Tag: Doing Good

Blue Strips #2 Sashing

Work has been busy and I am tired at the end of the day, so sewing has not been going as quickly as I would like. To add to the drama, the SD card in my phone failed, so I lost a ton of photos. It’s my own fault for not backing them up, but it still means a few posts I had in mind can’t happen. There is some hope that one of my nephews will be able to resurrect it, but we will have to see. Thus, my blog is being slightly neglected. I don’t want to post junk, so there may be some skips.

Blue Strips #2 sashing continues
Blue Strips #2 sashing continues

I am working hard on this next donation top. It is not as satisfying to finish these tops since I can’t really show them at meetings. Still, I am motivated enough to clear out scraps to continue making them, so I continue.

As I said before my blue scrap drawer is still pretty packed so I wonder how many blue scrap quilts I will make. This is the second with this type of block. The first had a yellow border and yellow sashing, so it has a very different look. After I finish this one, you will be able to compare the two on the page where I am posting them all.

I have some quilts to send to one of the members to be quilted and I plan to send this one along with that group. I’d like to send everything on Tuesday, so we will see if I can finish this piece by then.

Blue Strips #2 Donation Top Sashing

Blue Strips #2 top with some Sashing
Blue Strips #2 top with some Sashing

I cut up the fabric I found the other day into sashing strips and had been waiting for some miracle to sew them together. I found another piece of a similar colored batik and was able to move forward yesterday. I sewed sashing pieces to the tops of all of the blocks and am now sewing the blocks together into rows. I am not adding corner stones so I am not chunking.

Blue Strip #2 Donation Blocks

Blue Color Strip #2 Donation Blocks
Blue Color Strip #2 Donation Blocks

By piecing FOTY 2018 together I was able to get the blocks for my next blue color strip donation quilt finished.

I know I have used a large portion of blue scraps, but I still have a full blue scrap drawer.  A lot of them are small or not strips, so I will be making a blue improv version next, though I still have to sash this one. I used yellow for the last one, which was unique. I am thinking about white, but that might be too conventional or too boring. I haven’t started cutting sashing, because I don’t know what to use.

June Donation Blocks

More blocks for June! I really scraped the bottom of the donation patch bin at the beginning of the month, so some blocks look a little strange. It was good to clear out that bin and start afresh.

Blue Strip #2 Donation Blocks

I started piecing FOTY 2018 and that means a lot of leaders and enders. You saw the start of this quilt the other day. I made a lot of progress on making the blocks on Saturday.

I am pleased with the progress, but really need to make progress on FOTY 2018.

New Donation Blocks

New Blue Strip Donation Blocks
New Blue Strip Donation Blocks

I started sewing some strips together and now I have started another donation quilt in the Color Strips & Chunks series.

It started sort of accidentally. I had a few strips left from a box that was stashed behind my old design wall. They were on my sewing table, so I sewed them together when I needed a leader or ender. Then, I opened my blue scrap drawer, which is not noticeably less full despite the last blue strip quilt I made, and used strips to make more blocks. I am pretty sure I have at least two more quilts in that drawer.

I am out of background fabrics for 16 patches, so this is a good way to use up scraps and have something for leaders and enders.

Plaid Donation Top & Back Finished

Despite nothing happening and not going anywhere, it is already June 20! I can’t believe how time is flying by. It would seem a bit unfair except that I am getting a bit of sewing done.

Plaid Donation Top - finished
Plaid Donation Top – finished

The Plaid donation top and back are finished. I don’t know when they will be quilted. I may make an attempt to send them off to someone in the guild to quilt. That is a project for another day.

As a bonus all of the plaid yardage is used up. I have some scraps left and I am in the process of cutting them up into usable pieces. Some will get filed for for the strip and chunk donation quilts. I am being more generous towards the Pet Beds than I normally would in leaving some larger pieces for the stuffing this time.

Plaid Donation Quilt Back
Plaid Donation Quilt Back

Of course, I used a lot of the leftover yardage for the back of the Plaid Block Party back. I did find a large piece of plaid that I used for the back of this piece, which was handy so I could keep the whole thing plaid and didn’t have to introduce other fabrics into the piece. I thought a solid would work, but am glad I didn’t have to worry about it.

