Tag: Doing Good

Cutting Corners Donation Top

I spent last Sunday finally working on the Cutting Corners donation top. I was fiddling around not knowing what to do. I pulled out a piece of Dear Stella orange dot fabric and was inspired to use it as the sashing. Off I went.

Using Cutting Corners Ruler
Using Cutting Corners Ruler

The Cutting Corners ruler is not an easy ruler to use, especially for someone like me who is pattern reading challenged. I finally got the critical information and worked on the sashing. The picture above shows the first steps of creating the lozenge shape.

I am not sure this is the easiest method to create this type of sashing.

Cutting Corners Donation Quilt
Cutting Corners Donation Quilt
Cutting Corners Donation quilt in process
Cutting Corners Donation quilt in process
Cutting Corners Donation Quilt
Cutting Corners Donation Quilt

I am having problems with the corner triangles. The directions for the side triangles are ok. The corner triangle directions are abysmal. There is one line about how to make the corner triangles. I have been emailing back and forth with Mrs. K, but I think I am going to have to call her and get more info.

I probably would have used a different sashing fabric if I had been thinking more. I went with my intuition, though and I kind of like the effect of the orange.

I hope to be able to finish at least the top soon. Perhaps this weekend.

Donation Top

My Wed Sewing Room
My Wed Sewing Room

I didn’t mean to have two donation posts in a row, but it was more about poor blog post planning than not knowing I was going to sew.

Gerre and I spent the day together chatting and making another donation top. I had cut the backgrounds for a T quilt a few months ago, but didn’t finish the foreground cutting. I brought what I had and my bin of orange fabrics since sewing together is way more fun than sewing alone.

It was great. Gerre was kind enough to listen to a couple of sad tales of woe. After that was over, I started in on cutting foregrounds while Gerre set up to sew. Pretty soon she was sewing as I handed her packaged sets of ready-to-sew patches. We both pressed. It took us about 4 hours to make the top back and binding, but we had lunch in between and I wasn’t caught in terrible traffic on my way home. All in all it was a pretty leisurely schedule. Satisfying to finish a top and back as well.

These aren’t great photos, but you get the idea. The top is about 45″x45″. The binding will be random bits of leftover fabrics.

It was a great way to spend the day and I really needed a day of sewing as it was a stressful week. Also, we were able to do something good for someone else.

Doing Good Donation Blocks

Donation Blocks
Donation Blocks

As I said yesterday, I spent Sunday making the Peacock blocks. In between I made donation blocks. I had taken 3 kits from the BAMQG meeting on Saturday so I made those up first. Those blocks are the 2 on the right and the one on the top. After I was done with those, I made up a few more from my own fabric. I sewed them as leaders and enders in between the parts of the Peacock hexagons. I used them to keep track of the various parts of the blocks. They are all the same colors, so it is easy to mix of pieces. And the bonus was all the donations blocks I finished as well.

I do intend to make more donation blocks.

Cat Bed Redux

I had a pretty good weekend sewing. It started with my return from the BAMQG meeting (post on that later). I was so fired up to sew. This was also pent up energy from not sewing for a few days. As soon as I arrived home and dumped my stuff, I sat down at the sewing machine and sewed the cat bed I got from Amanda at the meeting.

Seashell cat bed
Seashell cat bed

I like the fleece fabric Amanda picked out. It is really fun. And cheerful (though not in a pink kind of cheerful way). I like those seahorses.

I needed to make another cat bed, because my bag of schnibbles was starting to scare me. I should have taken two, but I wasn’t thinking.

I wonder if seahorses will be the next big thing. I saw a paper pieced project of a seahorse on Instagram recently.

Donation Block Progress

Donation Blocks for Cutting Corners Ruler + a Lobster
Donation Blocks for Cutting Corners Ruler + a Lobster

It took me forever to get these donation blocks done and I am only marginally closer to having a finished quilt.

Mrs. K's Cutting Corners Quilt
Mrs. K’s Cutting Corners Quilt

These are the pieces I am going to use to try out the Cutting Corners Ruler a la Mrs. K’s quilt.

Now that I have the blocks, I have to figure out the ruler. I took a quick look and it seems to make sense. I am going to start with the sashing and decide about the checkerboard border later.

I am making a smaller quilt to start with and may use the ruler to make others later.

Mighty Lucky February Challenge (Fibershots)

Mighty Lucky Member
Mighty Lucky Member

I saw the Mighty Lucky February Challenge and groaned. the basic theme was minimalism and I was not interested.

Then I had an idea. Then I saw the notice for the CQFA meeting and that the activity would be working on quilts for the Fibershots fundraiser at SJMQT. I decided that I could get the challenge done and do some good.

Two quilt birds one stone.

