Tag: Group project

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 Strip #2 Blocks with sashing option
Blue Strip #2 Blocks with sashing option

I decided I wanted a green for the sashing. I pulled down my green bin and looked for what I had in mind.

Again, the photo doesn’t do the choice justice. It is a very, very light green. I cut it up, but am concerned I won’t have enough and need to find some other pieces that I can add in.

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.

UCAB Front Pocket

UCAB Front Pocket
UCAB Front Pocket

I worked on the UCAB again the other weekend. Last weekend? I don’t remember. It started off so well, then I got lost. I couldn’t figure out how to finish the front pocket.

I really tried hard to understand the pattern, but just didn’t get it, so I contacted the designer. I still couldn’t understand the explanation, so I asked Lynette.

Lynette sent me some info she had sent to another bag maker. It didn’t answer my question, but I woke up the next morning with an idea of how to make the pocket. It may not be the way the designer intended, but it will get the job done – as long as I do it!

More Raffle Items

I have said before that my guild Raffle Team is awesome. They continue to show their amazing willingness to continue to make things for the raffle baskets.

Carrie's Raffle Bags
Carrie’s Raffle Bags

Carrie sent me a photo of two bags she made for the team last week.

I will fill these, when I receive them, with the other goodies and the whole package will be given to two lucky winners.

I haven’t seen these bags in person, but they look like they have wonderful texture.

New Blue Spiky 16 Patch

New Blue Spiky 16 Patch in progress
New Blue Spiky 16 Patch in progress

As soon as Flame was off the design wall, I dug out some HRTs I had made last year (?) when I made the other Spiky 16 Patch tops.

I am thinking about making a donation quilt with just the HRTs, but don’t think I will do that yet. I think I want to just make another Spiky 16 Patch quilt. I think I want to make the HRT version (no 16 patch) with a variety of different colors – not monochrome or warm/cool.

Finished: Flame Donation Top/Back

Flame Donation top - April 2020
Flame Donation top – April 2020

I decided to call this donation quilt ‘Flame’ to make things more interesting. I guess we all need a little ‘nice’ interesting right now rather than alarming interesting. Enough of that going around.

I am feeling kind of bad that I am still working on donation tops rather than making masks. I think I will need to make some soon, at least for my son. I wonder how many are being made at the moment?

Flame Donation back - April 2020
Flame Donation back – April 2020

I used a pretty large piece of Jay McCarroll fabric for the back. I had to add a strip to it to make it large enough, but it will be fine. I still worry about labels. I think I might use stitch lettering to put my name and the year on the back and note that it is from BAMQG. I sort of want people to know I existed down the line. Of course, who knows if the quilt will exist for very long?

Flame Donation top - April 2020 (annotated)
Flame Donation top – April 2020 (annotated)

There is one thing that is interesting that is going on with this top. If I pay careful attention to the placement of colors, the piece looks woven.

I didn’t plan this, but it has design potential. The overall design might work better with more variety in the colors, so a viewer could tell where the colors were weaving. I suspect that too many colors wouldn’t work.

Traffic Jam Top Finished

Traffic Jam top finished
Traffic Jam top finished

I finished Traffic Jam. This was an easy pattern and the quilt really went quickly, much more quickly than the Color Strip quilts.

This doesn’t mean I am giving up on those Scrap quilts. They are clearing out my scrap bins for something good. I just needed a break and wanted to play along with Vicki Holloway.

I made a back as well, so I get more fabric usage on my spreadsheet.

.

Blue Strip Donation Top/Back Complete

Blue Strip Donation Top
Blue Strip Donation Top

Last Friday, I think, I finished the top and back of the Blue Strip Donation quilt. the piece is going in my bag to take to guild if the meetings ever start up again. I am feeling a bit lonely today. I know the social distancing is important for the health of the country, but I need a little more interaction than I am getting.

Anyway.

I am really pleased with the way the top came out. I had a half yard of two different yellows. The one I used on the border is Califon by Mark Lipinski. I like it, but it was languishing, so I thought I might as well use it.

Blue Strip Donation Back
Blue Strip Donation Back

The back was super easy! I had one large piece of blue and just needed to add a little bit to make it bigger. WHEW! No back drama this time.

Blue Strip Donation Top Close to Finished

Blue Strip donation Top - without outer border
Blue Strip donation Top – without outer border

I made some progress over the past several days on my newest donation quilt. I want to get the top done so that I can gain back the design wall. I just have the outer borders to sew on. I also have the back to make and, perhaps, the binding, but I think I will leave the binding to someone else.

I am pleased with how it looks, but dismayed at how few of my blue scraps were used. The blocks required one to a few yards, but my blue scrap drawer is still full and hard to close. More quilts!

More on the Clippy Pocket Hack

Pieces for the Clippy Pocket placket- ready to sew
Pieces for the Clippy Pocket placket- ready to sew

Yesterday, I talked about the Clippy Pocket hack and how my version came out. You can incorporate the Clippy portion into anything – pincushions, other bags, needle books. The key is making the placket/”flap ladder” then incorporating it into an existing project. You can make the placket into a piece that can be appliqued to another project.

Try to think about how you can incorporate something like this useful section into a project on which you are working. You can find the original instructions in Love of Patchwork & Quilting , issue 39. It is available digitally in the Apple and Google Play stores.

UCAB Front Pocket

I skipped over the two larger pockets in order to make sure the Clippy pocket hack worked when incorporated into the overall pattern. It took me awhile to get this pocket made even with the pieces all cut out. Adding the Clippy pocket means that there are a number of extra steps needed to make the Clippy holder. Still, I am pleased with the way the pocket came out.

UCAB: Short Front Pocket
UCAB: Short Front Pocket

It is a bit of a riot of color. 😉 I didn’t really mean it to be as riotous, but I didn’t think through the backing for the side pockets with regard to the Clippy hack when I was cutting. I hope the rest of the inside won’t look crazy.

Still, I have been making such minimal progress on sewing in general that I am pleased with this small amount of progress.