Commentary about works in progress, design & creativity
I thought I would pull out my photo of my beloved Pooh in his Happy New Year gear. Last year my wish was to have another year of exchanging quiltmaking and sewing information. I hope we achieved that. I made my best effort with all of my posting and sewing.
Let’s hope 2021 isn’t quite as crazy as 2020, but that we can still exchange quiltmaking and sewing. I plan to sew a lot.
Another year and more projects finished
2020 blog posts: 359
2020 fabric used: 95 yards net
I reached 100 yards used for the first time ever! I actually made it up to 113 by 12/17/2020. I was super excited. Of that 28% was for charity quilts. Of course, then, after writing the post about the Kaffe quilt, I went and bought some fabric, ended up with 95 net fabric used. Oh well! I take comfort in the 152 gross yards used.
Finished 2020 Quilt Projects
Six quilts are now complete for the year. I am thrilled.
Finished 2020 Small and Non-Quilt Projects
This category covers bags, toys, aprons and knitting as well as other non-quilt projects.
I feel like I have made more of these small items, but I can’t find any others.
In Process
The ‘In Process’ is used to denote projects on which I am actively working or are on the design wall waiting for me to stitch. I am continuing to try not to put away projects. I find putting a project away ensures I never work on them, because I just lose steam.
Small Projects to Make or in Process
Most of my progress involves thinking or just cutting.
Handwork
I decided that some of my projects are in a different class because they are hand piecing or embroidery or beading. They take longer. Thus I created a new category and have moved some projects here.
Ready for Quilting
FOTY 2019 – ready to take to the longarmer
In the Quilting Process
In the Finishing Process
Still WIPs
I still have WIPs. Who doesn’t, after all? A project in the ‘UFO’ category means I am stalled. A nicer way of saying UFO is a WIP. The list is a lot shorter and the projects are newer, for the most part.
“Sometimes the world’s problems are so big we think we can do little to help. On our own we cannot end wars or wipe out injustice, but the cumulative impact of thousands of small acts of goodness can be bigger than we imagine.” Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II
This year I contributed something positive to the world.
Donation Quilts and Tops for 2020
Doing Good
Like last year, I still have in the back of my mind that I would like to make 30 donation blocks per month-360 in a year. This year’s achievement is 124 blocks. I feel like I have made a good effort even if I haven’t quite achieved my goal.
I didn’t take photos of all of the donation blocks I made:
As I said earlier this month, I finished the Sheffield Tool Bag the week before Christmas.
I am usually pretty pleased with the Sew Sweetness patterns, but I found this one particularly easy to put together. The ease of putting together this bag was in direct contrast to my memory of putting the Quilt Illustrated Tool Tote together.
I found two tricky parts and the zipper was involved with both. First was the zipper panel and the video remedied my confusion. The second was the other/non-zipper tab end of the zipper and I am not sure how to remedied that beyond using a matching thread to the zipper and hoping for the best. I’d like to put a zipper tab on instead of folding over the ends of the zipper on that one end. I’ll think about that for future versions. I’d like to make another one of these bags.
On the bright side, I feel like I finally got the concept of ‘veering the zipper’. I talked more about this during the making of the Pink & Green Cotton Candy pouch. There is something about the way it was presented in the Sheffield Tool Bag video that fixed the concept in my head. Yay!!
It has a different feel than the Quilt Illustrated Tool Tote, though I believe the supplies were similar. I haven’t checked the Quilt Illustrated pattern recently, however, and I know I quilted the outside of the QI Tool Tote, though that is an option for the Sew Sweetness pattern as well.
I am particularly fond of the inside. Despite being canvas and VERY loosely woven, I love the design motifs of the fabric I used for the lining.
Now that I know where all the pieces are going to be used, I would make different fabric choices for future versions. Still, I believe the white fabric makes the inside light enough to see all of the supplies (and stuff) that would go inside.
I didn’t have enough fabric for the slip pockets to be the same on both sides of the bag, so I used similar colors, but different fabrics. I think they look ok. The ice cream fabric was used so that it goes with the Classmates tote I made last year.
I finished the four mediaum Sidewinder pouches earlier this month, but didn’t want to show them until the recipients received them.
I wanted to make them all with stripes, but didn’t have any green stripes (that I could find).
I thought the leftover Philip Jacobs fabric from the back of FOTY 2019 was great fabric and the two young women who like green would like that fabric. They can donate their pouch if they don’t like it.
The top zipper placket would have looked a little better if I had turned the stripes vertically. I just didn’t think about it. I will know better next time, if I make this pattern again.
I finished the Mini Maker Case in September. I wanted to save the post for after I gifted it. The recipient, Friend Julie, reads this blog on occasion and I didn’t want to spoil the surprise.
The small Oliso irons didn’t arrive until after her birthday, so this ended up as a Christmas gift. I sent it off with the iron and a couple of other gifts last week. I meant to take a photo of my iron inside the case, but forgot. I hope she will take one after she receives it and has a chance to look through her gifts.
I want to make one for myself. It is kind of a talisman for when Sew Days start up again.
Best wishes for a great Christmas!
If you don’t celebrate, I hope you have a great day.
I may have mentioned that I tore a ligament in my foot in September. It is much better, but still improving. Earlier this week, I went to see my doctor to have it checked out.
One of the things about my doctor is that he is also an artist. He has his paintings hanging in his office. He has a small Artavita profile with a couple of his newest works. The bio he posted on his website mimics how I feel about my quiltmaking, especially where he talks about the flow. I agree with him that my work and my art are better when I do both and also that I get into a Zen-like state when I am sewing.
