Commentary about works in progress, design & creativity
Almost the first project on which I worked at MaryM’s house was the Pacifica pillowcases. These will be for a donation project on which the guild is working.
I dropped them off at the PQ Sew Day on Thursday and picked up a few more kits. Once, again, I forgot my dues!
I made quite a few at the beginning of the month, but other things got in the way of making more. My bin of 2.5 inch squares is overflowing, so something has to give.
While I can see that I am slowly emptying my pink scrap bin, I find it harder the more empty it gets.
I am past the point where I can add a strip and have the block grow quickly. I have to put smaller pieces together to make larger strips and chunks before I get a large enough piece to cut a block. It is a little tedious to sew small bits together. I keep reminding myself that this is my choice.
I have over 60 of these strip and chunk blocks and would like to get to 80 so I can make two donation quilts and really clean out this scrap bin. I could start on one; I just have to cut some blacks.
I am trying to avoid making another improv scrap quilt so this is what I get. I am also putting larger chunks together to make the exterior of a needle roll (needle case?) for a holiday swap.
I used up the last of the Four Patch Fun blocks to make a donation quilt. I haven’t made as many donation quilts as I normally do, because of my other volunteer duties in the guild, so this one felt good to finish.
First, I finished a donation quilt after a few months of not making one.
Second, I used up the last of the Four Patch Fun blocks in a way that I think is interesting. I ended up using white for the plain columns even though I tried to think of another color that would look good with the blocks.
The back is very simple. I am working through larger pieces of fabric that have been hanging around for awhile.
I didn’t quite make the 30 I like to make, but I am making progress clearing out the pink bin. It is still pretty full, though I have used most of the strips that I pre-cut. Now the blocks are more chunky. I kind of don’t want to make an improv quilt from the smaller chunks, but may end up doing it.
None this month.
As mentioned, I finished up a couple of Four Patch Fun blocks. These, along with the leftovers I didn’t use in the Cool Four Patch Fun quilt or the Warm Four Patch Fun quilt will make a nice donation quilt.
I am contemplating different layouts. My first idea was a kind of column quilt.
This layout works because I have an extra couple of blocks that I cannot make into a Four Patch evenly. This layout incorporates those half blocks evenly.
I did try another layout, which I thought was just too boring. I would also have to make a few more blocks into order to make it even and I really just want to be done with this design.
In the category of TMI, I had some dental work done yesterday and spent some time clearing out my email inbox, but otherwise laid on the couch and was a potato. I did get some stuff done over the weekend, which made me happy.
I got some fabric as a gift a week or so ago and decided it would work really well for my next White Strip donation top.
The White strip blocks had been laying around not inspiring me. With the new fabric in hand, I cut it up at SueS’ Sew Day. With that done, I was able to sew large and small squares to the strip blocks to come up with these larger blocks on Saturday.
Most of the blocks have been sewn so I need to start chunking. I was able to use almost all of the gift fabric, which is great.
This is a very different look for the white strip tops I have made in the past. This top will also straddle two series of quilts, Color Strip and Sidewalk.
I am thinking of making something with the pink 16 Patch blocks, but I haven’t decided what yet. Also I don’t have enough and have moved on to Color Strip blocks.
Yes, I am back to making Color Strip blocks in white and pink. I finished the white set I started awhile ago. I want to make another Sidewalk quilt. I wasn’t up for starting it, so I began making pink Color Strip blocks. I chose pink, because the pink scrap drawer is too full.
I finished the second Wheelchair Quilt in time to hand it in at the meeting on Saturday. Now I am done with wheelchair quilts for this drive.
I have some 9 inch squares and am thinking of making some kits with the leftovers as I don’t need them hanging around. We’ll see.
I powered through the chunking of the Sidewalk #6: Green and was able to finish. I wanted to get one of the Wheelchair quilts up on the wall, so I needed to finish the Sidewalk quilt.
I really need to make the Half 16 Patches more colorful. The alternating white squares in the blocks means the quilt is primarily white which maybe isn’t so great for a donation quilt. I thought about using a color for the 8.5 and 4.5 inch squares, but am pretty sure I don’t have enough of any one color and am not sure scrappy would work with this design. I’ll have to think about it some more.
The back took longer than I expected as I used a lot of smaller pieces. Still, it uses up a lot of greens that I probably won’t use. Also, I get to add to my ‘Fabric Used” spreadsheet and up the number of donation quilts the guild gives away.
BAM is collecting wheelchair quilts for the veteran’s hospital in Palo Alto. We had planned a sew Day, but our Sew Day had to be cancelled, so I made one top at Super Sew Day and am working on another one.
We are all working to the same pattern from Sunshine Linus.
Both quilts use some Moda fabrics I won as part of the UFO challenge. As per the pattern, I cut the fabric up into 9.5 inch squares and sewed them together.
I had enough squares for at least one other, which I am working on now.
I didn’t include a back for the first one, but will sew a back for the second one. I have to sew this together first.
Someone else will quilt it. I didn’t cut off the corners as I thought the longarming would be easier if that step was done after quilting.
I have been collecting various blocks using 2.5 inch squares for forthcoming donation quilts. I finally had enough of the green half 16 patch blocks to make another Sidewalk quilt.
I started putting the blocks together in chunks on my small design wall, but couldn’t look at the whole thing until Cool Four Patch Fun was off the large design wall. I did a fair job spreading dark and light greens across the quilt. I don’t think this will take me very long to put together. I might have it done for the next meeting.
There is a lot of white in this quilt design. I think I need to try one where the large center blocks are a different color. White isn’t great for a donation quilt and I am sure I can find enough of whatever color to make a good looking quilt.
I finished Ends n.25 a few weeks ago. I just handed it in and made time to post about it.
The background doesn’t provide the required contrast to make the oranges and yellows stand out. They don’t, however, blend together either.
This is a great example of what is fun about making donation quilts. I can play around with fabric combinations that I wouldn’t otherwise consider for my own work. I guess making backing is a little of the same.
The back, like the back for Ends n.24, uses some old solids that have been around since the dark ages.
Almost as soon as I finished Ends n.24, I started Ends n.25 using the same background fabric. I got the background fabric for free somewhere and never used it, so here we are.
You can see that there is a shortage on the bottom right so I’ll have to add something in there.
I am still working through the edges of the back of Orange You Glad, which make up the color in this quilt. I have a few other red and orange edges that I added in, some still hanging around from the back of the Lobster table runner.