Commentary about works in progress, design & creativity
This covers my second post of blocks for Quilts for a Cure. I forgot to post these before I sent them off about a month ago.
I like these better than the first group.
I have to admit my error. I don’t know if they will be able to use these blocks. I found the information about size, etc after I mailed them and I made the wrong sized blocks. Perhaps they will get someone to sash them? I don’t know. All I know is I did my best when I had a lot going on.
Back in November, I made a donation quilt from the trimmings from the back of the Carpenter’s Wheel quilt. At the meeting on Saturday, Tim brought the finished quilt. He quilted it and it looks GREAT!
I really like it that he is bold enough to use dark thread. His motifs are large-ish and very loose, which makes the quilts nice and drapey.
He also is doing a nice job with the pebbling.
The back looks a lot better quilted!
I am so pleased to be able to collaborate with Tim. He seems pleased about it as well. I do hope he will tell me if he doesn’t want to quilt some of my donation quilts.
Since I put this in last year’s list of donation quilts, I will not include it in this year’s list.
I finally got into a rhythm with the Bias rectangles (HRTs- half rectangle triangles) and was really able to make a lot of them, get them trimmed and put blocks together. The sticking point is always hauling fabric out of the fabric closet. If I didn’t want to make these pieces scrappy, it wouldn’t be a problem, but I do like the scrappy look.
My original idea was to make a large quilt with 16 blocks. When I realized that each block was 52 pieces, I decided that I would start with a 4 block quilt and go from there. It isn’t difficult to make the HRTs once I got the hang of it and the blocks really don’t feel like they have 52 pieces. Still, I wanted to finish and the top I made finishes at 39″ x 39″. That is big enough for the NICU. I still have the other 16 patches and will continue to make bias rectangles until I have made 4 quilts like this one. I should be an expert by then!
The back was also scrappy, of course. I used up some fabric that has been hanging around.
Again, I have been able to make a few of the 16 patch donation blocks for BAM. The HRT donation quilt has taken up a lot of my donation making time, but not all. I want to help the Charity Girls keep their supply of 16 patches fresh.
I am running out of foreground squares so I will have to get DH to haul out the Accuquilt for me and cut up some scraps before I can make many more. I have the additional HRTs to make, so I am not completely out of the game.
I made the blue and green donation blocks last year with the idea that I would add HRTs to the blocks to make something a little different.
I have been struggling along with the HRTs,despite all the different tutorials and information I found. I was about to put it away and try “later” when I got a new burst of energy for the project. I worked on it much of the day Saturday. The burst of energy came from watching the video on how to use the Split Recs ruler. DUH, I know. I did read the directions, but clearly didn’t understand them, because I was struggling mightily to use the ruler. I really needed to watch* the video, because there are certain steps and tips that come across a lot better via video. The biggest tip: both fabrics need to face the same way. This means wrong side to right side NOT right sides together. HUGE tip. HUGE.
The picture (above left) is from my first struggles with the ruler and different ways of making the HRTs.
The image (right) is from today, after I trimmed the HRTs I had and started making new HRTs to fill in the gaps.
The quilt will be 4 blocks – it will be a small NICU quilt. I have 16 blocks and may make more of these spiky blocks. We will have to see. I am pleased I am finally making progress.
*I don’t know why I am so resistant to watching quilting videos. I suppose I perceive that it takes my time away from the actual sewing. I found the Split Recs video to be invaluable and am sorry I didn’t watch it sooner.
I finished a second donation top last Saturday. It was nice to be able to sew as much as I did that day.
I made this second top because I was too lazy to put away the rest of the taupe fabric. I knew I wouldn’t use it and I thought there was enough for a second top so I got to it.
I would have liked to add another taupe strip to the left hand side, but I ran out.
I am using a small white dot on aqua for the back. The background and the backing are all Moda so they are fraying all over the place. Once the quilt is quilted, it will keep someone warm and cozy.
Two tops in one day must be a new world’s record [for me! ;-)]
I know it is late, but I have been wanting to make some donation blocks for the Ventura Modern Quilt Guild.
As I was rummaging through an old project bin, I found some HSTs that were the right size and decided to repurpose an old Stepping Stones project. I only had a block or two and knew I wasn’t ready to make another Stepping Stones project right at the moment.
