Commentary about works in progress, design & creativity
The guild did a color challenge recently where people were supposed to make something they like from a color swatch they picked out of a bag.
It was a small, but mighty group. There were people who participated for the first time and also those who don’t have a lot of spare time. I was really thrilled to see some new folks participating Everyone did a wonderful job.
Now that I finished the White Strip Donation Top, I can work on the White Improv Donation Top in earnest.
I spent time on it this past weekend and the slabs are getting bigger.Except for the middle, the piece is still very much in process. The strips I have are very uniform in size and I feel like the other pieces are all triangles, so this isn’t an easy piece to put together.
There is a large-ish slab in the bottom of the drawer and I don’t know if I will make a journal cover or if I will use it in this piece.
All the blocks for this quilt were made from my scrap drawer. I know I can make at least two more quilts from this one drawer. Yes, I used some yardage for the back, the border, the sashing and the cornerstones, but that is a small amount compared to the blocks, I think.
Carrie, a self-described inexperienced sewist, made the most amazing group of gifts for next year’s raffle baskets.
One of the reasons I love my guild is that people step up when you ask them to help. Carrie just decided she was going to make some items and did it! I was not expecting this many gifts
This is an amazingly generous group of gifts. It means that each basket will have a book, a group of the items pictured above, a cord holder, some fabric, an organizer, scissors or clips and a small item like a threader or finger light. I think this is a good amount of stuff.
I think I will have to get busy and make pouches in which to put the various items!
I might even be inspired enough to make Jane Market Totes in which to put the items. Then, again, maybe not. I have a lot of shopping bags.
I did a demo at the guild meeting with sewing machine and everything. I created a handout, which might be useful to some of you. I didn’t do a video, but there are some on the web already.
Bonnie Hunter is the leaders and enders queen. She has a number of books on the subject and also writes about the subject frequently on her blog. She also writes a column for Quiltmaker magazine on scraps. Her blog and shop can be found at http://www.quiltville.com
The basic concept is: instead of just stitching over a scrap at the end of a seam, you insert piecing from another project. So each time you start or end a seam and you are ready to snip the thread and press, you sew some component of another project. (Color Girl Quilts blog)
Keys for me:
The point of leaders and enders has little to do with using thread bunnies regularly, but to get more done. Using the leaders and enders method, I get a lot more community quilts finished.
Resources:
Books:
It is a slow process, but I am making progress. I have all the sashing cut and placed. I have also started to sew the sashing to the blocks.
It is hard to see because of the color, but I think you can make out the blocks.
I made another Mega Pinnie and decided to use it as a raffle prize sometime down the road.
I started it as a gift for a friend, but it didn’t turn out to be suitable. I think someone who attends a guild meeting will like it. I still might use the mini Pinnie for my friend and make a new one for this one.
For the raffle, I can also put the tools into the pockets.
Trolling around the web, I saw a post by the designer who showed a number of different versions of the Mega Pinnie. She taught a class and the examples were from those students. Take a look. The post has a lot of fun photos showing different ways to use the Mega Pinnie.
As I mentioned yesterday, Sew Day was Saturday. I was pleased and surprised when Mary came up to me and showed me the items she made for the raffle baskets!
Mary made some wonderful origami type bags. Enlarge the photo, because they look very intricate when closely inspected.
The little things on the bottom are cord keepers. They look like a little tube. You open up the Velcro closure and contain your folded cord with one. These are probably perfect for smaller cords like cell phones and irons and things. I don’t know that they are large enough for laptops or appliances with bulkier cords.
I have never seen a pattern for one of these and am thrilled!
I didn’t even know she was making them. I am so pleased.
After writing about the improv donation quilt yesterday, I decided I had better update you on the strip version.
I am making progress. It is hard to tell because of the white blocks on the white design wall. I have cut a few pieces of sashing and am slowly cutting more. I used making the pouch as an excuse to cut sashing. This makes no sense of course, but somehow it worked. I supposed I was alternating tasks.
I am using a couple of different dot fabrics as the sashing. I tried some lavender and grey and neither looked quite right. I still haven’t decided what to use for cornerstones. Something that fits with the other fabrics, but is distinctive.
No, I am not finished with the White Improv Strip Donation quilt, but I needed some leaders and enders, so I started sewing bits of white fabrics together to start the improv version in my series.
Some of the bits were not used for the strip blocks and some were long enough to be added as the shard grew.