I had the materials I needed at hand and got down to business.

As I wanted the pieces were quickly pieced. I was pretty happy, though I can see where a whole series of these would make the designs better. I felt like there was something, but didn’t know what.

I kept the pieces on my design wall for a day or two and then took them to the CQFA meeting to quilt during the work party. I took my thread with me and quilted the pieces in a simple straight line design. I had a brain flash as I progressed across the piece where I decided to add a few lines of colored thread to the quilting.

When I got home I added some triangles as a hanging mechanism as I zigzagged around the edge of the piece. Maureen suggested using some Perl cotton to stabilize the edge as I quilted so I tried that and the edges don’t seem to curl as much.

Minimalist Fiber 1 & 2
Minimalist Fiber 1 & 2

As I mentioned, my Mighty Lucky Challenge will be heading off to be displayed with other Fibershots quilts and sold (hopefully) for $100. You, too, can make one. Talk to the Museum if you want to buy one. Like mine. Buy mine. All the money goes to support the museum.

Fibershots Pieces

As I mentioned a few times, I made two small quilt-lets to donate to the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles for their Fibershots fundraiser. All the pieces are 10″x 10″ and will be $100. They should have less than 3″ of dimensionality if the piece sticks out from the wall. My piece is basically flat.

I am killing two birds with one stone by making them in the minimalist style for the Mighty Lucky Quilting Club February Challenge. I’ll talk more about that aspect in a later post.

Minimalist Fiber 1 & 2
Minimalist Fiber 1 & 2

I wanted to make something that would sell, so I kept the design clean and used popular colors. The piecing was easy – all out of the scrap bins. I got bored by the machine quilting so I added some color to each piece.

I didn’t know I had to put a sleeve, etc on the piece, so I wasn’t able to finish them at the work party after the meeting. I was a little irritated at that, but stayed up on Saturday night (my exciting life!) to finish them so I could start fresh on Sunday morning.

I hope someone buys these. I would really be unhappy if they stayed in the gift shop for the next 3 years.

Slow Donation Blocks

November Donation Blocks
November Donation Blocks

Remember the lack of sewing I talked about? Part of the effect was that I didn’t have time to make more donation blocks.

As I mentioned I ran out of the cream and green fabric, so I started cutting some backgrounds from scraps. These blocks are much more diverse in the background department. I think they are also a little brighter.

Every little bit helps so I don’t feel bad about only finishing three more blocks. I just wish I had more time to make more. I may get a few more done before the meeting on Saturday.

Blast from the Past

Crazy top
Crazy top

I was rummaging through my backing fabrics to find backing for the Red & Black Improv quilt. I was surprised to find a small top tucked in between the fabrics. I don’t remember making it at all. It had to be some kind of experiment that I made in the late 1990s.

It is rectangular and needs more work. I don’t think I want to work on it, but it is a good and cheerful. I think I will donate it to the BAMQG charity project.

I am kind of shocked that I found this top where I did. It is so strange that I don’t remember it as well.

It does remind me that I used to experiment quite a bit. Perhaps I should work on that again.

Boring Green Cat Bed

Bron was kind enough to give me some fleece from FabMo a few months ago. Last Saturday it fell on me from its precarious perch in the Fabric Closet one too many times. I pulled it, and the pattern out, cut all the fleece up into the shapes needed for cat beds and began sewing.

Boring Cat Bed
Boring Cat Bed

My intent was to make a bunch of them and present them to Amanda at the next BAMQG meeting. My machine sincerely disliked that fleece as did my hand, so I made one and put the rest of the parts into packages to bring to the meeting. What Amanda got was a sad email explaining the situation. 🙁

She was very gracious about it and said to bring the parts for the other cat beds for other BAMQG members to make.

I was able to finish one [boring looking] cat bed and stuff it nearly 3/4s of the way full with schnibbles.

Donation Block Extravaganza

November Donation Blocks
November Donation Blocks

Yes. More donation blocks. They were part of my sewing work over the past two weekends. I am now out of cut background squares so I will need to cut more. I have some blue dottish on white fabric scraps leftover from the Star Sampler, which I might use. Since they are scraps, they won’t go far and will be a stopgap.

These are on the dull side. I cut up a bunch of foreground fabrics some time ago. I didn’t feel like I wanted to use those fabrics in a quilt and am working my way through them for donation blocks. Someone will like them, right?

I am not doing that again. I decided that if I have fabric I don’t want to use, I’ll just donate it rather than using it like this. It isn’t enjoyable and I want to infuse these donation blocks good energy so that is my plan.

