Charming Donation Top

Yes, I have been working on a lot of donation tops lately. That is how it goes during the piecing of Fabric of the Year quilts. 1) there is a lot of piecing; 2) I have to keep the pieces in order and subtle changes in color are not always obvious in the wrong place until the whole thing is sewn together and 3) I can’t not sew with leaders and enders. Not using leaders and enders just seems wrong. Thus, I have made a few donation quilts.

Charming Donation Top
Charming Donation Top

This donation top is an offshoot of a pattern Peggy modified, the Plus quilt.I made one using our standard postage stamp donation blocks and wasn’t super excited. Someone will like it, but I wanted to modify it.

I wanted to make the top a little bigger, so I used charm squares to make up the plus instead of the blocks. I don’t think it really worked the way I intended. I only gained an inch on each side. That is why I added the borders. Not very modern of me, I know, but someone will like it.

It also went together very quickly. I made the whole thing in a few hours, which is always a bonus.

That Nicey Jane fabric (with the giant dots) was laying around bugging me. I am glad it will go to a good home.

Pinwheel Donation Top

 I saw a pinwheel quilt. Since I am trying to teach my students about block structure, I showed them this quilt. I was trying to make the point that they  had the skills to make it.

I was amazed when one of them came up with a method of making the quilt that was completely different than what I was thinking. She was thinking QSTs and I was thinking Flying Geese. I was so impressed that she was really thinking about how to make it. It validated that I was getting through.

Pinwheel Donation Quilt
Pinwheel Donation Quilt

I decided to make the quilt her way – using QSTs – to see what I thought. I ended up thinking there too many seams  and think I will try the pattern using Flying Geese. Still! I am just excited that a skill I think is really valuable is getting through.

I made the back also, but don’t think I took a picture and the whole package is off to the Community Quilt chair for quilting, etc.

New Donation Blocks

9 donation blocks
9 donation blocks

While I began sewing FOTY 2019, I used some 2.5 inch squares as leaders and enders.

I realized as I was making them, that there is no rhyme or reason to the color scheme. I don’t have enough of one color to really do anything with the blocks.

The problem is also that making blocks when people can’t get a set at the meeting doesn’t help Peggy with Community Giving.

Looking at them now, I could make another 16 Patch Plus quilt top like I made for Peggy last weekend. I could use the black blocks for the outer legs of the Plus and a red one for the center block. The 16 Patch Plus tops turn out so small, though, and I really prefer making larger quilts.

Blue Improv Donation Quilt

Blue Improv Donation Top finished
Blue Improv Donation Top finished

The Blue Improv quilt top that I thought I might turn into pillows for my SIL is back in the donation top pile.

I found a piece of fabric that I don’t have to piece for the backing. Less bulk will make the quilting easier.

The page with all of these Color Improv quilts has been updated as well. I was amazed to see that I have made 6 of these scrap improv donation tops!

16 Patch Plus Quilt

16 Patch Plus Quilt
16 Patch Plus Quilt

I was able to finish the top and back of one donation piece during the Retreat. This will be a small quilt, but the Community Giving team has an organization that makes boxes for new mothers. They want small quilts that fit in these boxes, so I don’t feel as bad about making a small quilt.

Peggy made a few of these with the 16 patch blocks I made earlier this year after seeing Cheryl Bricker’s quilts in the presentation at the meeting. I decided that I would make one as well since I had some 16 patches I had made and giving them to Peggy wouldn’t do much for her except add to what she had to store. This was a better option, though the blocks aren’t super cohesive.

I am thinking of making one of these with charm squares. It would go faster and be larger.

Weekend Traffic Jam

Traffic Jam #2 top
Traffic Jam #2 top

I finally got my act together and put Traffic Jam #2 together. Seeing Peggy churn out donation quilt after donation quilt at the Retreat really kicked me in the backside. I got the blocks out and just started sewing them together. I had to find fabrics for sashing, so I did that and eventually sewed it all together.

I have to make the back, but I can do that this week, then it will be ready to go.

Blue Improv Good News -Bad News

Blue Improv Donation Top - Finished
Blue Improv Donation Top – Finished

The good news is that I have finished the Blue Improv donation top. The bad news is that it isn’t going to end up as a donation top.

My SIL came over on the weekend and when I showed her this top in progress, she examined it minutely. Then she said that if this were pillows, it would look great on her sofa. Why not? I really like this top and would love to see it  on a regular basis. I am going to make the top into pillows. They will be about 20×20. I was thinking of making 4 of them, but I may make two and have both sides be improv pieced.

I’ll have to make it up to the guild.

Most of the Traffic Jam #2

I have all of the Traffic Jam #2 blocks done. That doesn’t mean I am able to show you them all, but most are available for viewing. Somehow I am missing 5 of the blocks

Now I need to find some sashing fabric and put the top together. I think I’d like to try making one of these tops with a darker background. Not necessarily black, but with a color rather than just white.

