Doing Good – Page 38 – Artquiltmaker Blog

Pink & Green Donation Quilt

I know you must all be bored of seeing these checkerboard blocks put together one after another with little variation. I have to say that I am getting a tiny bit bored, but the color work is still interesting enough for me to keep making these pieces.

This quilt is taking me longer to get done. I am not sure why, aside from reasons I have discussed, and the usual busyness, but it seems to be taking forever. I am not working on a piecing project at the moment, so can’t move this quilt along using the leaders and enders technique, so that must be the problem.

I am pleased with the way it is coming out in general, though I do see some specific problems. Nota Bene: I really don’t want sympathy. I am learning by doing and reporting on what I find.

I don’t know why I chose this color combination. It is fun and kind of a trip down memory lane to the late 80s (??) and the Preppie Handbook. I almost never use green, so I needed to use some up. The back will be green as well. I also was kind of feeling like I would scream if I had to sew another black on white square to something else. Good time to take a break.

SIL pointed out that these blocks no longer look like a checkerboard. She is right. I paid special attention to only using the lighter pinks in this piece. I didn’t like the darker batik pinks mixed with the lighter pinks in the Pink Donation quilt. The values of the pinks and greens are mostly the same. That muddies the design. In some cases, I put in some darker greens and they stand out. If I were to make a pink and green quilt like this again, I would use the lighter pinks and darker greens. I might even use the same green for the ‘background’ squares.

Pink & Green Donation Quilt blocks with sashing

I am now putting the blocks together. I sashed them all on Sunday, so it shouldn’t take me long to do the rest. I just didn’t feel like it.

One thing I did differently was cut the sashing down to 1.5″ finished (2″ cut). That means I had to cut .5″ off all of the sashing strips and cornerstones. The leavings will be stuffing for cat beds.

I think the slight change in with enhances the overall design. Small detail.

Perhaps when I make the perfect donation quilt, I will then move on to another pattern!

Labor Day Sew-in Day 2

To find out how to participate in the Labor Day Sew-in, read the previous post.

I don’t feel like I got as much done on Day 2 as I did on Day 1, but I am still pretty pleased with the amount of work I got done.

I worked on the donation blocks and think I have 9 more to go before I can start chunking.

I feel like I should have gotten all of these done, but I made a couple of journal covers, which required more than straight mindless sewing. Still 4 is good, right? Immerhin, right?

Next up: Journal covers. Did I say somewhere that I started a new journal this past week and needed a journal cover? If not, I started a new journal this past week and need a journal cover. I didn’t believe my own directions, so that meant that I made one and it was just a tad too small. I was able to cut the covers of an old journal and use it, but I still needed a cover for my new journal. I followed my own directions this time and came up with one I could use. It is a tad too large, but works.

I am not sure why I like using journal covers, but I do. I like seeing cheerful fabric. I liked the softness and a journal cover gives the impression of more privacy. Real privacy? I don’t know, but the impression is ok with me. My journal doesn’t often leave my sight.

I adjusted the sizes slightly and might try another cover tomorrow (LDSI3). I always need covers for new journals, so making another one would mean I get a bit ahead. I would like to go back and cover all of my journals, but I just don’t see that happening right now. Someday, perhaps.

A-B-C Challenge Blocks - more sashing — A-B-C Challenge Blocks – more sashing

I also worked on the A-B-C Challenge Blocks. I used the last bit of the half yard that TFQ returned from the Super Secret project. I was able to sash a lot of blocks with that half yard. I am fortunate I was able to find more of the grey, so I started pressing and cutting into that.

I expected to get more done, but am happy with how much I got done.

More tomorrow.

Pink Donation Top #2

Here is the top. It took me all weekend to get it done. I have been sewing slowly lately and it took me all weekend to get it finished.

I am pretty pleased with how it came out, but I wish I hadn’t used the darker batik strips. I do think they stick out more in the photo than in real life.

Still, I think some child will enjoy this quilt.

I made the back as well. I used some nice fabrics that I thought I wouldn’t use in a quilt. I think it looks cheerful. I especially like the fabric in the lower left hand corner.

Pink Donation Quilt #2

I have finished all of the blocks for a second pink donation quilt. I started putting the sashing on, but the whole process seems a bit rote. I have about a zillion pink squares, so I have to keep pushing forward on the pink version of these quilts.

I have done two with the black on white background and am a little bored with the look. I am going to change up the next one and include some green or use the pink as the background. We’ll see what happens.

I still think it is fun to make up the blocks using different fabrics. I also wonder if using a non-traditional background color will make the pink less interesting. No way to know until I try it.

In these two blocks, I took a couple of color on white fabrics and put those on the background. This idea might be another thing to consider for a background.

