This pouch was made by Cyndi. it made from the mesh that is more stiff than the mesh I use for bags. It is kind of like screen, but not sharp. I remember buying some of this (or Friend Julie buying me some?) for a jewelry storage project we were going to make together. I never made mine and don’t think she made hers. Perhaps we need to revisit that project?
2025 Organizer Swap gift – interior
I wasn’t sure what I would do with, but got a brainwave when all of my doublefold elastic exploded on the floor of the fabric closet. I put it into this pouch and now it is nicely corralled in one place. The excellent thing about having it in a pouch is that I can grab the pouch and go and then decide on a color later.
I started off the month continuing to make white strip blocks. The bin really was not organized well and I found a whole new selection of strips I could use to make blocks partway through. I was up to a total (not just the ones made in October) of 40 white strip blocks early in the month, but continued to make them. I like my scrap bins to be as empty as possible. The white bin is proving to be a challenge to empty.
SueG and I have been working for a few months on organizing a block-of-the-month (BOM) program for the guild. It starts in a few days. If you want to join, buy a membership in the guild. We will make the BOM program available in the group’s forum as well as at the meetings.
We wanted this to be a different kind of BOM. The participants won’t be getting one block that they have to make in a certain size each month. We are going with a “Choose Your Own Adventure” style. People will get a pattern, but there will be choices of sizes. They can use any technique to make it and change the size if they want.
BAM BOM fabrics
I have started to choose my fabrics. These aren’t all of them. I think I need some kind of citrus or sunshine type warm color and a turquoise as well. Stay tuned for the additions as I evolve the fabrics in my own mind.
I definitely need to think about less white in the Half 16 Patch blocks. This quilt is VERY white and you don’t really get the sidewalk effect with so much white.
I have been working on some green and blue Sidewalk blocks with white and I may use a different color for the background.
Sidewalk #4 back
I was very surprised at how well this back went together. I didn’t worry about eeking every little inch out of the fabric. I got enough pieces out and cut there where I needed to. It means I have more scraps to cut up as well as a finished back.
The stripes in this piece are really striking. The rainbow stripes from Chain Link make this piece less depressing than it might be if I had excluded them.
I am pleased that I finally finished this piece. It has been on the design wall for more than a year and it is a relief to get it to the Community Quilt team.
I am pleased with the way it came out. Most of these improv quilts are hard to pass along.
We had another fun Sew Day on Saturday! It was super lively. We had a new member join and another new member join her first Sew Day.
Amy’s Flower quilt
Amy showed two quilts she has recently finished. The flower quilt has a great block. I really like the rectangular block format.
Amy’s Halloween quilt
Amy also showed the lime and teal quilt. She called it her Halloween quilt. I couldn’t really understand that and didn’t hear the explanation, but I like the fabric. I think maybe the fabric, with its bell jars, test tubes and poison jars and flasks of eyeballs might be the reason.
Mom finished the binding on the White Strips #2. Tim held it up for me and then it got turned in.
I cut up most of the leftover Half Hexie strips for the Four Patch Fun blocks. I am pleased about that, except that I have a boatload of pieces and need to cut some backgrounds for them. I keep reminding myself I don’t have to do it all at once.
I also cut out an apron I have been planning for the AirBnB house I rent when I go to Portland.
I worked on the Black Improv a lot, which doesn’t really have blocks, so that means fewer for this post. I added a few blocks in green and white to my stash of pieces for the next Sidewalk.
I finished working on the Black Improv top quicker than expected. Since it was already out and not completely empty, I kept the Black-Grey-Brown scrap bin out and made a few blocks from brown and grey. I just wanted to lighten the box up a little bit more. I don’t have much brown and I used all the strips to make the brown strip blocks you see below. I also made a couple of grey blocks and one black strip block. I’ll save these for another rainbow strip quilt or when I get enough Black-Grey-Brown strip blocks.
Once I was done with the Black-Grey-Brown strips, I got out the white bin, which was overflowing – again- and started in on white strip blocks. I don’t know whether I’ll make a white strip quilt like the last one or make a Sidewalk quilt with a color for the background. I like the idea of a blue background.
Brown strip donation block #20
Brown strip donation block #21
Brown strip donation block #22
Brown strip donation block #23
Grey color strip donation block #102
Beige strip donation block #1
Beige strip donation block #2
Grey color strip donation block #105
Black color strip block #10
Green Half 16 Patch #2
Green Half 16 Patch #3
Green Half 16 Patch #4
Green Half 16 Patch #5
Green Half 16 Patch #1
Green Half 16 Patch #11
Green Half 16 Patch #10
Green Half 16 Patch #9
Green Half 16 Patch #8
Green Half 16 Patch #7
Green Half 16 Patch #6
Green Half 16 Patch #12
Green Half 16 Patch #13
Green Half 16 Patch #14
Green Half 16 Patch #15
Green Half 16 Patch #16
White strip donation block #67
White strip donation block #69
White strip donation block #68
White strip donation block #70
White strip donation block #71
White strip donation block #72
White strip donation block #73
White strip donation block #74
White strip donation block #75
White strip donation block #76
White strip donation block #77
White strip donation block #78
White strip donation block #79
White strip donation block #80
White strip donation block #81
White strip donation block #82
White strip donation block #83
White strip donation block #84
I have numbered the black strip block as #10, but I don’t really know what number it is. I suspect it is about #41 since I made one black strip donation quilt. Still, the other blocks aren’t numbered, so here we are.
