Two Sunflowers

These are the two sunflower blocks I made for the Wrap the World in Quilts project to make quilts for Ukraine. Posting the pattern last time generated a lot of interest in making the block. I hope that means people are contributing to the project.

I am also including some blocks people sent me.

Julie's sunflower
Julie’s sunflower

Some of my friends took my pattern and made some sunflower blocks. Friend Julie took my pattern and worked on this block. I am always so excited to see the fabrics people choose. Julie wrote about her blocks (she picked another to make as well) in her blog while I was away.

I really like the center of Julie’s block. It is different, but gives the impression of a sunflower center.

She finished two, one of which I didn’t see in the original post. The one that doesn’t use my pattern is fantastic as well. I am so glad I put up the pattern. It has inspired people to make blocks for a good cause!

Carrie's Sunflower blocks
Carrie’s Sunflower blocks

Carrie also took my pattern and tried to make some blocks. She struggled with the ‘flip & sew’ sections of the center as I did. Her blocks will be good for the project anyway.

I hope posting the pattern has enabled people to make a lot of blocks.

 

Rectangle Donation Top

Rectangle Donation Top
Rectangle Donation Top

I started this rectangle donation top informally awhile ago. I decided to clear off some of the lingering, half finished projects and this was one of them.

It was a collection of rectangles I had cut from larger scraps. I used the same 4.5 x 8.5 Creative Grids ruler** I use to trim my strip donation blocks.  As I cut them I pinned the rectangles randomly to my design wall. Over the weekend, I got myself together to organize them and the few additional cut the few additional pieces I needed.

For once I used the one fabric for the cornerstones. I had enough of one fabric and it had a lot of variety so I thought ‘why not?’

I am in the process of sewing, but it has been slow going. I’ll get there.

 

 

 

*N. B. : Obviously, you should shop at local quilt shops and support small businesses whenever possible. However, if you are too busy or can’t find what you need there, I use Amazon affiliate links and may be paid for your purchase of an item when you click on an item’s link in my post. There is no additional cost to you for clicking or purchasing items I recommend. I appreciate your clicks and purchases as it helps support this blog.

Finally Rest for the ‘Wicked’

Green scrap drawer - Oct 2024
Green scrap drawer – Oct 2024

Back in April I started cleaning out my green scrap drawer. While I didn’t work exclusively on this project, it was a constant companion. I made progress through the summer. Finally, I have cleaned out my green scraps as much as I can.  The pieces left, which I have sewn together, are not big enough to make anything, but will be the basis for a Journal Cover or the next Color Improv donation quilt.

Of course, this clean and clear state of affairs won’t last for long. As I work through other projects, this drawer will fill up again in a never ending cycle. It’s the nature of the beast, I guess.

The good part is that I made a few quilts, mostly from the scraps in this drawer, for people in the community. These aren’t super large quilts (approximately 40×40 inches), but there are still three of them. These three help me meet my goal of 12 donation tops for the year.

In another part of the never ending cycle, I need to decide which color is next. I might want to work with blue, for example, but really need to choose the drawer that is the fullest.

Finished: The Swamp Thing Top

Green Improv #2 (The Swamp Thing) top
Green Improv #2 (The Swamp Thing) top

I finished the Swamp Thing (Green Improv #2), which puts me close to 50 yards used (net). Yes, I have sewed quite a bit in the last 2.5 months. I am pleased.

It is mostly green, but very light. I thought it might be the photo I took, but I took a second one and I think it just looks light. As mentioned before, I seem to have a lot of light greens and yellow greens.

This is finished which means it is time to select another color.

Rectangle Donation Top Start

I don’t consider FQ size pieces of fabric to be scraps. My scraps are small. I have had some larger pieces of fabric that get lost in my fabric bins, so I have cut them up into as many of my normal sized pieces as I could. With additional large-ish pieces, I have also, now, cut some rectangles.

Rectangle pieces for donation top
Rectangle pieces for donation top

These rectangle pieces have been hanging around for awhile. I finally had enough to make a donation quilt.

So far, they are just on the design wall. I need to cut white or background pieces, hopefully from scraps also, to put the top together.

The Swamp Thing Continues

Green Improv #2 (The Swamp Thing) in process
Green Improv #2 (The Swamp Thing) in process

Slowly, but surely I am making progress on this green improv donation quilt. I am exclusively using it as leaders and enders so I can finish it for the guild Community Quilts project.

It is about 40 inches wide and I want to make it that long as well. That is about the minimum useful size for a baby quilt, I think.

It is fun to remember quilts and bags I have made with the various fabrics in this piece. I am pleased to be cleaning out the random bits of green, but it is hard going. Piecing ‘made’ fabric takes time.

September 2024 Donation Blocks

More blocks for more happy people who need quilts. I am eeeking out green strip blocks as I work on the Green Improv piece. I don’t have many strips of the right size left, so every green strip block I get is a bonus.