I think I am not using enough dots in general. I really like that dot in the upper right hand corner of the left block.

These blocks also have some color on white backgrounds as well. I have to say that I don’t like the batiks in these blocks. In the overall look, they are ok, but I think I also might stick to light or medium pinks as the group of fabrics in another version of pink and neutral.

As you can see I spread the color on white fabrics throughout the various blocks. I didn’t want them to stand out as odd in the overall look of the quilt top.

Yellow Donation Top

What do you think?

The photo looks a little golder than it is. While there is a bit of gold in this top, the border fabric is definitely a bright yellow.

Many of these fabrics are from the Pat Bravo/Art Gallery Fabric scrap bag that I received. You can’t really see much of those fabrics, because of the problem I had with the sashing.

I took the opportunity to use several of my golds for the back. I didn’t think I would use them for anything in the near future. I chose them in the hope that some small sick child will find comfort in those fabrics.

Cat Bed #1

This is the cat bed that I made from the kit I got at the last BAMQG meeting. I didn’t think that I would enjoy it, but it went very quickly and in no time I had the thing done.

I had some schnibbles so I put as many as I could inside to stuff it. Amanda will have to stuff the rest of it with all the schnibbles she has collected.

The polar fleece only caused me a bit of pain and suffering, but not much. I am quite pleased with how it came out.

I have to admit that I enjoyed making this. I find satisfaction in making the donation quilts and also in making this cat bed. If you want to make one, Amanda has kindly allowed me to post the revised, simpler Cat Bed Pattern .

More Yellow Donation Blocks

As mentioned last week, I am working on the yellow donation quilt and it is going well. I made several more blocks while I was off over the Fourth of July holiday.

I was spurred on by seeing the finished blue donation quilt. Jennifer finished it on her longarm machine and did the binding as well. It looks so great to see it done.

It made me think that this Yellow quilt is an even better exercise for me, because the yellows are really different than what I have done with yellow before.

The brown-y yellows are a challenge, but I like the prints, so I am working with them.

I still have a few more blocks to make, but already have cut some pieces for sashing in hopes that I will get this top done before the next BAMQG meeting.

Yellow Donation Blocks

I am back on the donation block bandwagon, though I don’t think I ever really got off. 😉 I am using all of the Art Gallery scraps, but I had to add some additional scraps otherwise there would not have been enough different fabrics. At least, in my mind, there would not have been enough different fabrics.

I started working with the yellows using a different method than I used with the pinks. I sewed squares together and then started stacking them up. I am not sure I like this method, because it is confusing and may yet switch. I was trying to vary, not only the yellows, but also the backgrounds. It made the process a bit more challenging and I thought the variation in method would work better. The blocks definitely go together quickly when the pairs are already sewn together.

I was able to make 3 more blocks yesterday, in between making the backs.

I have an idea in my mind that I want to complete another donation top by the meeting on Saturday. The rational side of me knows that is madness, but the driven crazy person knows she can do it and doesn’t care.

I was able to add a couple of more fabrics as I worked on the yellow back yesterday. As I mentioned, I thought there was too much brown. In general, though, I think the blocks are coming together nicely.

We’ll see what the rest of the week brings for my sewing and see if we can get a quilt top finished. I have a lot of other stuff to do.

Signed, Sealed & Delivered

I went downstairs this morning to get some water before I started my day. I hadn’t see the mail from the day before and it was sitting on the dining room table. I glanced through it and noticed two handwritten enveloped addressed to me. I recognized the addresses as being from the recipients of the Stars for San Bruno quilts. My heart fluttered a bit.

I didn’t get a response to my emails and notes, so I didn’t want to say anything to you when I sent the quilts off last Friday (return receipt requested) in case they were not well received.

Crazy talk, I know. Sometimes I can’t help myself.

I was kind of afraid of what I would find when I read the notes, so I went and got ready for work and started my breakfast before I read them.

I really never know how people will respond.

Will they hate the look of the quilt?

Will they feel resentful because they feel obligated to me?

I rarely ever send anyone anything with the expectation of getting something back. The reviews I do for Lark Books I do as a service to YOU. When I send letters to my friends, I send them with a sense of joy in my heart that they will receive a handwritten letter they can enjoy.

There was no reason for me to be afraid. Their notes were grateful and heartfelt. They made me cry.

DH’s cousin writes:

“Words can’t express the feelings that T and I felt. Tears of happiness to know that so many wonderful people put their hearts and hands into such a beautiful quilt….

The quilt has lifted our spirits ~ we have a long healing process but this will help with the warm feeling and thoughts that were sent our way….we have another few months until all is done. Thanks again with much love T & R.”

I am so pleased. I am pleased that the quilts were accepted with the spirit in which they were sent. I was pleased to get such heartfelt thank you notes. Those notes made all the difference.