These blocks, once the fabric is cut, are very quick to make – simple 9 patch construction. the deadline is approaching so I will send these off very quickly.
I also played around with some layouts:
In between making another pillow, I made another Ends donation quilt. I have a number of ‘ends’ from recent quilts. After finding a large piece of Bonnie & Camille taupe, I decided I could make another donation quilt while I was doing other things.
It is about 42×42 and I have enough of that taupe and more strips to make another one. We’ll see. I am not sure what project I am going to work on next.
I kind of feel like I am on a roll lately.
As I may have mentioned in one of my QuiltCon posts, I got some charm squares that are to be used for donation blocks for Quilts for Cure. Quilts for Cure is led by HollyAnne Knight and it was a pleasure to meet her. I am always pleased to make donation blocks and this seemed like a good opportunity.
I started worrying about it this past week. I woke up in the middle of the night worrying about these blocks, which is not a good thing. Part of it was the charm squares. We had to make blocks from charm squares. I didn’t know what blocks to make! That is a weird feeling as I always have an idea.. I talked to Friend Julie, who was zooming along with her blocks, then I searched for “blocks with charm squares.” I found a tutorial for a block I could make and was willing to make.
Now I am zooming through these. I have made four, have two in progress and have another stack of charm squares to use.
I am looking forward to crossing another thing off my list!
I am finally going to bring my giant pile of donation blocks to the meeting this week. Here is the latest group for your viewing pleasure.
I am so pleased with these blocks. While I think I made more, these are the only ones I can verify. A small, but mighty number! The pile grows exponentially and that is very exciting.
This quilt came to mind the other day when I saw a similar technique on Fons & Porter.
Pam was doing the finishing, as I mentioned, and she was finally able to finish the binding.
It was nice to see it and I am really glad it is finished. I like the look of the stars, though I wonder about my fabric choices.
Also, I wonder if the Folded Corners Ruler I bought would do the same thing? I think it would enable me to put the stars in the sashing, but not add the background border (white in the photo, left). I really need to try that ruler.
I have been working on donation blocks in between the other projects (like FOTY 2016). They are stacking up and I can’t wait to bring a bunch to the guild meeting next time.
Here are more blocks from January. I think my total for January was 25. I would have loved to get to one per day, but 25 is not shabby.
While I did cut a few new fabrics, this group represents blocks made from the last dregs of my donation bin.
After using up all that I could, I got out the Acuquilt and my new 2.5″ die (Christmas gift) and cut a bunch of new squares from scraps on my cutting table. There will be some duplicate blocks, but I am back in the business of making donation blocks.
My scrap bag was about to fall and spill all over the floor. Not only that, but every time I walked by shards would attach themselves to my pants and come along for a ride. To battle these dueling demons, I whipped up a pet (cat) bed to secure the scraps.
I had the fabrics to make the bed for awhile and had just been avoiding the task. It was a quick task and my scrap bag now has space to slowly fill again
I spent some time last week sewing like a demon. It was a stressful week and the only way I could keep from yelling at fewer people was to hide in my workroom and sew.
It really was that bad, but we all have weeks like that and things are improving as they do.
This piece was on my small design wall and I really didn’t know what to do with it. It was a freebie, as I mentioned, but I didn’t want to waste it.One problem was the size. For a nephew’s quilt (all the nieces have theirs), it would need to be bigger. The Ta Dots and Stripes quilt is probably the smallest I can get away with for an actual adult person. That would mean more fabrics. I didn’t want to buy more Mostly Manor fabric and I probably have fabric that would look fine with the line.
I found a print that would go with the reds that I could use to make that one line longer and that was hopeful. It turned out, however, that I wasn’t in the mood to try and find other prints that would also work. I finally decided that I would turn it into a donation quilt. That meant the size was fine, I could sew it together, make a back and hand it off.
I sewed it together as leaders and enders and then found a piece of batting the right size. I hacked off a piece of one of my background fabrics and voila! Done.
Tim and I had lunch and I handed it over to him to quilt. He has a mini quilt pileup, but will get to it soon. Another project off the list.