I started Sidewalk #4. As you can see from the photo, I am using my design floor. The design walls are full. I can’t take Country Revival/The Sad Quilt off the large design wall until I get more sewn.
Sidewalk is too big for the small design wall so design floor it is. Not my preference, but needs must. Too many projects on the go, so I needed to get one of them off my list.
I have been randomly sewing Half 16 Patch blocks to the white background pieces as leaders and enders, so I have a small start. I have a lot to do, however. The Community quilt team for the guild really needs backs, so that is an extra step. I know I normally do it, but was considering being lazy this time. More fabric used, however.
I have been working diligently on the Black Improv. Surprisingly it is getting quite large. Not king-sized or anything, but large for one of my donation quilts.
After having this piece languish for a long time, I thought it would be a chose to finish it. Even though I am not finished yet, I am having fun working on it. So many stripes!!
I am using the strips I cut for color strip blocks to make the quilt bigger and to make the piecing a little easier. I know I will make more black scraps at some point, so why not?
At the widest and tallest points in the photo above, the piece is 38w x 35l. It is getting to be the size I like giving to the Community Giving project.
I haven’t made much progress on this piece, but I haven’t given on it either. After I posted about the most recent Color Improv finishes, I got some nice feedback and decided to get back to this piece.
I had a couple of the strip blocks and I decided to add them to the piece so as to make it larger sooner.
I quickly completed Cosmic Crazy over the weekend so it would be ready when I went to Sew Day. I didn’t know how much time I would have to sew after my mom’s surgery.
I didn’t have the kind of gold fabric I was imagining, so I used this yellow with red dots. I hope that it isn’t too ugly.
Cosmic Crazy Back
I used some greens as the back and am calling this one done. Not a great work, but someone will like it. At least that is what I am telling myself.
Amy and I survived being MaryC yesterday! It took us longer to do the setup than it takes Mary; thank the quiltmaking goddesses that Friend Julie came early to help as well.
Beatty Cake September 2025
Sew Day for me actually started on Thursday. I wanted a piece of Beatty Cake and that meant making one. I did the baking of the layers on Thursday and frosted it on Friday. Friday was also the day I decided on projects.
I didn’t work on all the projects I brought along.
It occurred to me that I still hadn’t made v.2 of the hat I planned. The fabric and new pattern were already in the bag so that was one project. I also thought about working on one of the Patchwork Palooza blocks I need to make to catch up. In went the fabrics for that project (I need to clear out one of my project bags!). I also put my scrap bin, well overflowing scrap bin, in the bag. Finally, I put a few Half Hexie Star strips in so I could cut some Four Patch Fun patches.
Scrap cutting – Sept 2025
Of all of those projects, I cut out the Four Patch Fun units and worked on clearing out my scrap bin.
I made good progress on cutting the strips and random shapes I use for the Color Strip and Color Improv quilts. This time I toss out more pieces than I have in the past. I did this more at the end of the day as I was getting tired. I did it mostly with plain white fabrics. My white scrap bin is close to overflowing and the plain white fabrics aren’t interesting. I wouldn’t have done it if I didn’t know the scraps were going to fill Cubies for kids.
I also trimmed a few HSTs that I will use for something.
Scraps regular shapes – Sept 2025
I also had large enough pieces to cut some of the regular shapes I add to my stash.
I have a tidy stack of 5″ squares which replace the ones I used for a new EPP ball. I also cut some 2.5 inch squares for my use later (left) and for donation blocks (right). Between the two stacks of 2.5 inch squares are a small stack of 2″ squares for Blue Lemonade and a 1.5 inch stack for the next Scrap Dash quilt. I did cut a stack of 1.5 x 2.5 inch squares also for Scrap Dash, but I couldn’t find them when I was ready to take the photo. I need a tray or something for transport.
I forgot to bring the donation top and back that I finished. I’ll bring it to the next event, but that is a disappointment. I wanted to keep up my streak of handing in a quilt top at each Sew Day. Oh well, at least it is made.
Cyndi’s goat quilt
Cyndi stopped by with her goat quilt. She was on the way the shower, but wanted to show us all. This quilt had 50+ pieces in each block. Cyndi used some more colorful language to describe the number of pieces. LOL!
The goats are wearing pajamas and some of the pajama fabrics have motifs that are special to the couple and will have some meaning for the baby.
The Free table was also full. Peggy brought more of Rhonda’s things to give away. I picked up some more bag hardware and may have to start focusing my bag projects on what hardware I have.
It was a fun day and I talked to a lot of people. We even had a visitor, which was nice. I hope she joins.
Mostly, I am trying to stock up on Half 16 patch blocks so I can make another Sidewalk quilt. A couple are from Sew Day. I am cutting some 4.5 x 8.5 inch rectangles from larger scraps and yardage to make another Sidewalk quilt from plain pieces of fabric. I am not including those ‘panels’ here as they are not really that interesting since there is no piecing.
I wasn’t able to make the guild meeting on the 17th, but Lee Ann was kind enough to send me some photos of the recently finished quilts.
The grey looks really great. This grey improv quilt is one of my favorites. I am kind of sad to see it go to some random person. I am sure that person will appreciate it.
Since I have been using quite a bit of grey recently, I expect to work on another in the not too distant future.
Green Improv #2 quilted and bound
The recent green one is also finished. It is not a favorite, but I know someone will like it.
I really appreciate the other guild members’ efforts in finishing these. It allows me to do the parts I enjoy.