Note to those who participated: I will scan the notes and send them off to you separately.

Pink Donation Top

TA-DA!!!

Yes, here is the pink donation top. It will go off to Jennifer and Deborah the Charity Queens of Awesomeness at the next BAMQG meeting.

As you might remember (since I know you memorize all of my posts), there was some lively discussion about the white sashing I used last time on the Blue Donation Top and how the quilt would look with sashing the same color as the foreground patches. Now you know. This top is very pink. DH even commented that it wasn’t usual for me. I like it and definitely put it in the cheerful category.

I made the back, too, but it is nothing to write home about, so no photo for you.

This was made entirely using leaders and enders method while I was piecing other things such as the latest Swoon block, the Corner Store and some other random blocks that you will hear about soon. See what you can accomplish?

Now I am working on a yellow version from the Art Gallery Scraps, plus a few other yellow scraps I scrounged up.

For those of you counting, this makes two finished tops this week. Yes, TWO!!!

Art Gallery Scraps

I received a bunch of scraps from Pat Bravo at Art Gallery Fabrics. She offers them periodically and ‘scraps’ is a total misnomer.

The most bright and cheerful fabric was a scrap, but everything else was half yards or slightly smaller. Compared to what I consider unusable, these ‘scraps’ were a trip to the fabric store.

All the fabrics I got were in the yellow family. Some of them were gold. Some more on the brown side. There were two fabrics with words on them, which I liked, but refrained from looking up on Quiltshops.com.

My intent was to make an entire quilt with the foreground from this package of fabrics. I am not sure that is possible. The quilt might be a bit too boring. I have a few yellow fabric squares that I have been cutting, so I’ll see about adding those in.

I washed the fabric, as is my habit and got to work.

I took the opportunity to cut a few pieces for myself, but really, I cut them into 8″ squares to cut on the Accuquilt, which I did.

I think it is so interesting that Pat and her crew color coordinate the scraps. This is a fabric combination that I would never put together myself, but it is one, which is somewhat appealing and I am looking forward to the challenge of trying to make it work. I need to finish the Pink Donation top before I can start this one and I need to cut some background fabrics.

AGF Package - Love the stamps — AGF Package – Love the stamps

More Donation Blocks

I am working steadily on the pink donation blocks. I have all 16 finished, though I just had 12 finished when I started writing this post.

I have the Corner Store on the portable design wall, so as soon as I finished the last donation block, I started to cut sashing. I haven’t cut all the sashing, but started to sew sashing onto donation blocks anyway in between sewing Corner Store blocks together.

I can’t see the blocks all together yet, because, as implied, both design walls are covered (could I, possibly, do fewer projects at once?) with other projects (A-B-C Challenge, Swoon, FOTY 2012, Corner Store).

I have about 6 blocks sashed and need to cut a bit more sashing.

In between sewing, I also cut some ~8″ pieces to make additional pink 2.5″ squares for a future donation quilt. I used the ~8″ pieces to cut 2.5″ squares using the Accuquilt. I have a big stack waiting for me to sort.

The blocks are all a bit different, but I used many of the same fabrics, as I did in the Blue Donation quilt.

I intended to make the top and back and give it in to the Charity girls at the BAMQG, but since my sewing machine seems so happy, I wonder if I could practice some free motion machine quilting on this piece? The last time I did free motion quilting, it was such a disaster that I might have developed a phobia. I have to see if I can do it…physically, too.

And there are more pink quilts to make as Mrs. K sent me more pink fabric. Just what I needed. 😉

I am going to use the large piece on the left as backing. It is a very soft lawn, I think, and a bit thin, but I think it will be fine. Most of the fabrics Mrs. K sent were shards and strips. I washed them all and am preparing to cut them up into squares. A couple of the pieces, in addition to the lawn, are larger – FQ sized or so. Perhaps they will go on the back as well. We will see.

Donation Blocks Galore

I am still having an inordinate amount of fun making these simple blocks. What is it about them?

I brought out the Accuquilt Go! cutter over the long weekend and cut a bunch of larger squares I had been saving into 2.5″ squares. All pink all the time. Yes, I am going to make a pink top for some wonderful child. I hope s/he likes pink, because none of my nieces or nephews do and I have a lot of pink.

As you can see, I did cut up some slightly larger squares to make 2.5″ plain background squares. I’ll have to see if that block fits in with the other blocks that have black on white fabrics.

The Charity Girls at BAMQG have put out a new block design. I know they want to keep people interested, but I am still interested in this block. They said they would keep taking these blocks, so I will keep making them. I am doing to keep these pink ones and put the top together myself.

