This top came about because I cleaned off every horizontal surface in my workroom holding fabric or projects. I found some random pieces sewn together as well as some Pop Parade yardage. I wanted it all gone except a blue (not shown). I started sewing pieces together randomly, using already pieced sections where I could. I had only two unused blocks from the X quilt, which was a shame, design-wise, but ok. I know that someone will like this quilt once it is finished and off to its new owner.
Pop Parade Improv Donation quilt back
My bonus is that I don’t have any random pieces of Pop Parade laying around. I did like the motifs, but didn’t like the colors chosen. I’d love it if they would reprint this fabric in clearer colors. I often think that.
We are now handing in donation quilts at Sew Days, so I will give this to Peggy the next time we meet.
As I mentioned, a dozen quilts were handed in at Sew Day which will go to the community organizations that the guild supports. Many were tops I had sewn in the past. I am glad they are making their way to Peggy and the Community Quilt team.
Over the weekend, I finished the Yellow Strip Donation Top (and back and binding). This is another in my Color Strip Donation series.
I did sort of rush this along, but I was piecing like mad on Scrap Dash, so I couldn’t help it, really.
I had to put Scrap Dash on the back burner briefly to add borders, make a back and a binding.
Since I put on very plain borders so the quilting would show up, I decided the quilt needed a dark binding. I made a gold binding.
Yellow Strip Donation Quilt Back
I am pleased with the back. I didn’t have to piece too much and I got to use up some prints that have been around for awhile.
I don’t use tons of yellow, so these prints have been around awhile. I think they are good choices: fresh and upbeat. I suppose this quilt could be for a boy, but perhaps not with the flowery back.
Another quilt that was handed in at Sew Day was made during the February 2020 Community Sew Day. I made a bunch of blocks and may have even sewn them together.
This is a really nice quilt and I hope the person who receives it enjoys it.
I keep thinking of cutting more pieces these sizes so I can make more of these donation quilts, but I haven’t done it yet. It would be better if the pieces were more standard sizes, like 5 inches and 2.5 inches.
Since I was zipping along with Scrap Dash, I was also zipping along with the Yellow Strip donation top. Leaders and enders really works.
I decided to use some text prints as the sashing. I had some scraps that were about the right size, so I used as many as I could find in the white drawer and then cut some from fabrics I have bought recently. The quilt is really coming together and I am pleased with how sunshiney it looks.
For the first time in over a year, we had an in person Sew Day! It was GREAT. We took special precautions to keep everyone safe and followed the guidelines laid out by the church where we meet.
SIL#2 and I drove down together. We drove my little car and it was filled pretty well. We had a lot of stuff to bring for projects as well as items to hand in or exchange.
I mostly cut out projects. I cut out napkins for the YM, a pillowcase for the YMG (YM’s girlfriend), starting cutting out 3 more Sew Together Bags, which will be gifts, the Westchester Dolman shirt and a few other projects.
BAM Sew Day – June 2021
There was a lot of standing around and chatting. Even though most of us have been in touch over the course of the pandemic, most of us have not seen each other in person for months. Also, there are things people don’t really want to talk about in email. There was a lot of catching up to do.
Amy commandeered a table and everyone at the table worked on a quilt with Amy. She has been making slow progress on the piece for months (or maybe years), which is a gift for another guild member.
BAM Sew Day – June 2021 – Design Walls
The design walls were put to good use. These large office dividers make great designs walls because of their size even if one does need some pins.
Joy-Lily came a bit late and worked on an improv block piece. I think she was using some of her hand dyed fabrics. A number of people worked on their Put a Ring on It pieces from the class with Latifah Saafir. The one in the photo above is Gerre’s.
BAM Sew Day – June 2021
I believe this was Christine’s first Sew Day. She worked on a quilt using the Quilt-As-You-Go method. The large design walls enabled people to work together to lay out blocks or see problems through fresh eyes.
CLW Donation Quilt – June 2021
CLW Donation Quilt – June 2021 -back
Technically, it was a Community Sew Day. I didn’t work on donation quilts as I have Tim’s Improv piece and the Yellow Strip donation top in progress. SIL #2 finished a charity quilt from the last Community Sew Day. I really like the way it came out.
Peggy’s Community Quilt – June 2021
Sue S created a new pattern for the Sew Day and Peggy made one quilt top using the pattern. This is a variation on one design that I have made with the 16 patches before. Just goes to show that nothing is new in quiltmaking. This design is made with all half square triangles rather than including Flying Geese, like mine does.
I might have made a couple of the 16 Patches in Peggy’s quilt. I love the joint effort!
During the pandemic, people have still been working on donation quilts. 12 were handed in at Sew Day, including several of my tops that had been quilted.
Another one of my creations that was handed in at Sew Day was Ends n.8. I only have a bad photo, so it was hard to figure out that this gorgeous quilt was actually the one I made.
