Started Ends n.20 Donation Top

Ends n.20 start
Ends n.20 start

I am trying to use up all the ends from various quilts. This is another group of fabrics from the BAMaQG IRR quilt with a few from Pointillist Palette n.4 thrown in. The pieces seem to be a random assortment of sizes, so I am doing a bit more fiddly piecing than I normally would.

The PP fabrics on the right are a little heavy, so I may move one of the pieces to the left. It will kind of ruin what I have going with the grey strips, but maybe I can create something better.

I hope to get this done before Saturday’s meeting, so I can hand it in. We’ll see.

Ends n.19 Donation Top

Ends n.19 top
Ends n.19 top

I finished the latest Ends donation top and handed it in at the last meeting.

This fabric is mostly from Jennifer Paganelli’s Queen Street line. I talked about it briefly when I started the BAM IRR project. I have bits and pieces left, but I think this is the majority of the scraps.

I am pretty pleased with how it turned out.

November 2024 Donation Blocks

The regular monthly posts are a bit out of order this month due to the American Thanksgiving Holiday. Enjoy more donation blocks! I am back working on a Color Strip quilt, though we all know white is not a color. 😉

I need 40 of the strip blocks to make a nice sized quilt, so I have a few more to sew.

Ends n.19 in Process

Ends n.19 in process
Ends n.19 in process

Cyndi gave me a few yards of white from an estate sale trove of fabric she got, thus I decided to use white on this quilt.

I know white for a donation top is a bad idea as it will get dirty, but a design wants what a design wants.

I have one more section to sew before I decide if it needs to be larger. Without the left hand section sewn, the top is about 40 in. x 40 in. at the moment. I might not want a white strip on the end. We will see.

New Donation Top: Ends n.19

Ends n.19 start
Ends n.19 start

As I work through some sewjo challenges, I decided to make another Ends donation top. I have already handed in two donation tops this month, but an empty design wall doesn’t work for me.

I had various ends laying around the workroom and slapped a few up on the wall to see if I could make anything.

Ends n.18 was finished in September, so it is time for another one. I want to use a background fabric with the pieces shown, but I haven’t decided what color yet.

Finished: Rectangle Donation Quilt

Finished: Rectangle donation top
Finished: Rectangle donation top

I am pretty pleased that this quilt is done.

My brown and beige bin was out so I used a beige dotty sort of fabric that has been hanging around for a long time. The sashing uses various cream fabrics, so I thought it would coordinate. The backing was another plain brownish and white fabric. Nothing special, but a large enough piece so I only had to piece one seam. My stash of large fabrics is getting low, so borders and backs are becoming more work.

Rectangle Quilt Progress

Rectangle donation quilt - no borders
Rectangle donation quilt – no borders

I made good progress on my Rectangle quilt, though it does seem to be taking forever.

I am not sure why I am sewing so slowly, but I am. I plan to put a border on this one. I haven’t decided what kind of border or what color yet.

I like the idea of using larger scraps for this type of quilt. I might start collecting such shapes again as I come across larger scraps. It’s a good way to use them up.

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.