There are very few blocks this month as I have been focusing on using up scraps in the Swamp Thing. I did hand in three donation quilts, however.

Green Improv Coming Along

Green Improv piece - August 2024
Green Improv piece – August 2024

I have made some progress on the Green Improv #2 donation top. This is the second green improv, though the first one was called The Green Thing. Perhaps I should call #2 The Swamp Creature. LOL!

I started using the green scraps I had already pinned together in the green scrap drawer. It was easy to make progress by using them as leaders and enders while I worked on other projects, such as the Ombre Weave quilt. It is amazing how pieces grow larger if I actually work on them!

it is about 36 inches wide now. I’d like the piece to be minimum 40×40 inches. I don’t really want to put a border on it. I’d like it to matches the other quilts in this series, but I may, if I can’t get it large enough. I was thinking of scattering bits of improv in between sashing. I would want to do that with green solids and I don’t know that I have enough green solids to make the idea work. It is a thought I’ll keep in the back of my mind if I need it.

Finished: Ends n.18

Ends n.18 donation top: finished
Ends n.18 donation top: finished

I was able to finish Ends n.18 over the Labor Day Weekend. DH was out and about participating in various activities, so I had time to concentrate on clearing up projects that were hanging around.

I know Labor Day was a long time ago, but things are busy and I am sewing quite a bit.

Didn’t have quite enough of the grey dots for the background, so I added in a solid grey that has been hanging around for a long time. I have quite a bit of various background fabrics, so I just decided to add it in. The quilt top is about 48×48 inches, which is a nice size.

The back is very much off balance. I thought of putting the scrappy bit in the center, but couldn’t be bothered taking more time on it. It looks kind of cool as is.

Hop, Skip and Jump Resurfaces

I went looking for blocks in a bin in the top of the fabric closet a few weeks ago. I found a lot of interesting things. One thing was the blocks from the Denyse Schmidt book, Denyse Schmidt Quilts**.

Hop, Skip & Jump blocks
Hop, Skip & Jump blocks

In 2009, I worked on the Hop, Skip and Jump pattern by Denyse Schmidt. In the referenced blog post, I talked about templates! You know I don’t mind templates, but this pattern having templates was ridiculous. Now I would just start sewing and not worry about the exact angles. I guess I didn’t know any better then.

I put these in the donation pile for the guild as I wasn’t planning on making any more of them. Not my thing. Too boring. I am sure someone will make a great donation quilt from them.

 

 

**N. B. : Obviously, you should shop at local quilt shops and small businesses. However, if you are too busy or can’t find what you need there, I use Amazon affiliate links and may be paid for your purchase of an item when you click on an item’s link in my post. There is no additional cost to you for clicking or purchasing items I recommend. I appreciate your clicks and purchases as it helps support this blog.

Chickadee Not Superbloom

One of the points of the Pink Project is to provide me with a way to test out bag patterns I haven’t made before. A week or so ago, I talked about making some Superbloom totes. I do want to make more Superbloom totes, but I don’t want to miss the chance to test out a larger bag pattern. I decided to make a Chickadee backpack as the main large bag for the Pink Project v2 instead of a Superbloom tote. I’ll make a Superbloom for the other group and also one with the Hindsight fabric.

I didn’t make a large bag for the Pink Project v.1. I used a bag that I received at the last Convention I attended.

The Chickadee backpack is another Sew Sweetness pattern. It came out last year. There is a lot of cutting and I haven’t felt like I had the brainspace or the time to make one. I wanted to, but I also wanted to make some changes:

    • crossbody strap instead of backpack straps
    • d-rings so the top handles fold down out of the way
    • more pockets

I know that it is better to, first, make it as the pattern indicates, thus I thought making it for the Pink Project would be a great idea.

August Donation Blocks

I didn’t think I would have time to make very many donation blocks, but I ended up making a few. Many of these blocks are already part of some quilts.

Finished: Green Strips #3 Donation Top

I worked hard over the weekend to clear out some projects. My workroom and my brain was getting cluttered and I needed some space.

Green Strips #3 donation top
Green Strips #3 donation top

The first one was the Green Strips #3 donation top and back.

The top is finished. It looks a bit weird, but I was trying to accomplish a couple of things. I wanted it to be mostly square, thus the borders only on the sides.

I also didn’t have enough fabric to make the side borders all one fabric. It is more interesting, or it looks weird.

Green Strips #3 donation back
Green Strips #3 donation back

I also made the back.

I was a little sick of this top by the time I got to the back. It has just been hanging around for too long; it isn’t a bad top or anything. I couldn’t find any large pieces of green I wanted to use for the back in my green bins, so I dug into my pile of backing fabrics. I found that stripe, which I know would make  great binding, but I wanted to finish it. That piece of fabric has been hanging around for awhile, so it is time to use it for a good cause.

This is ready to go to the Community Quilt ladies.