A few weeks ago, I cut out some pouches. I used the Persimmon Dumpling Pouch pattern, a free pattern, from Sew Sweetness for two of them. The pattern has three sizes, small, medium and large, included. This is the small version.
I LOVE this pattern. It went together really quickly after I sat down and just worked on it. It has about 5 seams and the pouch is together. My first try took me awhile, but after finishing it, I thought of a couple of ways I could make this project go faster.
It is so interesting how this pouch opens almost all the way flat. I suppose that could be a problem if the owner had a lot of small items inside.
I have seen this made with two zippers that come together in the middle. Doing that is a skill I have not yet mastered – or even tried. I doubt it is difficult. I’ll put it on the list.
The pattern uses strips to make the exterior. It would be a great pattern to use with some improv piecing, but I just used one piece of fabric for this one and the one I have not yet completely sewed. There is a lot of scope for imaginative fabric use in this pouch pattern (and most, I suppose).
I made this one for the raffle baskets as a test to see if I would want to keep making these as gifts. I think it will be a great pouch to hold all the little gifts. Of course, I have other patterns I can and want to try as well.
It also has a great way of finishing the ends of the zippers. There is no cutting off the zipper ends or making new stops. The ends are tucked into the bottom seam and hidden between the lining and exterior.
I was thinking I would like to add a leash and a lobster clip to this pouch, but since there are side seams, I am not sure if it is possible. I have another one cut out, so I will think about it some more as I make the next one.
Stay tuned for more! If you try this pattern, let me know what you think.
I have enough of the white scrap donation blocks now to make a quilt. This set of blocks has seemed to take forever, though I know it probably has not been as forever as I think.
In looking at this set, I am not sure I want to alternate the blocks with plain blocks. I get the sense that those plain blocks can overwhelm delicate piecing. On the other hand,a plain block, might set off the piecing. Hhhhmmm.
I am also not sure I want to add skinny sashing. It would be difficult to piece and keep straight because of the all the seams and layers in the block. I am unwilling to go on an amazing design journey with these blocks so I have decided that I have three options.
First, is alternating my pieced blocks with plain blocks. Second is a skinny sashing with (or possibly without) cornerstones and, third, is a slightly larger width sashing with cornerstones. I’d like to have a top ready for Sew Day or the November meeting. I am leaning towards the last option.
My next problem is the sashing color. I would default to light, but that would blend in with the blocks. Perhaps some dots?
I saw the Mega Pinnie pattern in an older issue (issue 6, 2016) of Today’s Quilter. It caught my attention, partially, because I have some squares leftover from the Jen Carlton Bailly workshop and they were on my mind. It turns out they are slightly larger than I need for the Pinnie, but worked just fine. I was also looking for something that would be interesting for a swap gift.
I like this magazine as it has practical and interesting articles that teach people something. I have found good projects, like my favorite pincushion, in Today’s Quilter sister publication, Love of Patchwork and Quilting, but this is the first time I have made something from TQ.
This pattern caught my attention as something different, but also useful. I decided to make it as a swap gift. It is essentially a giant pincushion with pockets for other tools. It will work well for someone who wants to keep a few things together at Sew Day.
While I am not quite finished, the project doesn’t take very long to make. I am almost done after working on it Sunday in between other projects. One of the sites I found said it took her two hours. I didn’t keep exact track of my hours, but this sounds about right.
In the pattern, the pockets are pieced. They look kind of fun pieced, but I also want to try them not pieced. The project will go faster and will be just as interesting. I also think I can add a placket for WonderClips, as in the pincushion that I have made as gifts.
I found a version of the pattern at the Stitch Gathering website.
I am ridiculously delighted by this concept. I want make a couple more as gifts and I can’t wait to sew this one together!
Resources and Inspiration:
I have been sewing – sewing – sewing and never getting anywhere with these blocks. The other day I finally was able to cut some new blocks out of the piecing I had been working on.
These blocks are less about strips than about chunks. I have some strips in the white drawer, but mostly weird shapes. I have about 24 blocks now and haven’t even made a dent in the scraps in this drawer.
It seems to be taking me forever to get this quilt top finished. It isn’t done yet, but I am making slow progress. My progress is slow because I am using other bits and pieces for leaders and enders.
I need approximately 9 more blocks to make a quilt top the size I usually make them. I’ll get there.