Tim, again, did the quilting and Mary C added the binding. I like using up the edges of quilts and this one turned out great. As mentioned in the previous post, the ends that make up this quilt came from the Stepping Stones n.2 quilt, I think. I also added more Bonnie and Camille fabric.
Ends n.8 Finished – detail
As usual, Tim did a great job quilting it. the swirls are a little different, but organic looking and interesting.
We had Sew Day on Saturday, which I will write about soon. One thing that happened is that people brought a bunch of donation quilts that had been in process.
One of them was the Purple Strip Donation Quilt. Tim quilted it and Mary C bound it. I finished it in March of 2019 and gave it to Tim shortly thereafter.
Purple Strip Donation Quilt – detail
Purple Strip Donation Quilt – detail
I really like the angularity of the quilting designs Tim chose. The fact that he added in a couple of circles to the quilting really adds to the overall piece. One thing I always wonder about is what people think when they receive one of these quilts? Sometimes I wish I were a fly on the wall and I could know.
It looks really great and I am so pleased it is done.
In between working on Scrap Dash, I made more yellow Improv blocks. I don’t have a tons of yellow scraps and I’ll be lucky if I can make this quilt and a straight Improv version like the other colors I have made. I’ll definitely be able to finish this one, but I have had to add chunks to the blocks. I don’t have enough strips to make all the blocks just from strips.
I sewed way more than one seam throughout the day. I felt kind of manic about these blocks. Even though I was working on Scrap Dash, I wanted to make progress on this quilt as well. I am pleased with the progress.
I am on the fence about how this quilt is looking. I don’t have the exact colors that Tim used, so I am using what I have. I don’t know if it is working.
Improv Checkerboard
When I talked about this quilt before, I had finished sewing the parts Tim gave me to the piece and had just added a strip of my own.
I made this improv checkerboard to add to the sides as the first piece that was all my own. It was kind of fun to play around with different sized strips. The green, however is a little more chartreuse than Tim used. While I like the shape, I am concerned about the colors and how they fit in with what went before.
I plan to put part of the checkerboard on another side perpendicular to the checkerboard I already sewed to the top.
Tim’s Improv Quilt with checkerboard
I don’t think it looks terrible and that might be good enough for a donation quilt. I don’t mean that it is ugly so it is only good enough for a donation quilt, but that it is not too ugly to give as a donation quilt.
I really don’t nee to make it much bigger, but I want it to have a relatively cohesive design without me spending 50 hours on it.
In February, I worked on some more Spiky 16 patch quilts. Then I gave them to Peggy and she found someone to quilt at least one. #2 popped up as finished at the guild meeting last Saturday! Lee Ann did the basting and quilting. She did a lot of straight line quilting, which I think works really well.
There is a wobble on the edge, which surprises me. I am hoping it is the wind blowing the quilt and not my piecing!
Double Spiky 16 Patch Quilted – detail
Lee Ann sent me these photos, which included a detail. You can see the leaf like shapes in the 16 patch center as well as a little more of the straight line quilting on the border.
I am continuing to work on the yellow donation blocks. I talked about making another batch a few days ago. I have more progress to show you today.
They look better on my design wall than they do on the photo. Oh well.
I made one with a strip going vertically, because I had two leftover pieces that weren’t wide enough to make a block with horizontal strips. For this version, I am really trying to make all the strips oriented on the horizontal. I have a lot of small pieces of yellow, so I don’t know if it will work. I’ll make as many blocks as I can with horizontal strips, then I will start putting more chucks together into blocks.
Tim made part of a top in a Sherri Lynn Wood class. He didn’t want it hanging around anymore because he didn’t like the class and didn’t think he would finish it. I offered to finish it into a donation top for the guild and get it out of his life.
I sewed a strip Tim gave me to the right of the quilt (the strip with 4 patches). I looked for fabric that would match, but I couldn’t find anything really similar. I chose a more reddish orange and am adding various bits to the piece.
I am slowly making more of these blocks. I know it seems like I am working on very little. I seem to be really busy on things that keep my mind scurrying in a zillion different directions.
Five Yellow Donation Blocks
I wanted to make enough blocks so I could see what I had. I think I will place the blocks 5 across. I might do 6 across, but we’ll see. My plan is 5 across right now. I also won’t set the blocks this close together. My design wall is a little full right now so I don’t have the blocks placed as they would be. I also am not sure what color I will use for the sashing. Blue is the complement, but I don’t think that blue will be good for the look I want. I think white.
Yellow strip donation block #6
I also made one more block, so I have a total of 6 right now.
Yes, I wrote the title correctly. I have just one block to show you.
I worked to make many, many donation blocks last year. This year I feel like I am sewing a lot and not getting anything done. Am I not finishing things or what? I don’t know.
As I said, I have started some new color improv strip blocks, but I haven’t made any guild donation blocks.
I have been using other projects for leaders and enders. Do I need to get on the ball or can I take a break?