One of the things I noticed about the dancers in his office is the use of black. It offers an intensity and moodiness that is different than the look of ‘noir’ films, for examples. There isn’t a creepy sense of the psychological thriller in these paintings. I get the sense of the artist trying to show different types of people – dancers in this case.
I can’t stop looking at #11. I really want to know what the dancer is thinking. Is she angry? Is she annoyed that we have invaded during her practice?
Also, I think the juxtaposition of the black and ballet dancers is interesting. When I think of ballet (tutus, after all), I think of pink and baby blue flowing skirts or white stiff tutus. I don’t think of black. Most of the others in the series have black in them, but not all. Despite not all of them having black in the image, there is a consistency of style: straightforward, clear, slightly blocky (??). I get the sense that what you see is what you get, though there is a layer or two underneath the viewer needs to contemplate.
I like the tutu in #14 very much. I also like the pose, especially the hands around the back. I also want to know what is going on with this dancer. My doctor is not a writer, but I would love to hear the story of all of these dancers.
I am always pleased when I find out someone has a passion to which they are dedicated. I feel like I am getting through this pandemic because I can sew as much as I want or all the time. I feel like quiltmaking is a way to stay on track, not get depressed and makes me a better person. I have to figure out problems, choose fabrics that go together, design projects. While I am doing all of those things, I don’t think about staying home all the time, not seeing family and friends.
By seeing my doctor’s work, I can see how he is a better doctor because of his art. He can talk to me on a level that is professional, but also human and I appreciate that.
Surprisingly, I have more donation quilting to show. Tim is on a roll and, the other night, sent me a photo of the finished quilting on the Blue Improv quilt.
With the Purple Strip donation quilt, this one makes two this week! I am thrilled for a couple of reasons: 1) I have something to write about and some donation quilts about which to feel good and 2) I haven’t been working on any donation anything so these finishes are a bonus.
Tim quilted swirls into the top. The quilting is hard to see with everything going on with the piecing. He sent me this detail and it looks good, which is no surprise.
I don’t know who he has to bind it.
After a good day of gift sewing on Saturday, I got back to the Sew Together Bags, finally.
As you know, I am making three. I spoke with Gerre on the phone on Saturday.While we talked I was able to get the pincushions stuffed and stitched to one of the panels. It is a good quiet task and I hadn’t spent the time to do it before Saturday.
Once Gerre and I finished getting caught up, I set to work sewing the lining together. As you know the lining is made up of the 4 pieces you see in the photo plus 6 pocket linings as well, which are on the bottom.
I did have to resort to the Quilt Barn Sew-a-long tutorials, which were really helpful. I saved them as PDFs and was able to make some annotations that are helpful.
Seeing the way the all white linings look, I think I will add some color next time. I like the red-violet inside of my embroidery Sew Together Bag.
I was also able to make some progress on the third lining. I didn’t quite finish, however.
Tim sent me some photos on Saturday of the purple strip donation quilt I finished back in March of 2019.
I really like the skinny rectangle motif he used for the quilting. I think it echos the strips I used.
It took him awhile to quilt this. I think he was having a hard time getting inspired. I can understand. I blame the pandemic.
He’ll get someone to bind it or maybe I will next time I visit; we’ll see.
We draw names at Christmas, so we can get a nice gift for one person rather than a bunch of small gifts for everyone. I usually purchase something off of my giftee’s wish list, but occasionally I like to make something as well. This year I got one of my SILs and really wanted to make something.
The Cotton Candy pouch is still a favorite, soI started another one on Friday as an additional gift. I used a similar fabric as I used on an apron I made for her a few years ago. I forgot that I used the blue instead of the purple. Oh well. I hope she likes purple.
I am still struggling a bit with this pattern. This time the side panels were MUCH larger than the main panels. I checked the measurements multiple times, but still can’t figure out why the side panels don’t match. And this time they are WAY off. Regardless, I can still make it work.
On to veering the zipper!
Sometime ago I bought a fruit basket and flower piece of fabric. The designation on the selvedge is “PWPJ 067 Market Basket”. I think of it as a panel, but it really isn’t. I really like this print, so I bought another piece.
After attending the Kaffe lecture in Saratoga and buying the Quilts in the Cotswolds** book, I decided to make the Pink Squares quilt using this piece of fabric as the center.
The Pink Squares quilt is not exactly rocket science. I don’t have all the exact fabrics, but I plan to use various Philip Jacobs prints I have including the Market (fruit) basket fabric. I plan to fussy cut various prints and make this my own.
I bought some Martha Negley prints recently from Cool Cottons and I want to incorporate the purple carrots into this piece. The example has various colors- not just pink – which is my model. I plan to add more purple to the piece than shows here. I also want to include some of my favorite Philip Jacobs prints. Yes, this is a pattern and very simple, so the challenge will be choosing the fabrics after I figure out the redesign of the center.
I know I will have to adjust the center of the quilt pattern to fit my center. I want to use a certain part of the print.
I went to look at Friend Julie’s version of this quilt. Kaffe tends to use the same patterns over and over, chosing different fabrics. She made one in Blue after seeing his red version in Heritage Quilts**. I like the way she cut a bunch of squares and then chose fabric for the center. Friend Julie chose an Amy Butler print for the sashing. I think I will stick with a pink solid, depending how much I have. Perhaps I will switch out the pinks as I move out from the center.
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I finished the Sheffield Tool Bag. After I figured out the zipper panel (by watching the video), this bag went together very quickly.
It is a gift so look for a post later this month with more details and more photos.