Grey Strip Blocks

Grey Strip Donation blocks
Grey Strip Donation blocks

I put some of the last grey strip blocks up on the wall to make into a quilt. They have been there for about a week and I have made no progress.

I need at least two more blocks to make this square or rectangular and I have made a desultory effort to make them.

I really just haven’t had a lot of time to sew. The items I have finished recently have been done in small snatches of time. I’ll get there!

Finished: Metro Twist

Finished: Metro Twist
Finished: Metro Twist

Yes, Metro Twist is finished! Hooray. It will go off to its new home after I show it at the guild meeting.

I am so thrilled with the fabrics. It was a good group to use. Someone asked me when I showed it at Sew Day if I had bought the pack of fabrics or if it came from the fabric closet. I was thrilled to tell them I made the choices myself.

Finished: Metro Twist back
Finished: Metro Twist back

Colleen did a great job on the quilting. You can see it really well on the back

It came out smaller than I remembered, but it will be a large wall hanging or a small lap quilt.

March Sew Day

Well, Sew Day was fun. It was a Super Sew Day, which was great. Because the guild couldn’t afford the extra cost some of us met and slipped Mary C the money towards the cost. It was an intimate little crowd and we had a good time. The next day was regular Sew Day, so lots of people showed up, which was fun, too.

I have to say I was exhausted when I arrived home on Saturday night. Between the rain and wind, various errands, the art show and Super Sew Day, I was done even though I had fun and was excited.

Maria's Carrie Bloomston quilt
Maria’s Carrie Bloomston quilt

Lots was going on at Sew Day. I only took a picture of one of Maria’s projects, but she was working on finishing quilts she started a long time ago.

This quilt, as you can see, is a medallion quilt using Carrie Bloomston fabrics. By the time we were done on Saturday, she had added a pink border with an arrow motif that looked great. I forgot to ask her if this was a pattern or if she was making it up as she went along. Regardless, it is a fun quilt that uses simple blocks to great effect.

Amy's Ombre Christmas quilt
Amy’s Ombre Christmas quilt

Amy is the Energizer Bunny of the guild. She brings one quilt to various Sew Days and retreats and keeps working on it until she is finished. She has a busy job and doesn’t have a lot of time to sew at home.

I love how this quilt does not scream Christmas, but definitely has ‘is it Christmas or winter’? vibe about it. I love the use of V&Co’s ombre fabrics. The trees are wonderful. I especially like the blue ones.

QST 16 in the wild
QST 16 in the wild

Roz was working on my QST 16 donation quilt. I was so happy to see it getting a binding. This is the first one I made and it is so close to getting out into the world even as I contemplate and work on blocks for number three.

I am always thrilled to see how many people work on donation quilts. I know I often say that, but it really does make me happy. They are really a group effort.

I was thrilled that Friend Julie was able to make it both days. Since the weather was bad (rain on and off, and wind), it is always a crapshoot whether she will be able to get off the mountain. She was working on her Gypsy Wife quilt, which looks great. Jen Kingwell is calling the Gypsy Wife something else now, but Julie is calling hers Bohemian Wife. She is using a lot of bright prints and I can’t wait to see it finished.

Chris' stained glass quilt
Chris’ stained glass quilt

Chris doesn’t often make it to Sew Day, but she was there both days and she was on fire, working on her blue Kaffe stained glass quilt.

I am not always a fan of stained glass quilts, because the black ‘lead’ lines ruin the design. Chris used blue and it looks much better than black would have. The Kaffe Collective, including my man, Phil’s, fabrics look really great. You can’t really fussy cut these types of quilts, but the large motifs really stand out and look great.

La Pass border #2,345
La Pass border #2,345

In addition to cutting out a number of projects, including the Hildegarde and finishing the Sweetbay cutting, I worked on La Pass and started to cut out another Piebald.

This is a really hard section, because I am trying to fill in the top where I refused cut off the giant and beautiful rosette. Now I have to add about a yard of border to that side.

I had to do taxes and vote on Sunday, so I didn’t get to follow-up on any of these projects, but I will soon.

 

Finished: Pink & Black QST #3

Pink & Black QST donation top #3
Pink & Black QST donation top #3

This quilt is off to be quilted and, thereafter, to a new home.

The variety of blocks does not appeal to my desire for symmetry, but I feel like I need to be able to use the 16 patch blocks I make. I am thinking that I might change the color choices I make for donation blocks going forward. Still, I know someone will like it.

February 2024 Donation Blocks

I don’t know if I started off strong or not. I am diligently using 2.5 inch squares as leaders and enders, so I am slowly working up a nice stack of blocks.

Starting Pink and Black QST #4

Pink & Black QST #3
Pink & Black QST #3

I started the fourth QST donation quilt. I wanted to use the pink 16 patches I had been making and this pattern is still interesting enough for me to want to make another top.

I am quite enamored of pink lately, for some reason. I am going with the flow and not trying to fight off the urge to use some pink.

Pink & Black QST #3 - testing more pink
Pink & Black QST #3 – testing more pink

I thought about using something other than white for the background, so I did a little testing. It didn’t really work out, so I ended up going with white.