Blue Improv Donation Top Progress

Blue Improv Donation Top in process
Blue Improv Donation Top in process

I made good  progress during the week on this top. It is a lot of sewing since the scraps are mostly pretty small. I have only gotten it up to 30×35 inches, which isn’t large enough for a baby quilt and on the small side of what I like to donate. I went through the scraps  on my cutting table (a big pile I really need to deal with) and found more blues. I am hoping I have enough to make one more 5 inch strip so the top will be 35×35 inches. I can think about whether to put a border on it after that.

Somehow the title of “My Mind on COVID” is the way I have started to think about this top. There is some cohesion because of the colors. Beyond that, the piece looks fairly chaotic. My mind isn’t chaotic all the time, but the unknown of the future does bring a sense of chaos to my mind.

Aside from getting a top out of the process, I am also doing a good job of cleaning out my blue scrap drawer I can see the bottom of it!

Blue Improv Donation Top Returns

Blue Improv Donation Top - early October 2020
Blue Improv Donation Top – early October 2020

After several weeks of not working on this project, I got back to it during the guild’s Community Quilt Sew Day on Saturday. The top is now 22.75 x 24.5.

I have some large chunks that I worked on which are not yet attached. Working on two donation tops at once is difficult. I don’t feel like I am making progress on either. I need to finish one up so I can focus on the other.

Traffic Jam Continues

Traffic Jam 2- Block #2
Traffic Jam 2- Block #2

I am feeling guilty about the Blue Improv Donation quilt, but somehow I can’t seem to get back to it. My reasoning for working on the Traffic Jam blocks is that I need to get rid of the 2.5″ squares that are preventing me from closing my bin of donation squares.

I’ll get back to the improv quilt eventually. In the meantime, I am using up squares from various Bonnie and Camille lines, mostly.

Traffic Jam 2- Block #3
Traffic Jam 2- Block #3

I have been making 4 patches and all of a sudden I am able to put several blocks together. I am going to make at least 9 of these blocks, but perhaps 16, to make a donation quilt. It depends on how many squares I have. I am already running out of red, so I may need to augment that stash a bit. My foot is healing so I may be able to climb upin my fabric closet again. We’ll see.

Traffic Jam #2

Traffic Jam 2- Block #1
Traffic Jam 2- Block #1

First, I started sewing more 16 patch donation blocks with the leftovers from the last Stepping Stones n.2 quilt I made last year. Then I looked at the two most recent 16-patch donation blocks I made and realized that the group of fabrics would make another great Traffic Jam donation quilt.

I made a number of 4 patches and just let them pile up. After awhile, as I was sewing other things, I finally started putting the blocks together. As I may have mentioned, Tim already quilted the last one and this is such a great pattern that I did want to do it again. I wasn’t planning to do it so soon, but here we are.

The leftover 2.5 inch squares from the Stepping Stones n.2 quilt plus some dots are looking fresh and bright. This will have to be another girl quilt, I think, as it doesn’t look very boyish.

SueG’s Donation Quilt

I am teaching a Sampler Quilt Class/Skillbuilder via Zoom. One of the things I asked my students to do was check their quarter inch seam, then practice sewing and getting the seams to match.

SueG's Donation Quilt September 2020
SueG’s Donation Quilt September 2020

SueG did a GREAT job and made a donation quilt for the guild as practice.

She picked great colors (we had an earlier lesson on color and choosing fabrics) and her seams match up very well. As a bonus, some child will get a wonderful looking quilt!

I am thrilled!

A Few Donation Blocks

I spent a lot of time over the weekend on cleanup projects: making a binding, making a sleeve, tidying, etc. In the process, I decided that some Bonnie and Camille 2.5 inch squares I was saving were going to be donation blocks.I dumped a bunch of squares into the bin I use for donation 2.5 inch squares. The bin overflowed, so I started sewing.

 I made a couple of donation blocks. THEN I realized that I could use those squares to make another Traffic Jam donation quilt, so I started in on making 4 patches instead of 16 patches. I thought about unsewing the two blocks I made, but decided that would be stupid and will just move forward with the unsewn 2.5 inch squares for now.

Of course, this means I am now working on two donation quilts at once, the Traffic Jam and the Blue Improv Donation top. Not sure how I will work that out, but need to go with what is of interest at the moment.

Blue Strip Donation Quilt Finished

Blue Strip Donation Quilt finished
Blue Strip Donation Quilt finished

It wasn’t too long ago that I helped Tim put this quilt on the machine. The other day when I visited, he showed me the finished piece. It was even bound by Sue S! That made it a true group quilt. I was really pleased at how well it came out.

I finished this quilt in March of 2020, right after the shelter-in-place order, so this one is getting done much faster than the Purple Strip Donation quilt I talked about the other day.

Tim said that he doesn’t really like yellow, but this quilt was just cheerful. That comment made me super happy. I really love making cheerful quilts.

The quilting is a lot of swirls, which looks really nice. I am not sure  how he decided what to do, but I like what he usually chooses. Also, Tim is quilting these for free so I am not complaining.

Blue Strip Donation quilt back - finsihed
Blue Strip Donation quilt back – finsihed

The back is pretty basic, nothing fancy in terms of piecing, but it looks good. also, cheerful.