch with the turquoise bird fabric. I bought the fish fabrics to make DH a Hackney. I haven’t gotten to it yet.
I’d visit this store again, especially now that I know where it is. Small, but mighty!
Old Town: Not Much Progress
I am behind on Bonnie Hunter’s Old Town Mystery Quilt, but trying not to stress. I thought I would get more done at Sew Day than I did. As much as I love Sew Days, it isn’t a good environment when I am trying to concentrate. I am also trying to remind myself there is a LOT of piecing in Bonnie Hunter Mystery quilts and I’ll get there.
Friend Julie has made really good progress. Pam is, of course, up to date.
I did sit down on Saturday and Sunday and really work on various pieces. I decided to focus on Clue 1, so I could at least say that I was finished with one clue.
I am making progress on the Flying Geese, though I haven’t made many. One thing I had to do was figure out what pieces and parts I needed to make a set of four Flying Geese. That took a little time. I really got going once I reacquainted myself with the steps. It was helpful that I had already cut the pieces I needed. The picture above is my progress on Saturday. I had other stuff I needed to do, like make gift bags, so I couldn’t focus on this project all day.
I pressed some of the strips sets for Clue #2 that I made at Sew Day and was able to make a few of the Four Patches.
Hooray for progress.
Improving the Atlas Zipper
I didn’t really understand the directions for curving the zipper at the top of the Atlas Zipper Case pattern. My first one came out a little weird looking. There is a weird lump in the curve on the top. Underneath the end sticks out a little bit. None of this is fatal, but I wanted to do better on the second one.
I decided to make a triangle out of the end of the zipper. It makes a neat end with no lumps or bumps. I sewed the end down in the triangle, like in the photo (from another project). This keeps the end of the zipper in place, so I wouldn’t have to worry about it moving. As a bonus, I was able to create a nice curve as well.
The zipper on the Cal Atlas came out much better than on the Paris Atlas. There are no lumps and the curve is much flatter. In the future, I’ll do that to finish the zipper ends.
I recommend this method for crating zipper ends in the right circumstances. If you have a zipper tab, then you don’t need to do this. This is a great finish if the end of the zipper will be exposed for whatever reason.
More Donation Quilts
Tim got his longarm up and running again. To test it and practice, he quilted some donation quilts, including the one I talked about the other day. He showed them to me when I stopped by a few days ago.
The good thing about these quilts is that they are actual quilts not just tops. The bad part is that I can take no credit for any of them. Still, like the designs he used for quilting and the patterns are fun, too.
This one uses a similar block to my Corner Store quilt. The arrangement is different than the one I used and makes me want to revisit the block. Maybe it would be a good idea for a donation quilt?
On both quilts Tim used different quilting patterns in the foreground and background. I think that adds to the quilts.
The testing was good as he is ready to quilt his Courthouse Steps quilt. It also means more quilts for BAM to give to those in need.
SHH Gift Box
I bought this Sew Hungry Hippie Surprise Gift Box for myself. I wasn’t disappointed. While most of these subscription type boxes are not ideal, they can be quite fun and this one was.
It was STUFFED with various self care items.
The picture on the left is what I saw when I broke the seal keeping the box closed through the mail. Natalie of SHH, has a fun 1960s flower theme going on her packing materials.
I wanted to open the box in layers so I could see everything the team put in. The first layer was Caramel Sea Salt popcorn and some zippers.
I haven’t tried the popcorn yet, but I like the idea that it is a small batch manufacturer. (N.B. Writing about this is making me want to eat the popcorn!)
At this point I saw a lot of little items peeking through and I was eager to open more.
Once I took the Caramel Sea Salt popcorn out of the box, there was a lot to see!
There were a couple of zippers, a notebook, a Swiss Army type knife some iron cleaner, a charm pack and lots of little items I couldn’t identify at this point.
The colors are hot! Lots of pink, orange and red. Lovely, especially since it has been rainy and cold here.
The little notebook (notepad?) is really cool. I like that it has a spot for Post-it notes. I use them all the time, so having them handy in my handbag will be useful. I took out my previous notepad and replaced it with this one.
Each time I took something out, I could see more fun items.
The box included a lot of self care items, an iridescent ruler, some zipper pulls, a lapel pin and some fabric and vinyl. The vinyl is printed with a flower motif. It might be fun to use the Hemingway pattern with that vinyl. We’ll see.
Life has been a little hard lately, so this was a fun gift to myself.