Tag: Project-Quilt

Posts about the piecing, applique’ of quilts. Don’t use for completed quilts or non-quilt projects.

Still More Potato Chips

I have slowed my Potato Chip block pace, but am still making them. I think the EPPic got in the way a little bit. However, when I got back to the Potato Chips, I realized, I was at the end of my rectangles!

Great job, me! I achieved my goal of using up those rectangles, though I still have to make quilt(s) from the blocks. They will need sashing and I am thinking I will try to pick a split complementary color rather than just using white. I don’t know, though, as I don’t have a destination for this project. Donation quilts, maybe? We’ll see.

Finished: Sidewalk #6: Green

Sidewalk #6: green - finished
Sidewalk #6: green – finished

I powered through the chunking of the Sidewalk #6: Green and was able to finish. I wanted to get one of the Wheelchair quilts up on the wall, so I needed to finish the Sidewalk quilt.

I really need to make the Half 16 Patches more colorful. The alternating white squares in the blocks means the quilt is primarily white which maybe isn’t so great for a donation quilt. I thought about using a color for the 8.5 and 4.5 inch squares, but am pretty sure I don’t have enough of any one color and am not sure scrappy would work with this design. I’ll have to think about it some more.

Sidewalk #6: Green- back
Sidewalk #6: Green- back

The back took longer than I expected as I used a lot of smaller pieces. Still, it uses up a lot of greens that I probably won’t use. Also, I get to add to my ‘Fabric Used” spreadsheet and up the number of donation quilts the guild gives away.

Even More Potato Chip Blocks

I am continuing to make potato chip blocks as I am determined to use up all the rectangles I cut. I ran out of pink rectangles, but still have tons of the blues, so I am cutting more pinks as I go along.

I am thinking of making some blocks with just blues. I have to think about how to make the design show up.

Finished: Old Town

Old Town detail with ribbon
Old Town detail with ribbon

I finished Old Town a few months ago, but never posted about it. I think my quilt holders have been busy or out of town. After winning Second place at the Fair, I realized it and knew I needed to get it done.

Old Town with Ribbon
Old Town with Ribbon

Old Town is finished! Yay! LOL!

Old Town is the 2024 Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt. I played along and sewed many of the blocks together at the BAM Retreat, then finished it up at home. 

Old Town detail
Old Town detail

Colleen quilted it for me and here we are. I was really pleased to get second place since the category in which I entered it (quilted by another) is packed. This was a much easier quilt to quilt than Patchwork Palooza since once I decided how to quilt a block, I just had Colleen quilt all the blocks the same.

Finished: Lupine

Lupine finished
Lupine finished

Lupine is finished.

It is a little large, so my quilt holder had a tough time. I hope to remember to get some guild members to help me get a better photo.

Lupine back - fnished
Lupine back – finished

The poor quilt has been languishing between travel and other more urgent projects. In the middle of all the chaos I finally was able to sew the binding down.

 

More Chaos

Chaos - early June 2026
Chaos – early June 2026

I worked really hard last week to finish the Chaos top before class. I made good progress, but did not finish the top.

It is what it is, so I am continuing. This will be a large quilt and it has a lot of blocks, so I just have to soldier on. 

The class is over, which is sad, but I hope to make another quilt like this using the same techniques.

Finished Ends n.25

Ends n.25 top finished
Ends n.25 top finished

I finished Ends n.25 a few weeks ago. I just handed it in and made time to post about it.

The background doesn’t provide the required contrast to make the oranges and yellows stand out. They don’t, however, blend together either. 

This is a great example of what is fun about making donation quilts. I can play around with fabric combinations that I wouldn’t otherwise consider for my own work. I guess making backing is a little of the same.

Ends n.25 Back
Ends n.25 Back

The back, like the back for Ends n.24, uses some old solids that have been around since the dark ages.

Lupine Returns

Lupine quilting detail
Lupine quilting detail

In record time, Lupine is back and ready to bind. I took the quilt to her in mid-March. Colleen did a great job quilting it. I am pleased. 

I’ll be glad to get this off my list. I have enough time to enter it in the Fair, but I am limited to two quilts quilted by another, so I’ll have to wait until next year. 🙁

The only thing I have left to do is bind it. I started the other day, but have to actually sit down to bind and I haven’t had a chance. I also need to get DH to hold it up so I can take a photo. 

 

Finished: Patchwork Palooza

Finished: Patchwork Palooza
Finished: Patchwork Palooza

I finished the Patchwork Palooza top in January and now the whole quilt is complete: top, back, quilting, binding, sleeve. Done.

I am pleased with how I finished the edges. I think completing the diagonals looks nice.

There are blocks that I wish I had moved, but that will probably always be the case. 

DH actually commented that he really liked this quilt. Maybe it will be a gift for him?

I will be entering this quilt into the Fair.

It must be some kind of record! I started this quilt on about September 6, 2025. Here it is, 6 months later finished. I am really happy and kind of stunned as well. 

Finished: Patchwork Palooza-back
Finished: Patchwork Palooza-back

BAM BOM QSTs

BAM BOM March QSTs
BAM BOM March QSTs

I found a tutorial for hourglass blocks. The Quilting Daily site also has a 3 color quarter square triangle (hourglass) block tutorial. I found these while reading the Love of Quilting magazine. They have a lot of basic tutorials. I decided to try it for my Bay Area Modern Block of the Month for March blocks.