I am still cutting 2.5″ squares when I do my normal “new fabric” cutting, so I have other colors besides pink as well. I will give these non-pink blocks in so someone else can work on them.

I found a few different blues, so I cut some squares out of them to work with.

One of the fun things about this project is putting the squares together in different ways. In the blue block, I probably should not have put the two solids in the same row. Fortunately, in the grand scheme, it probably won’t matter much. This blue blocks looks rather cheerful, I think.

I have a lot of the same fabrics for the pink blocks, because I cut up large enough pieces of fabric to make 9 2.5″ squares.

I did dig out some scraps that were large enough to make some 2.5″ squares out of. I was surprised since TFQ cannibalized my scrap bins quite efficiently. The few different fabrics will add interest and the similar fabrics will provide cohesion. That is what I am telling myself anyway. 😉

In the back of my mind I am planning to use all of the black on white fabric I bought for the Flower Snowball. It is a lot, because I will never learn just how little fabric a quilt really needs, especially if I use the fabric for one piece in the quilt. We’ll see if I actually use it all. I like the black and white as background. It prevents me from going to buy more background fabric.

Enjoy!

May/June Donation Blocks

This is a block made partially from a kit that the BAMQG Charity Girls provided. I wasn’t that thrilled with the choices left when I went to look in the basket, but these postage stamp type blocks are very popular and the kits are arduous to make up. And beggars can’t be choosers, so I took the kit.

The other thing about taking kits is that I get to use fabrics that are out of my comfort zone. I know I have some browns and beiges that have languished for a long time. I have started to use them as quilting borders and other temporary parts of quiltmaking. While I don’t want to depress some poor child with a brown quilt, perhaps I could use some of the beiges and browns for donation blocks? We will see.

I made the brown block up before the May meeting and Angela took it to the meeting for me. I was mostly working on the Blue Donation Quilt, so I only made a few blocks. I have a lot of backgrounds cut and, as I mentioned, I want to work with pink, so I am cutting some pinks to use for pink donation blocks.

I am cutting 8″ squares so I can cut a bunch of 2.5″ squares all at once using the Accuquilt. That means that I don’t actually have any pink patches cut yet, but soon, hopefully.

In the meantime, when I ran out of Corner Store backgrounds (because I was making them using the leaders and enders technique), so I switched to making a blue donation block. I have plenty of backgrounds for those.

I had a few pieces of fabric waiting to be cut on the Accuquilt, so when Julie was over the other day, I cut those up using the pieces for the donation blocks as a demo. That means I have a few pieces ready to sew.

The sad part is that I am using leaders and enders to move forward in other projects, so I haven’t done nearly as many blocks for the charity girls as I would have liked. I am trying to rest on my laurels a bit, since I did make an entire quilt and back. I’ll get back in the saddle.

NSGW Pillows

I was back in pillow hell on Monday, except that it wasn’t really hellish. I made four pillows using embroidery panels my SIL and I created on her embroidery machine when I was in Maryland/DC last year. My part in that was saying yes or no to colors of thread and whether the letters should be curved or not. She is the embroidery queen and I was just her humble assistant.

While I was in Maryland, we made a few pillows for the Native Daughters, of which we are both lurker members, but I took the embroidered panels home to make the Native Sons pillows later. As I have mentioned, my DH in on the Board of Trustees of a non-profit. When they are running for off their parlor (e.g. chapter) sponsors a hospitality suite at the Grand Parlor (e.g. annual conference). In the hospitality suite, they play cards, offer liquid refreshments and raise money for their Cleft Palate charity using raffles. For the past year or two, since DH has been running, I have made pillows for him to raffle off. They were wildly popular the first year and he raised a record amount for the charity.

Guess what?

“Later” is this weekend! Can you say last minute? I wasn’t planning on spending my day off making pillows, but this coming Saturday would be even more last minute, so I did the job. I was prepared for drama and there was none. I think I only had to rip out one seam. I measured correctly, counted properly and generally made 4 pillows in record time.

The big difference was that Cathy, my SIL, suggested using batting as a foundation. It makes the block look nice and gives the maker a goal. You cut the batting the size (including seam allowance, so if finished is 14″ you cut the batting 14.5″, etc) you want the pillow and then sew on top of it. I don’t know how this would work if you didn’t have a flip and sew friendly pattern, but I am sure there is a way to figure that out.

Anyway, the pillows are done and packaged ready to head to NSGW Grand Parlor. DH was pleased and I am going to the dentist and then am going to work on something fun that doesn’t feel like “quilt work.”

The Sunday Stash Report (a la Pam at Hip to be a Square podcast) is 2 yards. More on that later.

Nota bene: if you think there are photos missing, there are. I am having trouble uploading some pictures to the blog. Check back later. It will be resolved eventually.

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