Tag: BAMQG

All About Angles

As mentioned, BAM held another class by Sarah Goer. I showed some of the quilt tops other members were in the process of sewing. Remember, Sarah also taught the Planned Improv class, which I really liked?

Tim's Angles
Tim’s Angles

I was over at Tim’s the other day and he showed me his version. He really likes green and his piece reflects that.

We talked about adding in some strips, so you see some folded fabric mimicking the strips that he would need to cut.

I really enjoy seeing other people’s interpretation of a concept.

Purple Improv Donation Quilt

Tim and I had lunch, then worked together on the BAM website this past week. After we were done, we looked at his projects and considered quilts.

Purple Improv Donation Quilt
Purple Improv Donation Quilt

One thing he did since the last time I saw him was quilt the purple improv donation top. Now it is a donation quilt!

His skills are improving tremendously and I think this quilt looks really good. I love the designs he chose.

This will be part of the exhibit we are planning, so we won’t give it in just yet. We need someone to bind it and Tim was going to see if Mary could do it.

Orange Strip Donation Top

I worked on Flying Around over the weekend, as mentioned. In addition,  I made the orange strip donation blocks as leaders and enders.

4 Orange Strip Donation blocks
4 Orange Strip Donation blocks

These are harder to make. Not in terms of technical skills, but in terms of fabric. I don’t have as many orange scraps as I have other scraps. I went through the unsorted scrap pile on my cutting table and came up with a few strips and chunks that will help with the effort. I may have to abandon the strip idea and go straight to more of a chunk/improv look.

As I make these blocks, I am amazed at how much I love the fabrics in my orange scrap bin. As I said, I don’t have a lot of orange scraps, but most of those I do have speak to me. perhaps I chose well when buying orange fabrics?

Finished: Red Improv Top

Finished: Red Improv top
Finished: Red Improv top

The Red Improv top is finished. No back yet, but I will do that soon.

I am pretty pleased with the way it came out. It doesn’t have those bold graphic lines that the purple improv top did. I like that better, though it might look a little chaotic as well.

This is the last of the red scrap quilts for now. My red scrap drawer isn’t completely empty, but it is much less full than it was. Essentially 3 quilt tops came out of the drawer. Amazing.

Maybe orange next. Stay tuned for your break from red.

BAM Fidget Quilts

BAM Fidget quilts - May 2019
BAM Fidget quilts – May 2019

BAMers made fidget quilts at the last Sew Day. I was there as I was in Portland celebrating the YM’s graduation.

BAM Fidget quilts detail - May 2019
BAM Fidget quilts detail – May 2019

I was really impressed with Peggy’s preparation and for all the work that went into these pieces that will help people with dementia and other memory challenges as well as kids who need something to calm their restless bodies.

 

 

More Red Improv

Red Improv Donation Top - end of May 2019
Red Improv Donation Top – end of May 2019

I spent a couple of days working on the Red Improv donation top in between the Chubby Charmer and other projects. I am getting towards the end (perhaps one more row along the bottom?), but making the rows takes time, because they are made from small bits of fabric that have to be sewn into larger pieces.

I have done a good job clearing out the red scrap drawer. There is definitely a lot less left. I do have a couple of pieces that were already sewn together that I may not use in this piece. I am thinking about cutting some blocks out of it and making a multi-colored donation top when I am done with all the colors.

Red Chunk Donation Top

Red Chunk donation top
Red Chunk donation top

I finished the Red Chunk Donation Top and back on Monday morning. Hooray!

I am pleased with how it came out. I thought the border was rather perfect. I would have preferred to have enough fabric, so I didn’t have to have different corners, but it looks nice, so it is all good.

Another top for the BAM Community Quilt Project and another 3 yards used up this year.

Three Strip Donation Quilts

I wanted to look at these three quilts together. I can’t actually see them since I don’t have them anymore. I am interested in the differences in these tops as well as the similarities.

These tops display one reason why I love quiltmaking so much. Essentially, these are the same pattern. They, however, look very different. They don’t look so different that you can’t tell they are the same pattern, but they still look different enough for the viewer not to be bored.

 

BAM: All About Angles

All About Angles Class work - May 2019
All About Angles Class work – May 2019

Last month, the guild had another class with Sarah Goer. As  you may recall, I took the Planned Improv class with her and really enjoyed the process as well as the end result. I also really like seeing people be excited about a class project.