The tutorial includes a 1.5 minute video with jaunty music. 

I made two first just to see what I thought of the technique. I thought it was fine and something different, so I cut some squares and went to work. I went a little crazy and made quite a few QSTs!

BAM BOM March QSTs
BAM BOM March QSTs

As I was laying them out I realized that I could make pinwheels since I used the lime green in all of the blocks. I don’t know that I’ll do that in the final layout of the quilt, but it was kind of fun to see what such a layout would look like.

I just got a Technique Sheet from Studio 180 Designs for the Split Recs Ruler**. I love that ruler and may make some Elongated Hourglass units. Stay tuned.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Obviously, you should shop at local quilt shops and small businesses. 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 website.

 

Lupine Top and Back Finished

Lupine top finished
Lupine top finished

Lupine is ready to go to Colleen for quilting. Not a great photo, but the quilt is large and doesn’t fit well on my design wall.

I am really pleased with how it came out. It is a but pink and purple, but doesn’t scream ‘little girl’ to me. I think the black really helps give it a good over all feel. 

In addition, black can be depressing. It did make my workroom a little dark, but overall the pink, purple and Carousel blue keep the black from creating a look that is too depressing.

Lupine back finished
Lupine back finished

I also finished the back. Mom said it looked a little brown, but I definitely used colored dots on black for the most part. One of the prints, a large-ish piece, middle bottom, does have dots that have more brown in them than I would normally use. 

This project used up most of my dots on black fabrics.

I am waiting for a black solid in order to make the binding. I was going to use a pink that matched the border (AGF Cherry Lipgloss), but Lil Sissy pointed out that a black (AGF Caviar) would contain the piece. I think she is right.

Playing with the BAM BOM

BAM BOM blocks - Feb. 2026
BAM BOM blocks – Feb. 2026

Lil Sissy was in town last week for 12 hours on her way to a sun, sand and scuba diving adventure. She called me a few days before and I cut her in on my day’s plans: museum, GF Chinese food lunch. Then we did some things she wanted, namely getting supplies for some jackets she plans to embellish.

Once we were back and my house she saw my BAM BOM blocks and I let her play with them. We used the ‘design floor’ (LOL) since the design wall was full to bursting.

BAM BOM Flying Geese -Lil Sissy arrangement
BAM BOM Flying Geese -Lil Sissy arrangement

It is always interesting to have an artist who uses a different medium play around with quilt blocks. I laid them out in a more or less conventional way. She immediately saw diagonals in places I hadn’t noticed.

She wanted me to make a bunch more Flying Geese so I can really lean into the diagonals. I’ll think about that. 

BAM BOM HSTs -Lil Sissy arrangement
BAM BOM HSTs -Lil Sissy arrangement

She also played with the Half Square Triangles (triangle squares) a bit. Again, she leaned into the diagonals. This arrangement has good possibilities even if I do have to make more HSTs. I think it would look cool to weave the diagonals behind the other blocks. 

BAM BOM Friendship Star Wreath
BAM BOM Friendship Star Wreath

Finally, we talked about my big Friendship Star Wreath and whether I should re-make it with a dark background. She said no, but I might still do it. That white shrieks at me.

BAM BOM Friendship Star Wreath

BAM BOM Friendship Star Wreath
BAM BOM Friendship Star Wreath

This block (for Month 3) took me a long time and I had some detours along the way. Finally, I finished it.

I am not 100% happy with it. I would have liked to use the grey Pearl Bracelets, but I didn’t have enough. 

Using the white Pearl Bracelets as the background introduces another color of background into the piece and I had hoped to avoid using white for the blocks. Since I have not used white in any of the other blocks I have to figure out how to make it work. 

First step: go see if I can find more grey Pearl Bracelets. Doubtful, but you never know.

Lupine Border Decisions

I chunked the Lupine quilt top, then sewed the spacer border on. The next step was the Flying Geese border.

Option 1:

Recommended Lupine border
Recommended Lupine border

The directions were to assemble two Flying Geese so it looks like the above. The look was ok, but didn’t grab my attention.

Option 2:

Zigzag Lupine border
Zigzag Lupine border

I saw a zigzag border that someone made and tried that with my fabrics. This option looked more cohesive to me. 

Option 3:

Alternating chevrons Lupine border
Alternating chevrons Lupine border

Just to see if another configuration would be better, I tried alternating chevrons. This wasn’t terrible and created a lot of movement, but I thought it was a little confusing for the viewer.

I went for option 2 and started sewing long rows of Flying Geese together.

BAM Creative Play

January 2026 Creative Play
January 2026 Creative Play

I started a project at the guild called Creative Play. This was loosely based on a concept I had during COVID that kind of petered out. It was also inspired by a quote I read in Libs Elliott’s newsletter. The quote is “I have made a promise to myself that I will make time for creative play in 2026. Because, when work gets overwhelming, I find joy in taking even just a bit of time for myself to experiment and try something different without an end goal in mind.”

I am determined to have it take off this time and so far, so good.

I started out by handing out the rectangles in the center. Cyndi took it and added the orange border. That is an amazing choice. I don’t think I would have thought of it, but I love it. The orange has an interesting texture as well.

I handed the piece to Sue next and she added the half square triangles. I am really pleased with the work so far.