I am glad I used my mantra “make visual decisions visually”. Even a solid (lower left hand corner) was a little too much pink for me. I could have tried other pinks, but decided just to get it done, so I cut up some white.

Brown Strip Donation Quilt Ready for Quilting

Brown strip donation top
Brown strip donation top

I wouldn’t exactly say I finished this in record time, but I did work hard to get it done and off my design wall.These quilts aren’t difficult to make. The blocks can take some time, but go together quickly if the strips are available and I use the leaders and enders technique.

This is the third quilt finished from my black-grey-brown scrap drawer. It never ceases to amaze me how little fabric it takes to make a quilt. This one, including borders and sashing took about 3 yards.

I showed it to Marty, who loves the nuanced subtlety of brown, at Sew Day the other day and she loved it. She wanted to know if I was a brown convert. No, no I am not, but I am glad I made this quilt and got rid of the brown scraps I had.

While we were looking at the quilt, I pointed out some of the fabrics I used in really old quilts, like She Had to Have her Latte. That is the fun of scrap quilts – seeing old fabrics and remembering a previous project.

Brown strip donation quilt back
Brown strip donation quilt back

I had a large piece of ‘tea dye’ colored fabric that was almost perfect for the back. I had to add on a bit more, but it was nice to get that large piece out of the fabric closet.

The fabric has postcards on it. I tried to read the messages, but I finally decided they must be fakes as some were impossible to read. That, or they were intentionally blurred.

Another project and more fabric out of the house.

I remembered that I used up quite a bit of brown for the Henry Softies.

Starting the Brown Donation Top

Brown donation blocks
Brown donation blocks

I finally scraped together enough blocks to make a brown (ugh!) donation top. This will be the third quilt I finished from my brown-grey-black scrap bin.I might even have enough blocks for one more grey quilt.

Fortunately, they do not scream brown at me. The lighter-beige strips help.

Finished Black Strip #2 Donation Top

Black Strip #2 donation top
Black Strip #2 donation top

This quilt is off to the guild for someone else to quilt and bind.

I added a larger border on the sides to make it less obviously rectangular. I didn’t want people to think only super skinny folks could use it.

This quilt was popular after listening to Christina Cameli give us her Big Ideas lecture. Get her to come to your guild! That is a great lecture.

January 2024 Donation Blocks

I am pleased that I finally achieved my goal of one block per day for the month. I have had this goal for awhile and it has taken time to achieve it.

I am still working on the Black, Grey and Brown strip blocks from my black-grey-brown scrap bin. It is pretty easy to make these in quantity using leaders and enders.

A couple of the 16 patches are straight from the box available at Sew Day. I needed some leaders and enders as I worked to finish the Grey Strip donation top at Sew Day, so I grabbed them to use. I am glad the Community Quilts team has them available.

Improv from Strip Quilts

As you have seen when I have made other Color Strip donation tops, they have been followed by an improv version. I have been putting a few pieces together from the black/grey/brown (mostly black and grey) scrap bin, but it isn’t going well.

Leftovers from black/grey strip quilts
Leftovers from black/grey strip quilts

Well, I have made chunks of improvisationally pieced fabric, but mostly they are unsatisfactory. Also, I am not sure if I have enough small scraps to make three quilts. I also am not sure I want to combine the three colors into one quilt.

The grey piece looks really good and I don’t really want to ruin it. The others are meh.

I am tempted to bring them to the guild and see who wants to work on them.

Black Strip #2 Donation Top Continues

Black Strip #2 in process
Black Strip #2 in process

I am using this project for leaders and enders, so it isn’t progressing as quickly as it might otherwise. Still, progress is good.

These are the additional blocks I made, some of which were rejected from Black Strip [#1].

It has that weird shape again and I don’t have enough additional blocks to make it wider. Not having additional blocks is a good thing in terms of scraps as it means I am working through my scraps (making room for more!). On the other hand, it is a not ideal situation for actually using the quilt. I might have to go with wider sides and narrower top/bottom when I do the borders.

All of the 2-in-1 Cases

2-in-1 Cases - officer gifts
2-in-1 Cases – officer gifts

Today is the day where we give the officers their gifts.

Carrie, Sue and I spent last Saturday at The Granary, a local quilt store that has a great restaurant nearby.

We bought gift cards for the officers and spent time, in between eating, looking at quilt supplies and wrapping the gifts. It was another fun time with Carrie and Sue.

Black Strip #2 Start

Black Strip #2 donation top in process
Black Strip #2 donation top in process

Even though I need and want to make Pantone blocks, I started on the next Black Strip donation quilt.

Yes, I went with the pink cornerstones. I just can’t help myself sometimes.

This will be a small one, though there is a small possibility I’ll make it larger. Stay tuned.

Grey Strip Donation Top Finished

Grey Strip donation top - finished
Grey Strip donation top – finished

I was able to finish the grey strip top at Sew Day, then work on the back at home. I am pleased that this top is finished and am already working on the next black version.

With the back, it is another 3 yards used for a good cause.

 

 

Grey strip donation back
Grey strip donation back

I have now made 14 of these quilts, with the help of my guild colleagues.

See the other colors on the Color Strip page.