All About Angles Class work - May 2019
All About Angles Class work – May 2019

Due to travel (did you see the Thimble Towne and Calico Mermaid reviews?), I wasn’t able to sign up. Although I was home, I would not have had time to pack for the second trip and I needed a bit of a breather. I still was able to admire the work of the other students at the guild meeting on the 18th.

All About Angles Class work - May 2019
All About Angles Class work – May 2019

 

Another Blast from the Past

It seems like my donation quilts are coming back from the past. For me, once I give the top and back to someone else to quilt and bind, I am done with them and don’t really think about them anymore. Last week Kelly contacted me about a donation quilt and now another crops up.

Food Donation Quilt
Food Donation Quilt

The guild meeting was last Saturday and Cyndi was sitting near me. Peeking out of her bag was a quilt with some food fabric in it. I thought to myself, Oh! I used that fabric in the Food Quilts. It turned out Cyndi had finished a food donation quilt that I made in 2016. I didn’t even remember making it, but I looked it up and, yep, there it was. I know I made it to use up the fabric from the three food quilts.

Red Improv Donation Top Progresses

Red Improv Donation Top, mid-May
Red Improv Donation Top, mid-May

I spent a happy afternoon on Sunday working on the Flying Geese Exchange quilt and the Red Improv Donation Top. The latter has exploded in size from the small piece it was when I last wrote about it to about 30 inches now.

I am thrilled to say that I am seeing the bottom of the red scrap drawer, too!

I used this project as leaders and enders for the Flying Geese Exchange. I wanted to concentrate on that one, but can’t work on it without leaders and enders.

Red Strip Donation Blocks

Yes! It’s all about red lately!

Red Strip Donation Blocks
Red Strip Donation Blocks

I finally finished all of the blocks for the second Red Strip Donation Top. As mentioned before, not all of these scraps were strips, like in the Green Strip Donation Top. There are a lot of chunks. Perhaps I should call it the Red Chunk Donation top? That would differentiate it from the first one.

One of the things I like about working on a design wall is that I see different things after I put the blocks (or pieces) up. In this case, I saw that the quilt looked pretty good with thin white strips in between the blocks. I may cut strips and try that as a layout. I’d use cornerstones as well. More scraps to use up.

The quilt won’t end up as large as the Green Strip, the Purple Strip or the first Red Strip Donation quilts, but it will still be big enough for something. The layout will be a little different than the first red version.

New Red Improv Donation Top

Start of Red Improv Donation Top
Start of Red Improv Donation Top

I am still working on the second Red Strip Donation Top, but I needed a leaders and enders project, so I started on the red improv version of my series. Yes, I have a lot of red scraps.

This doesn’t look like much. I hope it will look like the center of the green improv donation top when I am finished. I haven’t taken out any yardage yet. I have some large strips in the drawer and am using those before I dig into yardage.

I want to use as many of the scraps as I can. Strangely, I am fascinated by how much I can make from a drawer full of scraps. I haven’t yet made anything with  just the scraps. I always add yardage, but I am still making my way through the scraps.

Donation Blast from the Past

Black & Grey Teenaged Boy Donation Quilt - quilted
Black & Grey Teenaged Boy Donation Quilt – quilted

I was surprised to get an email from Kelly about one of my quilts. I had no idea she had the quilt or intended to quilt it. I finished this quilt in 2015 and figured it was off keeping someone warm all these years.

Kelly has quilted the Black & Grey Teenaged Boy Donation quilt.It looks like she did a basic all over meander. I am used to more complicated quilting, working with Tim and Colleen, but I am sure whoever gets the quilt will enjoy with simple or complex quilting.

Kelly will bind it, then she will donate it to a UK charity that takes such things.

Heading to the Finish Line

24 Red Strip donation blocks for second red quilt
24 Red Strip donation blocks for second red quilt

I am heading to the finish line making blocks for the second Red Strip Donation Quilt, but it is painful. The other day I had 7 left to make and I still have 1 left to finish. It is almost done. Maddeningly, it needs a very small strip on the top or bottom to make it the right size. ERGH!

I thought I would be able to finish by the meeting, but I doubt it now. Fortunately, there is no deadline except in my head.