Tissue Covers

Tissue Covers
Tissue Covers

Since BIL died back in June, a number of us (SIL, Nephew #12, YM, DH) go over to MIL’s and have dinner on Wednesdays when we are available. We use it as a time to catch up. We are also trying to keep Wednesdays (when BIL would go over and have drinks with his mom) from being too sad.

The other Wednesday SIL told us that she was, once again, in charge of the Secret Santa Shop at her son’s school. This is an event to raise money for the school, but also to provide an opportunity for the kids to buy nice gifts that aren’t too expensive.

The first year she did it, they contracted with a company to provide the gifts and she, as well as other parents, proclaimed them to be junk. Some broke as the helpers were bringing them to the wrapping table. Also, the prices were already on the high side so the PTA couldn’t mark the prices up and still keep the gifts affordable for kids, thus they were not able to make much money.

Last year, they scoured shops and websites for nicer gifts that were of good quality. She said that it was a lot more work, but it paid off in that they also made over $3000!

Tissue Cover Backs
Tissue Cover Backs

Upon hearing this, I thought of the gift ideas list I made last year (?) and, more specifically, of the tissue covers that Valerie inspired me to make. I went home and started cutting fabric. I finished 9 the next day and sent them off.

I might make some more, but we will see. It might be good to see if they sell and then make more next year. On the other hand, it might be good to make a bunch so at least one person from each grade can buy one. We’ll see what SIL says.

I am going to try and think about other gifts that might work. The problem is that I am used to making bags, cushions or gifts that quiltmakers like. The people at the school are not quiltmakers and the gifts have to be small, so I need to think a little harder.

 

A Few More Donation Blocks

Donation blocks - mid October
Donation blocks – mid October

My last batch will make a cohesive quilt. This group less so. I had one leftover from the previous batch. When I returned home from the meeting on Saturday, I decided to cut up some cream and green squares for a background and make more donation blocks.

I pulled out a small bin of 2.5″ squares that I cut up for donation quilts a thousand years ago and began using those to make more squares. There is a lot of blue.

Last Lone Green & Grey Donation Block
Last Lone Green & Grey Donation Block

The blocks are interesting. They aren’t as cohesive, as I said, but they make an interesting group of blocks. I don’t know that they will all be put together in the same group.

I have more to make.

 

More Donation Blocks

FOTY-made Donation Blocks
FOTY-made Donation Blocks

I made more donation blocks last Saturday as I worked on sewing together the FOTY 2014 patches. I thought green would be good and chose a lot of medium greens, though I had to use some darker pieces as my green scrap basket dwindled. I used, mostly, grey for the background. As you will, a little pink and some other colors crept in.

Using the leaders and enders technique, I just kept sewing the 2.5″ squares in between the FOTY 2014 patches and came up with all of these donation blocks. I joked about making enough for a whole quilt, never thinking I would be able to do it. I am close, though, especially with the blocks from the other day.

I saw a quilt on Valerie’s Twitter feed that has these blocks with Flying Geese on the outside to make them into stars. I am sorely tempted, but I have so many projects that I am going to force myself just to turn these blocks in and let someone else make a pretty quilt.

I am very pleased that this will be a quilt (or quilts) that will make someone happy.

Donation Blocks

September Donation Blocks
September Donation Blocks

I was finally able to make some donation blocks!

Unlike Pam, I do not have piles of 2.5″ squares laying around, though I am starting to think I should. I cut the foreground squares from a FQ I found that I won’t use in a quilt. I decided to make the blocks, because I had some leftovers from a One Hour Basket I made. That fabric became the background. There isn’t a ton of contrast, but they are pleasant blocks. The best part is they will go to a good cause. I haven’t done as much charity work this year and it makes me feel good to add to the BAMQG charity pile.

As I started to sew the FOTY 2014 together on Friday (started last week, but got really serious on Friday), I realized that I needed leaders and enders. After I sew each FOTY pair, I need to sew something in between so that I can keep the FOTY patches in order. I have been using the Octagon 9 Patch as leaders and enders pretty regularly, but I am at a weird place with that project, so for the moment it won’t work. I gave away a bunch of my neutrals, but dug around and found some suitable greys for more donation blocks. I used leftovers of some Bonnie and Camille greys. They are a little too taupe for me, so I have been using them for projects I don’t plan to keep. Since I also have a lot of green scraps, which I don’t use much, I cut some random 2.5″ squares from those and made a couple of blocks.

Green & Grey Donation Blocks
Green & Grey Donation Blocks

Now I have a random thought to make 12 more and have enough for a quilt. I suppose it is possible since FOTY has a lot of pairs needing sewing, but the cutting of the 2.5″ squares – enough to make a quilt before next week is a little daunting.

I think it will be better if I get over my Octagon Nine Patch hump so I can make progress on that project, not that donation blocks are a bad thing.