Plaid Blocks

Plaid Donation Blocks
Plaid Donation Blocks

I finished all the blocks for the plaid donation top. I rummaged through some older fabric and found a large-ish piece of plaid I will use for most of the back. The leftovers, of which there are still a few, will make up the rest of the back. I think this will make a great boy quilt.

In the course of my rummaging, I found some baseball fabric remnants and will use them for another donation quilt. Stay tuned for that one.

More Masks

Gail's masks
Gail’s masks

In an effort to help out my neighbor, I made her some more masks. I am also using her as a guinea pig. She will tell me what she likes and doesn’t like about the masks, I hope.

The top one (Martelli pattern) I modified and put a nose piece in it. I like the pattern for that mask, because it goes together really quickly. We have decided, however, that we prefer straps that go around the back of our head, so we can loop the masks around our neck when they aren’t actually covering our faces (in the car or when we aren’t around people). Also, additional things around our ears compete for space with glasses and headphones. I’ll probably make this one again with straps/elastic that go all the way around the back.

The bottom mask is from the video pattern I talked about. It has those wings on the top and bottom. I need to try making it with straps around the back as well. I wonder how it would be if I made an X on the back with the straps (elastic)?

I don’t think I mentioned it before, but our neighbor only had one mask which is why I offered to make her some. She is keeping that one for ‘good’ and since I had more of the same fabric, I made a couple more. I don’t think she understands how much fabric I have. It’s nice for me to be able to do something for someone. She also makes lemon curd for us and supplies us with lemons. It’s a fair trade.

Plaid Determination

I am determined to use up the plaid. I used a good deal of it for the Plaid Block Party quilt for my cousin, but I still have some. Thus, I am making another donation top with the rest.

Plaid Remnants
Plaid Remnants

I am using the same Block Party pattern. I am using that pattern because it is easy and I had a number of leftover pieces that I wanted to use. I haven’t had much time to sew during the week, so I only have parts made. I am using these blocks as leaders and enders while I work on the Inside Outside Pouch.

May Donation Blocks

As I did last month and for previous months, I made more donation blocks. After April’s work, I had a stack of 24 blocks. Now I have XX. Peggy, the community quilt organizer for BAM, I hope, will be happy.

Sewing the Windmill means that I was also churning out donation blocks. Using leaders and enders between each Windmill piece generates a lot. I have to keep the Windmill pieces in order, thus so many donation blocks. I am thinking about making another Traffic Jam quilt instead of more of the 16 patch donation blocks, but we will see. Until I decide, there will be more 16 patches.

I had to spend some time cutting scraps for new 2.5 inch squares as I was running out. You can see that some of the blocks don’t have a lot of contrast, use a ‘different’ background or look unlike my normal meticulous monochromatic blocks. I guess I am making due. I didn’t really want to cut more foreground squares until I really need them.

I am pretty fond of the red-violet block in the second row. The background is made from a shirt I made for DH a few years ago.

April Donation Blocks

Here are some blocks I made during April. During April we were still under a statewide Shelter-in-Place order. DH and I are fortunate enough to continue to be employed. I didn’t have time off work and I didn’t take any time off work. As a result, I didn’t have much extra time to sew, but since I wasn’t going out to lunch or shopping, I had a little extra time. I worked on everything you’ve seen this month in the various posts, mostly Frolic! and also some donation blocks.

I am tempted to make a donation quilt out of these random blocks.

The two Spiky 16 Patches are from Flame, but I forgot to include them in the tally for last month. The third one is an extra I made that I will send off to Sue S. We are doing a donation quilt collaboration.

My bin of 2.5 inch square patches that was overflowing is now getting a little pathetic looking. I am kind of scraping the bottom of it to make blocks.

New Blue Spiky 16 Patches – Again

Design Wall: Spiky 16 Patches
Design Wall: Spiky 16 Patches

I finished the 4 blocks I need to make another Spiky 16 Patch donation top.

In the image you can see the extra pink/red/orange one I didn’t use in Flame. It is a lone, sad orphan right now. I don’t know what to do with it. I could combine it with the blues and make another 5 block quilt, like Spiky 16 Patch n.3. I can’t seem to generate much enthusiasm for veering away from my monochromatic road. I should lash out, but so far I haven’t.

Another idea is to send the pink/red/orange Spiky 16 patch to another guild member to build upon. That is very appealing. I don’t sincerely dislike the idea of including it with the New Blue blocks.

Since I haven’t done anything with the blues yet, I can still decide.